So I'm just wondering which would be better for me to do. I'd like to get my rims to be black and wanted to know if anyone has experience with powder coating. How are the results? How much did it cost you? How long has it lasted etc? I was looking in the phone book for a few place but haven't been too successful.

Then I was checking out checkercoop's idea about painting the rims. Dupli-Color make a spray paint designed for wheels. Here's the link - http://www.duplicolor.com/products/wheel.html - there is even a video to go along with it.

Right now I'm leaning into trying to spray the wheels, not because I don't want to spend the $ (ok maybe that's a small part of it) but because I haven't found a place close Westchester NY to do it. That and I think it would be more of a hassle to take the tires off and put the rim in the oven and rebalance etc...plus I'm not sure if it would be a good job or not.

So if you have any tips on spray painting wheels or tips on powder coating that is certainly appreciated. From what I'm reading on the forum, you should NOT spray into the area where to lug nuts are because it can throw the balancing off. Anything else I should be concerned about? I have to admit that I am a little nervous to take a piece of sandpaper to my rims before priming them.

So to powder coat or to spray paint? Help me decide!

And a big thanks for reading all of this!

 

+1 - id love to know this. i have been going nuts since i put my crown spokes back on...my baby needs BLACK WHEELS!!!! haha. i think body shops do it, but im not sure how much it costs or anything. seems like you did your research. im guessing your best bet (and cheapest) would be to just spray paint them. i know a few people who did it with the results youd expect from cheaply spray painting your rims.. good luck to you man.

 

You know who I am right? I was at your house last month and smoke your last cig....what a F'd up thing to do!

 

haha yeah i know who you are! how could i forget the man who looks identical to vin deisel (but a little smaller lol) and who had my last cigarette.

hows the car doing?

 

Yeah I get the Vin Diesel thing alot.

Car is doing well man....I have no complaints except for the lack of a temp gauge but that's another thread....Lyle does good work - no doubt about it - I hope he hooked you up!..........I actually I got a few compliments from the SA when I had the oil changed over at Prestige.....

where did you guys end up going over the next 2-3 days?

I just got my boy to order a MCS DS/DS so he's giving me his bridge spokes and the brand new tires when it arrives since he's getting aftermarket wheels/tires.....I figured the least I could do was buy him the TPMS sensors ....

So those are the wheels I'm going to paint or powder coat....I'll keep mine and put winter tires on them when they are in need.

BTW there's a place near you that got a few reviews on the powder coating...

http://www.g35driver.com/forums/g-sq...r-coating.html

SL Metals is the name of the business in Farmingdale...you should check out that thread and see.....

If you do it I might even make the trip out there and have him do both at once although I'm not sure how long it takes and what needs to dry etc...obviously the tires/sensors/weights have to come off the rims - I would assume he has the equipment to put it all back together! We'd have to ask!

I guess it depends on $ too a little....that video on duplicolor's web site looked easy as hell. I just don't know where they got the tire condom.

 

deffinatly. i cant find any info on them on google (i searched SL Metals Farmingdale NY) and nothing came up. ill have to check the yellow pages when im not this lazy haha. ill keep you posted if i make any headway.

yeah Lyle does fantastic work. we had a blast the rest of the day, you should have stayed. i think we had like 7 cars at my house (including mine) at one point. it was pretty hectic. but we managed to get everything done (well Lyle did hahaha).

 

S L Metal Restoration Inc



58 Lamar St Unit A, West Babylon, NY 11704-1317, United States
Phone: (631) 491-4313
SIC:Electroplating, Plating, Polishing, Anodizing, and Coloring
Line of Business:Plating/Polishing Service Auto Body Repair/Painting



I think.

 

sounds like them but how the hell did you find them!?

 

Actually try - 516-343-8824

Kevin Storms I think is his name.

Apparently he checks him email more often but I don't have that yet.

 

Also try Al's Hub Caps

490 Jericho Turnpike
Mineola, New York
11501

516 742 6823

I think that's all he does.

 

Here's Kevin's email (SL Metals)

Fossil33@gmail.com

try his email - he sells a bunch of stuff on craigs list i guess and checks his email alot (from what I've read)


The other place was Action Powdercoating and is the one in farmingdale - my mistake.

 

Proformance Industries
55 Plain Avenue
New Rochelle, NY

(914) 654-1010
Ask for George



Perfect 10
91 Jersey Street
#D
West Babylon, NY 11704

(631) 491-6970

 

I have my wheels powder coated white. I love the toughness of powdercoat, compared to paint. I think mine came to something like $75 a wheel. That is including sandblasting them, and then powdercoating them. I live in Utah though, but that should be some help.

