Painting Pony Wheels, how to, need ideas...

The wheels take abuse, I'd add another 2 coats of clear. Also silicones (tire shine) will cause paint adhesion problems, fisheyes,etc. A grease and wax remover will work better then the alcohol. Blowing off the dust with compressed air will put it into the air, and it may settle back onto the paint. A tack rag would remove the dust without that problem.

I sanded them with 600 grit, cleaned them with 409 and than painted with wheel paint from O'Reillys. Looked brand new and took only 5 hours. Click on "My Current 91" for pics.

Here's the link:

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=475147&highlight=Painted+Pony+Rims

wax and grease remover, "acryliclear" by ppg i believe

This is a good post... I always wanted to know this too. Also, what are you going to do with the center caps? and what kind of clear paint do you use? I didn't know you could buy this stuff. Also, are you going to use a ceramic engine paint or the wheel painting stuff at oreily's. Just curious, because I would like to do this

i would just suggest not doing it because you would never be able to match the center caps and it would be rice if u painted them any other color than what they were originally (except white, since there are white ponys) but i dont want to shoot ur post down so I would suggest removing the tires before u paint them it will just make it soooo much easier. I painted the rims on my toyota and the hardest part is taping up the tires so they dont get paint on them.

yeah, and if you have curb rash on the sides, it would be easier to fix if the tires were off, but taking the tires off is probably really inconvient, could you grind down the sides with a dremel. My friend did it on his GT... they look brand new, he did a really good job. But the centercap problem is the only thing that presents a problem, are they expensive to buy?

You should get them powdercoated!

Powder coated is fairly expensive - but it does hold up the best of all if done professionally. One word of caution - if the car is going to be tracked where the brakes are going to be used hard enough to cause sustained really high temps on calipers/rotors/hubs -- have the powder coater NOT put any coating on the area where the lugnut contacts the wheel. The temps the wheels will reach under racing conditions are high enough that the powder coating will disbond - and that will leave you with loose lugnuts - when you least need or expect it. Don't ask how I know.

I painted my wheels - and they've held up really well for over 2 years now. Wheels and tires off the car of course - thorough scrubbing with soap and water. Don't be shy - use a fine scotch brite pad and get them REALLY clean. DO NOT DRY SAND - use 600 grit WET sand paper and thoroughly sand the entire area to be painted - the surface you leave here is what will show through the new paint so be thorough and leave it really smooth. Once through sanding - soap and water again. Then use compressed air (if you have it) to really blow all the water off the wheel. I'd want to let them dry for at least a few hours before I tried to mask. Wipe the wheel down with acetone or pre-paint degreaser (both are available in any parts store cheap). Use lint-free cloths. Wipe it down one more time before painting. Once wiped down do not touch any part to be painted with your bare hands - the oils from your skin will foul the surface.

Masking tape torn small enough will get into the space between wheel and tire just as well as playing cards will. Mask thoroughly - don't forget the valve stem. I would not use Krylon - go to your local paint store and ask them for guidance on quality spray bombs. I've used Martin Senour paints in the can with good success. Several very light coats work better than fewer heavy coats - you can't get in a hurry. This is not a job that you'll do well in one day. Follow the can directions for drying time between coats. Let them dry overnight, and then apply your clear. If you've done a good job with your color coat, no sanding will be required before your clear coats. Again - high quality clear. The clear is a necessary step to help the wheel paint resist staining from road tars and brake dust.

Link to a pic showing the finished product - wheels were silver before - but I'm tired of seeing silver/polished/chrome wheels; wanted something different; went with a dark annodized bronze color which complements my brown interior.

http://www.corral.net/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=19630&password=&sort=1&cat=all&page=10

95% of the comments I get about the wheels are very positive - lots of shows for the car. Not once has anyone asked about the 'paint job' - they always ask where I got the wheels/what kind they are -- they never suspect that they didn't come that way from the manufacturer. You'd be hard pressed to tell they've been painted.

Oh - one more tip - spend a buck at WalMart for the plastic attachment that goes on the spray bomb that lets you hold it with a handle and use your finger like a pistol grip. Much easier to apply paint exactly where you want it than with using your finger on the button - you'll tire quickly that way.

I had no problem painting my center caps

I used dupont paint on my wheels. The color is Argent Metallic Silver. I used Chromabase and starlite clear.



Large Picture

I am not impressed with the Duplicolor Silver, it needs to be brighter.

Click to expand...

I agree that the Duplicolor sucks. I thought it was just me, but it seemed real dull. I guess maybe I should have tried the argent silver that is supposed to be an exact match to the factory color. I only tried it on one of wheel of set of 03 cobra replicas I had laying around instead of messing up my ponys. BTW, I like the look of the "charcoal/polished lip" ponys.

Sean