DIY Red Center Caps

[guszaragoza]

wow, so ive not been a member for a long time but have always come here for info on my 09EX. Gotta say you guys, and gals, know what ya'll are talking about. ubber helpful. im usualy on the receiving end of theese threads but figured id give this one a shot.
last week i painted my OEM wheels Gunmetal grey (wanted to update the look but didn't powdercoat incase i regreted it, looks really good though so when the paint starts to wear, coating might be my next move). I tried to save the logo in the center cap, but patience wore thin and i just decided to spray over em for the sake of putting the caps on the wheels when i drove the next morning. This is how I did it i fixed that.

Start by removing any paint you may have on there w/ paint remover. wear gloves!. and long sleeves if you're ADD


once paint is removed, I sanded down mine to make sure the surface was flat and to scuff the surface for the primer.

clean and remove all dust with Rubbing alcohol and a clean towel


PRIMER



Lay down 2 coats of the color your want the logo to appear (in my case, RED)
fight every urge to clear coat. wont work if you clear coat before removing the decals.



Have 4 decals made with whichever logo wou wish (5 just to be safe). the guy i went to (glily@swbell.net Underground Graphics) knew the application i was going to use so he cut them out to the specs of the center cap which made the job much easier.

let the paint completly dry before applying the decal (overnight if possible)

once paint is dry, apply your decals to the caps. be patient. you usually only get one shot at this.



remove transfer paper and reveal the decal.

apply 2 more coats of paint, this time the color of the background (in my case, Graphite)



again, don't clear coat. youll have to start all over if you do.

once paint is completly dry, over night if possible, very gently poke at the edge of the vinyl to lift part of the decal. i did that with a needle. finish removing it with needlenose pliers, tweesers would work well here too.

voila.



now you clear coat.

once the clear has dried, slapp on the wheel, take your pics and plaster them all over your FB. you know you will.


Hope this helped someone.

[LatinFG2]

Nice work! Wanna do mine!?

[guszaragoza]

haha, would love to but coffee shop i work at keeps me pretty bussy for the most part. i just happeded to have time for mine.

[Galaxy Grey Si Coupe]

What color are the stock 06-08 wheels considered?

[guszaragoza]

all the sites i've looked into are just calling it "silver"

[guszaragoza]

and yes, i used pizza boxes instead of newspaper. Wind is a b/**!

[Galaxy Grey Si Coupe]

Originally Posted by guszaragoza

all the sites i've looked into are just calling it "silver"

I dont want it the wrong color or else it will look retarded.... I might powdercoat my rims galaxy grey anyway so I'll do this while Im at it....

[guszaragoza]

yea that would suck, i had painted my wheels and had plenty of the paint left to do this.

[Kaotyk]

Where can i get this decal at?

[FrankTheRobot]

that came out very nice !

[hbracer93]

nice work just out of curiousity, why not just buy red stickers and clear coat them onto the center caps?

[FD2]

no need the JDM center caps anymore.......haha

[guszaragoza]

decals would wear out quicker than paint IMO.. and the embossed logo would also be more noticeable.. DAMN its been a long time since ive logged on here.

[tinynipples]

where can i get another set of center caps to fit my Si OEM 17" wheels?

i want to make sure keep my stock ones in case i mess it up or decide i'm over the whole red thing.... more likely the first option.

[PORTER]

great diy!

[6o4-FA5]

is there a way I can remove the centercaps without taking the wheels off?

[khizdawhiz]

Great job.. Can we clearcoat in the end? I can't wait to get the paint and match my aftermarket centercaps with my rims

[Trevorh]

I have been wanting to do this for a long time, Thanks