 

Thanks. The only benefit spraying would have over powder coating (besides cheaper) is that if you get some curb rash you can respray the wheel.....on the powder coat I don't know if that would be needed or not....

 

We have painted more than a couple sets of wheels ourselves and they have always turned out great. We prefer paint to powder because we LOVE DIY stuff and you can change it whenever you want. As with any paint project all the work goes into the prep. I'm sure there are MANY ways to do it but this is just the way i've done it.

Here is another link to reference other peoples ways of doing it and some pics to help you.
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...480&referrerid

** My instructions will NOT include clear coat process because i prefer "flat" and "satin" looks to my wheels. (not to mention the clearcoat never comes out right with the high humidity down here in Louisiana).

- We have used Duplicolor Wheel Paint before and it works GREAT... that being said, recently i have started to just use Duplicolor Engine Enamel (Black Satin is my favorite). It comes in more colors and seems to cover better.
- Start by prepping your wheels by cleaning VERY well with dishwashing soap to remove all wax and build up.
- Sand untill the clear coat on them is dull. We use 220 mainly. Remember you aren't trying to sand the finish OFF , just scuff the top layer. As you sand wipe the area with a wet towel and dry it to see if the clearcoat is dull. when you have the entire wheel sanded, wash and dry again (make sure you get ALLLLL the water off the wheel- an air compressor helps here to blow it off).
- It is easier to paint with the tires off the wheels of course, but can be done very easily with the tires on by sticking index cards between the wheels and tires. Minimal overspray can be just wiped off since it wont stick to the rubber anyway.
- Some people will tell you to prime then sand then paint... i've personaly never done that and it turns out fine since the paint is so thick.
- Using basic painting principles like spray past the area your painting and dont get to close because this paint will build up FAST. 3-4 light coats is better than 1 thick!
- Start by painting the tight areas, and inside corners first since you will get paint buildup in those areas and create runs . The good thing about engine enamel is by the time you finish painting the tight areas on 4 wheels the first one is dry so you can move on to your next coat.
- Paint the larger areas next keeping a constant distance away from the wheel (more is better).
- Dont forget to paint the outside ring because you will see it when you take the index cards off and then kick yourself.
- Since i like a "flat" or "satin" texture the last coat i put on i will raise up about 2 feet from the wheel and "dust" the paint on the wheel. You will be able to see the paint as it creates the "Flat" or "satin" look. This step is used to create an even paint surface and it just plain looks better.
- let them dry for a while (i let them dry overnight). Then wipe with a damp cloth to remove all overspray and ENJOY.

*disclaimer* - I am not a paint and body person... i just enjoy DIY stuff. Please be carefull doing this in an enclosed area. I'm sure other people have WAY better and probably WAY more complicated was of doing this. Remember it IS paint... its not powdercoat... so if you curb something it will chip ... but you just learned how to paint, and should have a can left over, so you can touch it up yourself and keep them looking great.

 

Thanks for the info. Is the only reason you use the engine enamel because it comes in more colors?

 

Well... i've used the duplicolor wheel paint on two sets. I used the "graphite" color and "bronze" colors, both gloss. They are great products but to be honest i prefer the way the engine enamel sprays and seems to be better paint. The engine enamels have 4 different blacks (flat, satin, semi-gloss, and gloss). so you have more options of finish as well. good luck

 

Thanks. Do you happen to have any pics of the bronze? I'd like to see how close it matches to the SS Mini color.

 

I don't have any pics of the wheels i painted but i found these online (google image search). I found their bronze to be too dark for my taste. The bronze just looks crappy. Every pic i've seen of painted bronze and including the set i did look "cheap" . I repainted them black

 

Thanks man. I'm going to go black...just gotta figure out which black.

 

I would HIGHLY recomend the Satin. For a few reasons:
1. Gloss is really hard to do correctly with a spraycan.
2. Flat looks unfinished to me
3. Satin is the best of both worlds and is easy to wipe clean (unlike flat) and when clean isn't wavey or streaky like gloss.

Good luck post pics!

 

That's so funny you say that b/c that was what was on the top of my list sine Lyle blacked out my car with the satin.

 

Glad i could help ... have fun!

 

i think i may give this a try one weekend. not sure when (the next few weekends of mine are pretty booked up so im not sure when ill get to it) but deffinatly before winter!

 

Great information in this thread! I'm planning to do something like this eventually... Thanks!