DIY: Plasti dip/paint wheels

[dodtbdm]

whats up guys. i decided to plasti dip the wheels again, but this time i decided to paint over the plasti dip. pretty much using the dip as primer, this way if you dont like the way the color looks afterwards, you can peel it off, and not be stuck with. it took me about 3 hours from prepping to spraying the final clear coat. i was lucky enough to have someone lend me their spare wheels, so i could leave my car outside and prevent over spray. as always, do this at your own risk.

Materials actually used:
plasti-dip(2)
paint-color of your choice(3)
clear coat(1)
painters tape
jack/jackstands
heat gun(optional)
Playing cards(2 decks)


PREP WORK
clean the wheels with soap or anything you like. make sure all the soap is off, and i usually bounce the wheel on the floor to get the excess water off. i let them sit in the sun for a little bit.

brought them inside and started lining the lip with the playing cards. tape off the valve stem, and something i did
different this time was put little tape pieces where the lug goes(see images below). this will prevent the lug from catching the plastidip and
twisting it and ruining it like it did on me when i dipped them white. if you have a shop vac, i would recommend using the blower setting to get most of the water off. wipe off any extra little water, and its time to start.

doing this:

will prevent this:


i did 4 coats, they got heavier as i progressed, i only used 2 cans for all four wheels. i let it sit about 15 minutes
between coats, and i gave each wheel about a 1 minute once over with the heat gun. i didnt stay on one spot too long, but
after that minute you could tell it definately helped.



once you are done with the 4th, i personally waited 30 minutes, with 2 passes of the heat gun before applying the paint.
after that, go ahead and start spraying, use short burst and light coats to avoid getting too much in one area.

i HATE these rustoleum cans. they suck so bad. i would have to spray the ground before spraying the wheels, because with each new
press, it would spit out bubbles/globs of paint. it was annoying, but i was able to get it to work. this was the only bronze
paint i could find locally, and i didnt feel like ordering any online. i did 4 coats of bronze with 1 pass of the heat gun, and waited 45 minutes after the last coat to do the clear coat.


for the clear coat, its pretty easy, the nozzle on this can was way better. i sprayed 3 coats of clear. waiting 15 minutes
and giving it a once over with the heat gun after each pass. they came out a lot better with the clear, than the non clear
finish.







the pictures dont really do it justice. i dont know if i like the way the color came out yet. at least its not permanent.

FAQs

Is clear coat necessary?if your only going to dip the wheels with no paint after, then no. BUT if you apply paint to the dip, i would recommend it. from what i have seen on many other threads on various forums, failure to apply the clear coat after painting them will result in the paint fading fast.

how many coats of plasti-dip should i apply? kind of a tough question, but the thicker you put the plasti-dip on, the easier it will be to take off later. spray it on too thin, and you'll you find yourself sitting there taking it off piece by piece, instead of just pretty much pulling it off in one long pull.

is a heat gun really needed? short answer, no. it was about 60 degrees when i did this, which meant it wouldve taken a lot of time to dry in between coats. i bought a cheap heat gun at harbor freight, and held it about 1 foot away from the wheel and applied heat uniformly for about 1 minute.






thanks for looking, check out my other DIY.
http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/exter...ip-wheels.html

[tiZZle2.0]

those came out really nice!

great DIY and awesome job!

[dodtbdm]

Thanks!

[idkfreddy]

Great stuff

[dodtbdm]

thanks.

[KRAMDARSi]

looks pretty good! I wish plasti-dip would have been invented years ago!

[dodtbdm]

Thanks man.

[lamboboy732]

Wonder if its worth doing this on my nice crappy hub caps until I can get a set of rims.

[dodtbdm]

it's up to you man. It's not permanent.

[Spooned_Civic]

Question... How did you take the tape off the lug holes when you finished without tearing the plasti dip? Wouldn't the plasti dip have formed a connected between the tape and rim?

[dodtbdm]

it didnt stick to it. i also tried not to cake it on in that area. for removing the tape i just used a screw driver to push it through the hole.

[bb1lovin]

ive been painting with Duplicolor for years! tried rustoleom and had the same results! I hate how it "spits" every first spray lol

[dodtbdm]

lol. yeah i hate it. its my first time using spray paint really. i found a local art store that carries a big variety of colors from montana spray paint, and from what ive heard, its really good paint.

[ZetaPhoenix]

Those turned out nice!

[JDM_ROB]

Real nice!!!

[caleb1989]

looks great, love those rims!

[CCTXdiver]

+1 rep

[K20 Wayne]

Nice did u do any wet sanding before hand

[xrs54]

Nice! May try this this Spring.

[dodtbdm]

Nah, no wet sanding, just cleaned it with soap and water.