Wheel painting advice

porschenut · 02-21-2005, 05:37 PM

A little background first: I picked up a set of phone dials that I'm going to use for the track, and two of them had runout issues that were fixed by a local shop. In the process, the finish on those two was trashed. So, I figured I could strip them all, and shoot some color and clear and make them look factory fresh.

So I used a chemical stripper that removed every last bit of original paint and primer on one of them. But the aluminum underneath is really rough. I bought two cans each of Wurth self-etching primer, silver lacquer and clear lacquer from Pelican, which according to all my research is supposed to be what the factory used. OK. But after two coats of primer, two coats of silver, and 2 coats of clear, the wheels still have a rough finish that is definitely not the same as the other wheels that still have the original finish on them. I think the color is pretty close, but not an exact match, but the real issue is the texture. What did the factory do to make the paint smooth that I didn't do? Is it possible to duplicate (or nearly so) the original finish in my garage with no special equipment or experience and just rattle cans? The best I've been able to do looks very amateurish. What's the secret?

my924gtc · 02-21-2005, 06:17 PM

OK I'm no expert but I have refinished a few sets of stock wheels.

1st. Was the checmical stripper you used safe for alloy? You may have distorted the facing of the wheels by using chemicals not rated or safe for use on alloys. I media blast my wheels rather than stripping them. I use Garnet as media so not to damage the wheels.

2nd Did you sand the wheels at all before attempting to paint them? If not this was a mistake. You should have at least given them a good going over with some 400 grit sandpaper. I would have probably progressed up to 800. You do not want a perfectly smooth surface but you do want a nice even one.

Now to fix what you may have done you might have to have these wheels blasted to remove the paint and to even out the surface of the wheels. Using something a little more aggressive might damage them so find a wheel shop that is used to working with alloys. If you still want to paint them yourself just have them restore the wheels to a nice semi-smooth surface. Once this is done, then sand them, prime them, and paint them. Do a few coats of paint and two coats of clear. You can achieve a nice finish with rattle cans if the temperature is right and the prep work is good.

Prep is the key to any good paint job. Doesn't matter if you are talking wheels, your car, or your kid's bike. More time is spent prepping things than spraying them. Just about any monkey can get a good finish on a complete car if the body is prepped properly.

porschenut · 02-22-2005, 10:58 AM

Thanks for that good advice. I looked at the stripper can and it says it removes paint from all metals, but doesn't say anything about what types of metals it is safe for. The aluminum surface is rough, but completely consistent. After two coats each of primer, color, and clear, I can still feel the roughness with my fingertips. I didn't do any sanding at all, because I figured if I start with the same rough surface that the factory did, I would end up with the same result. I'm starting to wonder if maybe the factory applied a lot more coats than I did.

my924gtc · 02-22-2005, 11:15 AM

That is very possible that the factory paint is that thick. They may have even had the wheels dipped rather than sprayed.

As with any project, pictures would be great. I try and always take progessive pics when I do something, if only for my own reference.

sscroquet · 02-22-2005, 12:22 PM

all i did to repaint my wheels was wet sand them and put a couple coats of paint on them. The wet sanding makes it nice and smooth it didnt even remove all the old paint. but the more wet sanding the better.

944 boy · 02-22-2005, 12:29 PM

I stripped one phonedial all the way down. the casting on them is rough. They used a thick filling primer that is incredibly tough to fill in the roughness, it may have been dipped. They make primers that are ment to be built up then sanded, you can also sand the wheel smoother too. both are alot of work, if its for the track i wouldnt worry too much about them, whos gonna care about your wheels smoothness when your passing them? My phones are for my winter set and i used Einzett silver, good paint.

tifosiman · tifosiman's Garage

Unless the original coating is in horrid shape, you really shouldn't strip it off. Just ensure it is clean and smooth (ie: degrease it and sand lightly before painting.....don't forget to use that tack cloth!).

I agree with the above poster that stated:

"if its for the track i wouldnt worry too much about them, whos gonna care about your wheels smoothness when your passing them?"

Track wheels are notoriously lower-grade finish and condition than nice street wheels anyway. There is a point of diminishing returns here. If you spend a great deal of time, money, and effort to get them perfect, they are just going to get messed up from brake dust, stone chips, and cone marks anyway. Just do a season or two on them as they are now, and after you have destroyed this finish, try again!

Hope that helps!

porschenut · 02-22-2005, 04:08 PM

All good points, thanks. I guess I don't care if they're perfect for track use, it's just that I was expecting better results and hoping they might be nice enough for winter use also. If it will take a great deal of effort and/or special primer, I think I'll solve the problem by lowering my expectations. They look pretty good, just not the same as factory.

Maybe I'll do as tifosiman suggests and see if a DE/AX season or two gives me a reason to redo them. I appreciate the help!