The reasons for wanting to paint your wheels are endless. Whether you're trying to restore an old wheel or just feel like changing the look of your car, the process is very similar. In my case, I wanted to paint my track wheels (slicks) to match my street setup.

The painting process requires patience. The preparation before painting requires even more patience and dedication. You can get as good a paint job as the amount of time you're willing to invest into preparing the surface.

You will obviously want to remove the wheels and tires. I have seen the outcome of painting while they're on the car, I strongly advise against it. Spend 10 minutes to remove the wheels and tires. Ideally, you will also want to dismount the tire and remove the valve stem... Although I have done it with and without the tires and the results are very similar. Just take your time and carefully mask off the tire and valve stem.

Required Tools & Materials:
• Dry Sandpaper: 400 & 600 grit
• Wet Sandpaper: 600 & 1000 or 1200 grit
• Water & Surface Cleaner
• Primer, Paint & Clear Coat

Because of the size and shape of most wheels you will not be able to use many tools. You're really limited to just your hands and some sandpaper.

Prepare Wheel Surface & Primer

Depending on the condition of the wheel you may need to completely remove the existing paint or just sand down enough to reach a decent bare metal surface. I picked these wheels up from a good friend who had recently polished them so they are in good shape and I just have to eliminate the polish. If your wheels are painted I suggest starting with a 400 grit paper and switch to 600 grit when you see metal.

After you have a smooth surface you are ready to spray primer on your wheels. If you're doing this with the tires mounted, this would be the time to mask them off. Spray 2 to 3 light coats of primer. Wait about 5 to 10 minutes between coats for the primer to dry.

I'm going for a very smooth glossy look, so I will wait for the primer to completely dry and then sand it down using 1000 grit wet sandpaper.

Perfecting Wheel Surface & Final Touches Before Paint

This is a step some of you will avoid depending of your level of detail. Although the wheels were in good shape, there were still some small surface scratches from lug nut sockets and rock chips. I used to a different color primer (black) to fill in these imperfections before sanding the wheel down one last time.

Paint Wheels & Clear Coat

You are now ready to spray paint your wheels. Treat the wheel as a flat surface and spray smooth light coats at a constant speed. Do not turn the can on it's side or upside down trying to reach difficult spots, this may lead to runs and other mistakes.

Wait 15 to 20 minutes between coats and make sure the wheel dries in a clean environment free of dust and other stuff like leafs and bugs. After the last coat wait a few minutes and get ready to spray some clear coat.

Treat the clear coat like paint. Be careful not to spray to much as it can cause runs in the paint. I sprayed about 5 coats of clear on my paints to achieve a glossy look. Wait about 5 minutes between coats and spray until you're happy with the results.

Terry M. says... (http://www.tmtechsupport.com)

This is an awesome site! Thanks for keeping it up... I was wondering what turbo upgrade did you go with back then?

J. Peralta says...

I love this site. Thank you! Can you guys also put a tutorial of a REAR BRAKE PADS REPLACEMENT?

Juan Pereda says... (http://www.snailmotorsports.com)

David,

Thanks for the comments. Did your Boomba BOV include 3 different springs? If so, which one did you install? The spring tension will make a difference in it operates. If you plan on sticking with the stock turbo the Boomba BOV will probably be OK. If you go with a modified big wheel turbo like the E1 then I would encourage you to go with a different setup. Either the Mopar blue plate you are running now, the stock surge valve, or an external BOV. Boomba's BOV has been blamed for turbo failure in the past... mainly with PTP's SST. Even with the softest spring it does not allow boost to vent early or quickly enough.

David Saenz says...

I love the site and all the information you have provided. I recently installed the boomba 3rd gen bov similar to the one you show. However when it releases air it has a slight flutter similar to compressor surge. I was wondering if you experienced this on your setup. My SRT is stage 0 and completely stock. This was going to be my first mod but I have gone back to the mopar blue plate as a precaution. Thanks for your time. P.S. I have spoken to boomba and they say the sound is normal. I am just reluctant to trust a sales dept. Thanks again.

Leave some feedback!

  We appreciate your feedback so please use this section to leave a comment. Thank you!

 

Code in the picture:
Your Name(*):
Email:
Website:
Comment(*):

Leave some feedback!

  We appreciate your feedback so please use this section to leave a comment. Thank you!

Code in the picture:
Your Name(*):
Comment(*):