DIY wheel refurb/paint

[eugopnosaj 0]

How easy is it to refurb wheels or paint them, i am looking at a set on ebay which will probably either need completely stripping or painting as one of the alloys has already been painted a different colour to the rest...

[dukest 0]

depends what they are!

[OllieVR6 0]

Do a google, there are hundreds of threads about it. For me, I stripped one with Nitromors, then decided I hated the stuff and the rest I have just sanded down myself. You can repair scuffs with metal filler, that Ispon stuff from halfrauds does the trick. Then just prime with etch primer and spray. If I had the money I would get them done by someone else tho. A friend of mine had a set of 18's done, they were stripped, repaired and powder coated satin black, £250 they came back like new. The other option is to get them stripped by somone else (about £10-£15 per wheel) and then spray them yourself. Tbh by the time I have finished mine I will have almost spent what it would cost to get them done professionally in sand paper, stripper, primer, paint etc etc.

[Jim Bowen 1]

i did a set of speedlines, and for the effort i put in and the amount it cost in materials i should of got it done properly from the begining.

 

In fact after i had finished the refurb myself it wasn't very long before i go them done properly and really pleased with them.

 

I think the biggest factor is getting the laquer finish correct, if they come out a bit "dry" then its a pig to clean the dirt off.

[Critical_Mass 10]

I think the biggest factor is getting the laquer finish correct, if they come out a bit "dry" then its a pig to clean the dirt off.

 

yes thats what happened to my speedlines. Dirt would get in the places that werent completely smooth. Looked shoite after a few months.

 

Though its worth doing if money is tight and i reckon youd get away with it if it was black you were painting them :D

[coullstar 0]

As with any paint its all about proper preparation. If you want a flawless finish then get them powdercoated and dont muck about with rattle cans.

Ive done a heap of wheels now. You can get a good finish for about £40 I reckon, the cost of one wheels to be powdercoated. The key is light sanding between each stage to slowly create the smooth finish you want from the lacquer. It does take a little practice though.

[Kempy 0]

I always seem to be painting/refurbing wheels :lol: Its quite fun, but I never seem to get any better at it

[vwdeviant 0]

Why when it's £150/set to have them professionally powder coated at BJV? :shrug:

 

 

But I'm lazy! :grin:

[KIPVW 0]

One of my work chums has been messing about lately too, he bought some wheels from lowdown vw tfor around £150 then wanted them stipped and the rim polished £180 :shock: and they still need the rest of the wheels painting too :brickwall:

 

Why FFS they will look shite i can tell you, in fact i may even post a pic when he's done them Lol! all this money on fairly average wheels too and i know/guarantee that in less than a year he will have sold them on.

 

They change their flippin wheels as often as i change my pants! :lol:

[eugopnosaj 0]

well im on a bit of a budget...3 of my wheels are distorted not done by me and i have no idea how the previous owner did it! Anyway its going to cost me around £200 to get the wheels repaired (plus 2 new tyres) and thats without repairing the marks on the front. As far as im aware they're nothing special and i dont know the brand.

 

Anyway ive been watching some on ebay to see if it would be cheaper to get ones that arent buckled/distorted and refurb them myself or pay to get mine repaired and refurb those instead

 

Have found a set of BK racing alloys near me that are £100 no bids yet, they're black but could do with tidying up as well as some other ones

[dukest 0]

you must be able to buy a half decent set of wheels that dont need repairing or painting for the cost of repairing and painting your own (min. £300 as per comments above..)?

[Jonny777 0]

I often just paint my wheels when i'm bored, finish isn't the best, but for a job that i just feel like doing for a change it only costs me around 25-30 quid a time. :)

 

Did them white first time, then bright flouro orange a couple of weeks back. Will no doubt change again if i get bored. :lol:

[timthetinyhorse 0]

my first refurb completed with tyres on :-)

 

 

Colour match yo

 

 

Just remember, take time masking, plenty prep work, good coats of primer, plenty paint, plenty laquer, taking your time is the key :-)

 

good luck

 

if you want any advice give me a shout

[fla 9]

i do like that look - maybe one for my tt comps. Could anyone do a photoshop of this on the comps?

[Mcr VR6 0]

my first refurb completed with tyres on :-)

 

that does look pretty damn good. is it easier recolouring than refurbing tho? distorted and badly marked rims might not come up as well. what did yours cost in the end? for comparing DIY vs paying a pro

[eugopnosaj 0]

my first refurb completed with tyres on :-)

 

Just remember, take time masking, plenty prep work, good coats of primer, plenty paint, plenty laquer, taking your time is the key :-)

 

good luck

 

if you want any advice give me a shout

 

Hey wow that looks really good, how long did it take you in the end?

[timthetinyhorse 0]

If the wheels are badly pitted you will just have to spend more time on the prep work and possibly use a filling primer before the normal primer to level things out, the refurb i did on mine only took me a day and cost only the price of primer, paint and clear coat i.e. 3tins primer, 4tins paint and 3 tins laquer :-) remember its worth paying the price for high quality paint!

[eugopnosaj 0]

yeah ive already got the paint and some 1k or 2k lacquer cant remember which the wheels im looking at are black already so would need to sand them back anyway

[OllieVR6 0]

If the wheels are badly pitted you will just have to spend more time on the prep work and possibly use a filling primer before the normal primer to level things out, the refurb i did on mine only took me a day and cost only the price of primer, paint and clear coat i.e. 3tins primer, 4tins paint and 3 tins laquer :-) remember its worth paying the price for high quality paint!

 

That looks really good, nice one!

[timthetinyhorse 0]

cheers for the comments,

 

if anyone wants more detailed info i would be more than happy to give any advice required etc

 

rob

[Jonny777 0]

My painting, not perfect, but alright for a cheap job really.

 

DSCN4476.jpg[/attachment:1hsv1mow]

 

2.8l 24v Climatronic system.pdf4of16.jpg[/attachment:1hsv1mow]

 

Halfords paint both times, not much prep i admit, theres some paint reacting, but was supposed to be a quick job. :lol:

 

Rubbed down, primed (filler primer i found was best) then colour and a few layers of lacquer. :)

[Mcr VR6 0]

My painting, not perfect, but alright for a cheap job really.

 

lol, nice colour, i bet it attracts the right and the wrong type of attention!

[Jonny777 0]

Haha, the looks i get are priceless. :lol:

 

Already had an old gent say it looked great, was like wtf? :lol:

[perky15 0]

heres my attempt too takes time though

 

 

 

 

[Kempy 0]

Ive been refurbing rims today to :D no paint just elbow grease, i got some pics, just cant find my usb