NEED ADVICE ON PAINTING ALUMINUM WHEELS

J

JC Daniel

Promoted Users
I am in the middle of a 2003 Ford ranger job and the owner wanted to know what could be done to the aluminum wheels? He wants to paint or epoxy them and I told him that I would have to ask you guys to get the verdict, Sandblast and then epoxy is my guess?
 
Yep, that's what I would do. Clean well, blast, good blow job and two coats of epoxy and paint. Prob have to topcoat as epoxy would be exposed to UV on wheels.
 
they sell plastic blasting media for aluminum wheels so you are not trying to polish back the blasting grit. Its really sharp stuff, dont let the plastic fool you.

In all honesty, by the time you are done, he could have picked up a pretty decent set of aftermarket wheels and changed the look of his truck. You should charge at least 150 a wheel, for that, replacements win.

Factory Chrysler rims are the worst, I have seen valve stem holes and seats completely disintegrated. The 09 fusion took wire wheeling, plus glue on the bead to finally get them to stop leaking.
 
AI has a very good point, hardly worth the time to paint. Here you can get them PC'd for about 75 bucks per wheel. Damn sure can't paint them for that.
 
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metalman said:
Often when I estimate cost between paint and powder coating the powder coat wins.
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For the most part, with colors, it wins. If you are trying to do the factory clear, most aluminum rims will turn into this machine/titanium/gray with that cast factory alloy stuff that disintegrates with moisture inside just turns that color when it gets baked.. Its not a bad color, great durability, but it does not turn out the same. For that you need to spray the clear. That is what I have learned at least, when you warn them, then do it anyway and they are not the factory look. You can get that background hammertone or body color ok, but when it bakes it changes.
 
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