# advice on painting wheels? **URL:** \ **Category:** SON240sx Automotive\ **Created:** [December 28, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/advice-on-painting-wheels/82685 "2004-12-28T13:47:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![s13Junkyard](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/s13junkyard/32/5502_2.png) [@s13Junkyard](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/s13Junkyard)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/advice-on-painting-wheels/82685/1 "2004-12-28T13:47:25Z")
I got a set of wheels i want to paint bronze/gold Does anyone have any tips on painting them? Type of paint? Amount of coats (colour and clear) Should i use primer? Sanding and preping tips? How long to wait between coats? Thx for the advice i have painted wheels before but i want this set to come out as nice as possible. Also if anyone has hookups on powder coating i might be interested in that aswell. ---
**Author:** ![Gonad](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/gonad/32/5481_2.png) [@Gonad](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Gonad)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 2:08pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/advice-on-painting-wheels/82685/2 "2004-12-28T14:08:34Z")
- Spray on some sorta degreaser to remove dirt/grime - Sand it down using whatever grit of paper (medium grit is fine I guess) - Prime if you wanna do a fancy-schmancy job - Paint 1st layer. Let it sit, dry fully. Paint 2nd layer…and so forth. Do as many layers as you want I guess. You will never get a professional job as something like powdercoating but this should make your wheel at least half decent looking. I basically used this step painting my valve cover and it came out pretty decent. ---
**Author:** ![Heatw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@Heatw](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Heatw)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/advice-on-painting-wheels/82685/3 "2004-12-28T20:11:17Z")
apperently there is a specail primer you can use for this so the paint sticks very well… that said i did my r32 rims my self and they look evry bit as good as most wheels you can buy new… i took the wheels and wet sanded their ass down to the orignal aliminum unti lthe surface was mint… i could have just applied polish there but then they’d be gay looking like chroimies. anywyas i laid down 2 3 light coasts of prime till it was all nicely covered, then i wet sanded and it it with 3-4 coats of cdn tire exactmatch… then i leaid down 6 or so coats of clear and they are pimp but u have to be carful with sockets becaue i’ve scaped the paint a bit in the lug holls pullign them off all the time with my air gun… ---
**Author:** ![s13Junkyard](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/s13junkyard/32/5502_2.png) [@s13Junkyard](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/s13Junkyard)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/advice-on-painting-wheels/82685/4 "2004-12-29T18:06:15Z")
Interesting you wetsanded the primer. How long did it take to sand down to the point where you could polish? What grit sandpaper did you guys use? Any tips of what bronze/gold colour paint to use? Hmmmm. i might just wet sand them to hell and polish them up to make them blinging might look good… thx so far for the advice guys. MORE MORE MORE ---
**Author:** ![s13Junkyard](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/s13junkyard/32/5502_2.png) [@s13Junkyard](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/s13Junkyard)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 12:53pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/advice-on-painting-wheels/82685/5 "2004-12-30T12:53:03Z")
Ive decided to paint them bronze i will post up some pics when they are finished mmmm they gonna look so sexyyyy ---
**Author:** ![kay\_arsen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ac8455/32.png) [@kay\_arsen](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/kay_arsen)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/advice-on-painting-wheels/82685/6 "2005-01-26T17:25:17Z")
what kind of paint you using i have my 17 painted gold i wanna go bronze ---
**Author:** ![BenG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@BenG](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/BenG)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 9:52am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/advice-on-painting-wheels/82685/7 "2005-01-28T09:52:49Z")
Slightly off topic…but similar… Instead of painting, how about just removing the paint and clearcoating the raw aluminium? I’ve been thinking of that since the wheels I am going to mount are white and I don’t think white wheels would look good on a purple car (almost clownish, i think). Would sandblasting and clearcoating a set of wheels be economical? I don’t think sanding could give a very even finish to the aluminium. ---
**Author:** ![mung\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@mung\_man](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/mung_man)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/advice-on-painting-wheels/82685/8 "2005-08-31T20:28:04Z")
you can clear the raw aluminum if you really wanted to. as for sandblasting…i don’t recommend it. unless you know an awesome sandblaster you are better off just sanding them and clearing them ---
**Author:** ![mung\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@mung\_man](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/mung_man)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2005, 11:53pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/advice-on-painting-wheels/82685/9 "2005-09-01T23:53:40Z")
sandblasting may pit. for sanding start with 180 grit and wor your way up to 1500 or 2000 if you got it. keeps it nice and smooth. ---
**Author:** ![Jedi\_Car\_Fan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Jedi\_Car\_Fan](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Jedi_Car_Fan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/advice-on-painting-wheels/82685/10 "2005-09-02T04:18:51Z")
I sand blast aluminum rims all the time as long as you dont use steel shot you will not pit the rim you can always soda blast them or use glass beed and it will come out real smooth ---
**Author:** ![Jedi\_Car\_Fan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Jedi\_Car\_Fan](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Jedi_Car_Fan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2005, 12:50pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/advice-on-painting-wheels/82685/11 "2005-09-02T12:50:54Z")
> [@Avery](#): > > Also if anyone has hookups on powder coating i might be interested in that aswell. $200.00 if I have the Colour of Powder in stock