Painting steel wheels black again.

[JustinH]

My wife has a toyota matrix with the hubcaps and steel wheels.

What is the best product to use to refinish these wheels myself?

I was thinking clean them up real good with super clean, then some rustoleum.

We live in Texas now, but the car is from New York, and rust on those black wheels is driving me nuts.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Sand off all rust, sand the painted surfaces and hit with some black paint.

I usually hit steel wheels with clearcoat after to protect.

 

[meep]

there are better paints than rustoleum. It, like most, are an enamel--- which is on the softer side of things.

The best wheel paint I have found is made by duplicolor. they make a lt grey, a dark grey, a clear, and I believe a black. I have painted wheels, doors, engine and transmission pans in this stuff, as well as skid plates on my old jeep. Best strong paint I have found. If they have it in black, there you go.

You can also find black in a lacquer spray can in the car shops, and sometimes places like Home Depot. It dries fast and hard, however it is by nature very thin, so if you have blemishes in your prep work, it will show through. It will stay black, and be far more resistant to scracthes, chips, carwash brushes, etc., than rustoleum. may cost 1-2 dollars more.

If you use the duplicolor, note the directions. recoat within an hour or AFTER 7 days. This stuff takes a while to completely cure. I've driven it day-after without problems, but you can tell it's still soft for a few days. The clear coat goes on best with practice to avoid thick hazy spots. Sturdiest rattle paint I have found. Could probably do the duplicolor wheel clear over lacquer black, but I'd make sure the black was completely and totally done drying/curing first.

 

[eljefino]

I did rustoleum and have been disappointed.

"They" say you can cut rusto with mineral spirits and use many layers. I did it on a whole car (google $50 paint job) and might do it to rims.

But I like the duplicolor idea.

Dismount your tires for best results.

 

[Sawdusted]

Best to prime with primer paint after sanding too.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

Sand/wire brush, clean/prep for paint,
apply:http://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-Automotive-248658-10-Ounce-Reformer/dp/B003HG48AC/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1390521891&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=rustoleum+rust+reformer
Finish with your favorite color of paint..

Wayne

 

[eljefino]

BTW a wire cup brush in a 4.5" angle grinder is great for getting in the "round corners".

Wear a dust mask for all the brake dust flying around.

 

[71Chevyguy]

I cleaned off a set of pretty rusty steel wheels and painted them with Rustoleum (semi-gloss) and this is winter #2 on them and they still look new. The gloss and semi-gloss work better than the flat IMO. Can't say I am too disappointed. Have not used the duplicolor myself but know they do make good products so I wouldn't be afraid of that either. Regardless of what you use just make sure to clean the wheels relly well if you want good results otherwise it will look like you painted over rust and dirt and that in my opinion makes it a waste of time.

 

[Chris142]

Have them sandblasted. That will remove all the rust and old paint then shoot them with a good paint.

 

[stephen9666]

I did this about two years ago on my Hyundai. After asking on Garage Journal for recommendations I used Plastikote wheel paint.
http://www.plastikote.com/products/Specialty/Wheel-Paint.html

You can get Plastikote at Car Quest. My store had to order the color I wanted. I think it was $8 per can, or so.

I used a wire wheel on a drill to knock off any rust and rough up the paint. I degreased the wheels, masked off the tire and sprayed two coats. It's been holding up really well so far.

 

[901Memphis]

Buy some rims, throw the steelies out.

 

[Mr_Incredible]

I took the wheels from the CRX and hit them with the 4.5" wire wheel, then repainted with POR15. Worked pretty good.

If I were to do it again, I'd get them sandblasted and repainted with some super-paint of some sort that I don't know about yet.

 

[Papa Bear]

Originally Posted By: JustinH
My wife has a toyota matrix with the hubcaps and steel wheels.

What is the best product to use to refinish these wheels myself?

I was thinking clean them up real good with super clean, then some rustoleum.

We live in Texas now, but the car is from New York, and rust on those black wheels is driving me nuts.




Sounds like a winner. I use a scotchbrite scouring pad to remove loose rust/paint and spray with rustoleum semigloss/satin black. Touchups are easily done when rotating tires.

 

[wag123]

Scrub them with scotchbrite scouring pads and water with a few drops of dishwashing detergent, or, scrub them with SOS pads and water (messier and harder to rinse off). Rinse clean and let dry. Spray them with black automotive primer. Done. You don't need to apply paint over the black primer, it will hold-up just fine by itself, and it won't come off. It is very easy for an amature to spray it on and end-up with excellent results (hard to screw it up). You will need 2 cans of it for 4 wheels.

 

[JHZR2]

What if you wanted a little better finish? Would/could you use auto paint or must it be something else? I've seen some steel wheels from trucks and SUVs that are painted a nice silver color and are exposed. Much nicer than the matte black of most common steelies.

I have a lead on some 16", 5-spoke silver steelies, which is like to possibly paint black but look nice. Thing is, run lip weights and their damage to a repaint...

 

[ryanschillinger]

Rustoleum will do just fine. Or whatever other paint you choose. Especially behind hubcaps they will look very nice either way. I would clean them several times with degreaser, then dry them off and sand the rust off. Scuff up the rest of the painted area before masking and paint. I bought a bead breaker at harbor freight and it makes this job MUCH easier. Just break the front bead, so the balance isn't affected. Stick newspaper between the tire bead and the wheel before painting. First coat should be very light, then a couple thicker coats to give it a uniform look and you're done.

 

[Gasbuggy]

Believe or not black plastidip will provide a longer lasting finish on wheels than any spray can paint will.

 

[circuitsmith]

I put POR-15 on my steelies. It's very tough.