[kevtran25]

Paint Stripper/ Remover on RX8 OEM wheels * FAIL*

I just bought a set of RX8 Wheels that have been previously painted and I'm planning to resurface it and paint them due to curb rashes, the whole 9 yards.

I've never delt with painted wheels besides plasti dip, Would anyone know thats the best way to safely remove the old paint? Sand it down or use a paint stripper? I heard about Klean Strip- Aircraft Paint Remover but i also know that there on a lot of other paint removers out there but is it safe to use on the factory alloy wheels before repainting them?

 

[M3Nitro]

Howdy fellow DIY....:laugh2:
At the Powder Coating shop we get parts at time that have epoxy or previously powder coating on them. In this case we often will use Aircraft paint stripper before media blasting them.. It is really messy let me tell ya up front but will make fairly quick work of stripping a wheel. Jasco Paint Remover also will work well.

I did a set of wheel for a CRUZ last year that had a polished lip and powder coated center. After stripping them down I did a 3 stage powder coat on them that had metal flakes and Pearl Finnish.

Good look with your re-paint of your new wheels.


The pictures do not do the finish justice. In the sun the color is fantastic.

 

[curvyroads28]

+1 for Aircraft Remover. Jasco stripper is also a similar product. Couldn't tell you if one works better than the other. This is the best way I have found to strip paint from wheels. It can be messy, so ABSOLUTELY wear protective gloves (some good thick dish washing gloves will do) and eye protection, especially when rinsing the caustic off the wheels. If this stuff touches your skin, there is a delayed burn that will come on like a ghost pepper hot sauce (don't ask). Supposedly this stuff is neutralized when rinsed with water, but don't assume that it won't harm you when rinsing. Lower pressure is better so that the splash and deflection doesn't hit you in the face or hit other things that you do not want un-painted.

Good Luck! Be Safe!

 

[M3Nitro]

 

[kevtran25]

what spray paint would y'all recommend? I was thinking Duplicolor Wheel Spray paint or Duplicolor Engine spray paint. Im looking for a dark Gunmetal grey / graphite / charcoal color.

I'm planning to strip the old paint, sand , bondo the damages , prime , paint and clear coat it. Should be fun

 

[curvyroads28]

what spray paint would y'all recommend? I was thinking Duplicolor Wheel Spray paint or Duplicolor Engine spray paint. Im looking for a dark Gunmetal grey / graphite / charcoal color.

I'm planning to strip the old paint, sand , bondo the damages , prime , paint and clear coat it. Should be fun

Get them powder coated or professionally painted with properly durable paint if you want to spend the $. Rattle cans are never the most durable, and painting a darker color over the aluminum means any dings in the paint will show up very obviously if the paint chips away. Otherwise, I would say Duplicolor wheel paint. Your best bet is to take your time and do very methodical prep work from surface cleaning, scuffing the surface to help the primer bite a little better, proper level of coats (not too heavy, avoid runs and promote better adhesion), and be patient with the paint too. First couple of coats should be relatively thin. Don't try to cover up all the metal the first coat. Take your time, don't rush the job. Rushing any paint job leads to ugly results. I think Confucius said that.

View attachment 242130

I never understood how people could stand something that hot! Don't get me wrong, I love spicy food, but pain doesn't need to be part of the meal. You've a braver man than I.

 

[M3Nitro]

I never understood how people could stand something that hot! Don't get me wrong, I love spicy food, but pain doesn't need to be part of the meal. You've a braver man than I.

The wife uses a couple drops or so with soaps and such. It is pretty diluted down but still gives a nice flavor with some "HEAT".

Oh and also Powder Coating...it is a walk in heating room that can fit a car that reaches temperatures for curing up to 475F. When we remove parts it takes about 2040 minutes cool down before going in the room. The pain is when you do a stepped powder coat...you coat, heat slightly and then pull from oven and then apply more powder and repeat several times. It gets real hot and you sweet like crazy..

 

[rob342]

i have recently discovered the joy of "mobile sandblasting" people on craigslist. i may never go through the hassle of removing paint myself again. recommend you check it out

also rim paint IMO works great. last rims i painted held up longer than the rest of the car, salty road winters and all.

 

[kevtran25]

i have recently discovered the joy of "mobile sandblasting" people on craigslist. i may never go through the hassle of removing paint myself again. recommend you check it out

also rim paint IMO works great. last rims i painted held up longer than the rest of the car, salty road winters and all.

I'm going to look into that. thanks! how many cans should i consider when also painting the inside wheel well? 1.5 can per wheel? when i plasti dip i used 1 can per wheel only doing the front of the wheel

 

[rob342]

I'm going to look into that. thanks! how many cans should i consider when also painting the inside wheel well? 1.5 can per wheel? when i plasti dip i used 1 can per wheel only doing the front of the wheel

IIRC last time i only used 2 cans of silver and two cans of clear. buy too much and return it. 1 can likely would have worked, but it was starting to "spatter" droplets.

i used some leftover duplicolor graphite rim paint with no gloss clearcoat to update the bronze cabinet hardware, TP holder, and towel rack in the bathroom around 7 years ago. still looks new as well. lol

 

[kevtran25]

SO......so far i spent a total of 3 hours scrubbing the wheels inside out. And attempted to strip the paint this morning. It look me an hour on 1 wheel and it was a fail. Didnt get anywhere! I used Klean Strip- Aircraft Paint Remover. Worked great between the spokes but on the surface..NOPE.

all the supplies i bought to clean, strip, resurface and paint already costed me about $98 bucks. I called around and found a guy that does sandblasting and powder coating for $300 all 4 wheels.