repainted my wheels

jojofilo88

jojofilo88

Member
Got sick of looking at the old tired wheels, so I decided to repaint them. Got new hub caps and lug nuts to go with them!

Anyone find an easy way of sanding these things down to the metal? I wanted to get the paint off and any rust, so had to strip everything down and don't have a sand blaster. Ended up using a wire brush on a drill off my air compressor. It took forever!

Still have to work on the tires (you can see some are white and some are yellow)...
 

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I would be very careful if they are dipped - especially with 21" rims. The caustic solution can get inside the closed rim and not be neutralized well. I have found sandblasting is the best way to clean up rusty and painted rims - not an enjoyable job, but effective.
 
jojofil088,
I know that was a lot of work, but it sure look's nice, probley more like the wheel's that came on them org. ;)
 
you know harbour frieght has presserised sand blasters for sale for around $100, the best $100 you can spend for a tool that will be an invalueable time saver,
 
You know this is a project for the winter for me as well. I have lined up someone to sandblast them for me.
 
I just went to the blaster twice in the last 2 months to sandblast 6 and then 4 modern wheels. Cost for the cabinet, which is about 3' x 7' with two stations, is $15/hr and that includes the blast material. You could blast 6 wire wheels in 2 hours. There aren't many deals out there that are any better.
 
There is a fellow here in Jackson, MI that has an automated bead blasting cabinet with rollers. The wheel sets on the rollers and slowly rotates as it's blasted. takes about five minutes per wheel.
 
Tractor Supply has sand blasters for under $100. Just the nozzle and hose for $20. ($24?) Any way, Here's the kicker, I once had a 2cyl, 1 HP, 15-20 gallon tank that WOULDN'T keep up with the draw down of my little sandblaster. I called the manufacturer and they recommend nothing smaller than ten cu ft a minute. Anything less won't keep up. I now have a oould (1947) upright, also 2 cyl and 1 1/2 hp that does fine. So without adequate air supply, you're not gonna sand blast anything.
Should you be able to sandblast, I get my sand at lowes in broken bags of gen. purpose sand at $1 @. I use cheap plastic tarps to recover and re use as much as possible. Good luck!
Terry
 
Electrolytic rust removal will also remove some paints.

Depends on how well the stuck the paint. I ran my wheels for a couple of days in the tank then dried and blasted. I easily took half the time or less to get the wheels blasted down. About 75% of the paint came off and the rest was just loose. A compared to fighting off the paint.

Of course you take care of the rust at the same time.

I have run across paint that is just stuck on good. Then there is the old red primer paint. NOTHING takes that off easy!! Even the full size blaster slows down cutting when you find some of that on a part.
 
Terry said:
Tractor Supply has sand blasters for under $100. Just the nozzle and hose for $20. ($24?) Any way, Here's the kicker, I once had a 2cyl, 1 HP, 15-20 gallon tank that WOULDN'T keep up with the draw down of my little sandblaster. I called the manufacturer and they recommend nothing smaller than ten cu ft a minute. Anything less won't keep up. I now have a oould (1947) upright, also 2 cyl and 1 1/2 hp that does fine. So without adequate air supply, you're not gonna sand blast anything.
Should you be able to sandblast, I get my sand at lowes in broken bags of gen. purpose sand at $1 @. I use cheap plastic tarps to recover and re use as much as possible. Good luck!
Terry
Click to expand...

Dangers of Sandblasting
Protect your health from the dangers of sandblasting! Sandblasting with silica sand makes a lot of dust. The really dangerous stuff is so fine you can't see it. Breathing air containing this fine dust can damage your lungs. You must always wear a helmet when sandblasting and there is only one type of helmet that will protect you. The type of helmet you must use is a helmet that is supplied with clear air. The helmet must be a good fit and in good working condition.
 
Mike, You are absolutely correct about the dangers! And I am just plain lazy about following this as I should. I wear an old welding helmet that is only half good! And I passed up a S.B. helmet for $20 recently because I don't do enough of it! I knew I should have gotten it, I knew as I drove away! But I didn't want to spend the $20.
As someone else said, use electrolisys to loosen and remove the paint and you will have a much easier time with the sandblasting.
Terry




Mikeinnj said:
Dangers of Sandblasting
Protect your health from the dangers of sandblasting! Sandblasting with silica sand makes a lot of dust. The really dangerous stuff is so fine you can't see it. Breathing air containing this fine dust can damage your lungs. You must always wear a helmet when sandblasting and there is only one type of helmet that will protect you. The type of helmet you must use is a helmet that is supplied with clear air. The helmet must be a good fit and in good working condition.
Click to expand...
 
sandblasting definitely would have been much smarter. it takes a few hours per wheel to do the whole thing. ive done 4 of the 5 and it takes at least a full weekend to do 4 if you use a wire brush. ive done it in sections, one wheel a day because its takes so long. sandblasting sounds much easier...im definitely going to stop by tractor supply and see what the have for the rest of the car.

its definitely worth doing though, they look so much better! but now you notice everything else that needs work hahah
 
Can't agree more with the comments about safety and sandblasting. In addition to the dust, the sand bounces off the item your blasting and often comes right back at you, making covering exposed skin necessary. Depending on your location, it's not too difficult to find a company that will sandblast items for a reasonable cost.
As to dipping, the local stripper here said they will not do any part that has enclosed areas where the solution can be difficult to thoroughly clean, as it has a tendency to creep back out and ruin paint jobs.
 
i hear this argument all the time, sand blasting is dangerous, well, so is painting, arc welding, gas welding and grinding on the body or any metal, none is dangerous if you use your head and take the proper precautions, you have to be smarter than what your working on or with
 
The sandblaster cabnet from Harbor Freight can be had for a little over $100 with a cupon. However, I had to remove the right glove to get 21" wheels in the cabnet. I painted them with laquer based primer, sanded most off and continued the process until all the pits were filled (7 coats on some wheels) then painted them. They came perfect. Power coating doesn't fill the rust pits left after sand blasting them and they don't come out as well.
 
I had my 21" wheels power coated by a local company for a round $35 each. I felt for me that was the best option. That included the sand blasting. The only problem I had was that a couple of them had so much rust on the outside rim that is next to the tire that the rim developed a few small holes. So next time, I think I will check the wheels before I have this done to make sure they are not rusted out.
 
When I repainted my wheels from orange to tacoma cream I had the same questions. After weighing the options & amount of work involved decided to use liquid sandpaper. After giving the unmounted rims a good cleaning it was easy, just brushed on.

It changed the glossy surface to a dull finish. A dull finish indicates to me the surface is roughed up enough that it won't reflect light but has a good surface for paint adhesion.

Spray painted the wheels and so far (about 2k miles) have had no problems with any paint loss. Bought the liquid sanpaper at Lowes but imagine it's available about any hardware store etc.

Leadpot,
 
I used to be a big believer in powder coating until a friend, who did a lot of bodywork in his time, told me about powder coating's ability to hide rust. It seems the part may be rusting out underneath and you can't see it until it fails. This was later confirmed by another guy familiar with body work. Powder coating at it's worst can usually be seen on old boat trailers. Go to a boat yard and inspect their cheapest (used) trailors. I wouldn't recommend P.C. to anyone.
Terry
 
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