Painting wheels

[Trunkster]

Going to paint my wheels over the next week or so. Not sure yet if I am going to go for white of silver with silver centres. Any one got any opinions on paint? do I go for the normal rattle cans or is there a harder paint that looks good. Dont want to use restolium as the price is rather high. Dont want alloys as I want to keep to origional as pos!

[boatbuilder]

A lot depends on how you prepare the wheels before painting. Only experience I have of doing wheels is when I had my Karmann ghia. I sandblasted the rims, did them with etch primer and then sprayed with rattle can "five wheel silver"...it took several cans, probably about four.
Looked good and lasted well.

[bigherb]

As BB says a lot of it is the preparation. For a hard paint I use Truckcoat or Tekaloid an Alkyd Synthetic Coach Enamel it can be brushed or sprayed with a spary gun. 1/2 ltr will do 5 wheels with some spare. Common whites for wheels are BMC/Rover Old English white or Arum white (Creamy white) Ford Ermine white (more white) of Landrover Limestone (Yellowy). Jawel paints up your way can mix the colours. Instead of silver consider grey such as Aircraft light grey.

[The Bishop]

I've just collected some steel wheels as well. I was also thinking of the white option.

Is Smoothrite (the smooth Hamerite) any good?

[Titus A Duxass]

I used normal rattle cans (acrylic paint) - VW Alpine White top with a coat of lacquer.

All white


And with a colour coded hubcap.

[CovKid]

The only trouble with wheels is they take a right hammering from stones and if you're unlucky, kerbs. I've never had any success using white from rattle cans on wheels - they either yellow out or get chipped to hell once they've been on a while.

[Titus A Duxass]

The only trouble with wheels is they take a right hammering from stones and if you're unlucky, kerbs. I've never had any success using white from rattle cans on wheels - they either yellow out or get chipped to hell once they've been on a while.

The secret is - put the wheels on (in my case they are my winter wheels) and then don't drive the vehicle - my wheels still look mint.

[The Bishop]

The only trouble with wheels is they take a right hammering from stones and if you're unlucky, kerbs. I've never had any success using white from rattle cans on wheels - they either yellow out or get chipped to hell once they've been on a while.

That's why I was wondering about smoothrite.

[CovKid]

Smoothrite ok providing wheels have been shotblasted before to remove all the rust, old paint and grime. They still yellow a bit over time but good prep makes a hell of a difference both aesthetically and in terms of longevity for the paint.