Well I decided it was time to just go ahead and paint these Z24 wheels I got for my 97 RS. Didnt find a lot of people who had used it so i though I would show how I did it and the results.
The beginning:
The wheels were mildly beat up with some curb rash and a few chunks of powder coating missing. Here they are as they arrived.
The first step was prep. Sanded the living daylights out of these things for three days. Started with 240 grit on a random orbital sander. That got all the flat open surfaces pretty easy, knocked out the harder areas where the powder coat was messed up. After that I used 320 grit to get around the harder areas by hand. It takes a lot of time but the prep was worth it. After most of the sanding was done I used the Duplicolor high-build primer to help fill in some of the smaller scratches. Here is a pic of the wheels in primer.
After primer I wetsanded with 600 grit to knock down any bumps. Then I started spraying the color. I used the Duplicolor Satin Black wheel paint. Sprays very nice and even with good coverage. Started on the inside of the wheels first.
Then I sprayed the fronts. Problem was while I was spraying (two light coats and then one medium coat per Duplicolors instructions) the weather changed really quickly from warm and sunny to cold and very humid. The paint inside the wheels came out nice but the fronts looked like crap.
I was pretty disappointed with the finish that I had and I also found that once the black dried it made any scratches or surface imperfections glaringly obvious. I decided to wetsand again with 600 grit and then 800 grit to get the surface back smooth (the humidity made a lot of orange peel). Two of the wheels had some deep scratchs that I missed the first time so I took them all the way down to the metal and reprimed the messed up areas. Here is one of the wheels after wetsanding.
So finally Friday the wheels were all prepped and ready for final paint. The weather was perfect, warm and dry. The paint came out GREAT this time. Did two light coats and one medium coat again so the wheels actually have about 6 coats of black on them which I think came out better and more durable then just three. So anyway, here is the final results.
Its tough to see in the pictures but the color is a true stain black, not too glossy but definitly not matte either.
Here is a pic of them on the car with center caps and black lug covers. The car is filthy, not done (In the middle of a switch from base model gray plastic bumpers and black 14" steelies to Z24 parts) and the tires need to be washed and have tire shine put on them.
So there you go. Overall I think it came out great and it looks exactly like I wanted. Some day when funds allow Id like to powder coat them this color for the added durability over paint. What do you think?
97 Cavalier 2.2 5-speed, 88 Camaro IROC-Z 5.7 auto, 91 Firebird Formula 5.7 auto, 88 Conquest TSi 2.6T 5 speed, 93 Silverado ECSB 5.7 auto.
Yeah I know, it looks like poop without shine. Im still working on the body and I want the paint of the wheels to dry a few more days before I start washing the wheels and tires and putting on the shine.
97 Cavalier 2.2 5-speed, 88 Camaro IROC-Z 5.7 auto, 91 Firebird Formula 5.7 auto, 88 Conquest TSi 2.6T 5 speed, 93 Silverado ECSB 5.7 auto.
now i may do that to my srt-4 rims
a good how-to thread for those that want to do this.
keep up the good work.
Desert Tuners
“When you come across a big kettle of crazy, it’s best not to stir it.”
Thanks
97 Cavalier 2.2 5-speed, 88 Camaro IROC-Z 5.7 auto, 91 Firebird Formula 5.7 auto, 88 Conquest TSi 2.6T 5 speed, 93 Silverado ECSB 5.7 auto.
I too screwed when painting them the first time, but the second time they came out mint....I didnt bother with the insides, since I didnt wanna clean off the brake dust, lol.
Looks like they came out good ther Hatch. Finally got a pic of the car washed up so it looks slightly more presentable.
97 Cavalier 2.2 5-speed, 88 Camaro IROC-Z 5.7 auto, 91 Firebird Formula 5.7 auto, 88 Conquest TSi 2.6T 5 speed, 93 Silverado ECSB 5.7 auto.
I am painting a set of wheels right now and it is not the quality that I want but it is getting colder out and they are for my girls car for winter rims(if they actually do fit),
they are a set of 13 spoke wheels, with way too many corners.
yours look great, I hope when I finish mine, they are close to it, but I don't think so, I know they really need to be sanded down and repainted again, and maybe even some more primer.
but I am in a time crunch so oh well.
it is my first time using a paint gun, so it was a little trial and error.
I am also night shading the a spare set of tail lights while I am at it,
and I just need to spray a few coats of clear on the tails and rims and I should be set.
that is what mine is going to look like for summer, I have some black wheels on the way!
your car is comming along nicely
Noquarter, is that a two post lift or just a stand? I've been looking at getting a lift and wanted to know what you paid.
Vitamin E (AKA Eddie) wrote:Noquarter, is that a two post lift or just a stand? I've been looking at getting a lift and wanted to know what you paid.
Its a twin post in ground Rotary lift. To be honest I dont know exactly what they cost as they were in the building when I moved in. I have five in grounds and one rotary four post drive on and I've been pretty satisfied with them all. I know they arent cheap especially with installationbut mine where installed when the building was built which made it easier. You can get above ground twin posts in the $5-$6k range I think, cheaper used too. If you can only ahve one lift a twin post is the way to go for sure if you have the room and the money, much more useable then a drive on.
97 Cavalier 2.2 5-speed, 88 Camaro IROC-Z 5.7 auto, 91 Firebird Formula 5.7 auto, 88 Conquest TSi 2.6T 5 speed, 93 Silverado ECSB 5.7 auto.
hatch, what color is that one your wheels? looks different than satin black
^Those are 03+ center caps. The 00-02 ones have a red bowtie like the ones in your sig quiklilcav (I have the 02 ones so that's why when you used my wheels for the chop it is a red bowtie)
