painting chromed wheels

[joemama]

I am going to paint some Mangels, 5 1/2 x 15 rims. They are chromed, but have some pitting. I thought about powder coating, but they wont do it unless I have the wheels chemically de-chromed, and that costs as much as the powder coating. So far I have cleaned them very well, and wet sanded very carefully with 220 wet and dry. You can certainly see the scratches in the chrome, so I know there is a tooth for the paint to adhere to. My plan is to next primer with a self etching primer, then regular primer. I need to look to see what wheel paint to use, or maybe just a rustoleum metallic. I plan to topcote that with a clear coat spray can that has the hardener added.
What do you guys think? Any suggestions? Any one have prior, good, or bad experience? Want to use the wheels on a class 11 style car. Thinking of using 215/75/15 all around.

[Brian]

The self etching primer will work fine.
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[TDCTDI]

Contact a local machine shop & see what they charge to shot blast them.
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[B Ramsey]

you can powder coat over chrome. Its amazing what people think cant be done.
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[joemama]

I have a powder coater 1/2 a block from work, and showed him my wheels. They would not powder coat them unless I had the chrome stripped off. I asked them if they could sand blast them, since they do that there, answer was no. Maybe I need to speak to a different powder coater.

[joemama]

So, I finished painting the wheels. They turned out good. Here is what I did, and what I learned along the way.
1. I removed the old tires, balancing weights, and air nozzle.
2. cleaned and degreased using a water based degreaser, a wire brush, and a 3m red scratch pad.
3. I had a couple of rough areas from hitting the curb at the lip of the rims. Dressed these up with a file and a dremel. Used the 3m pad over the entire rim again, specially concentrating on the seam between the wheel center, and the outer rim. I used a hacksaw blade to get in there to clean that out. If you kind of twist the blade, you can rough up areas you cant get the 3m pad or sand paper into.
4. Finally, I used 60 grit wet and dry with water over the entire rim, front and back to create a good tooth for the paint. Rinsed well after following up with the 3m pad and degreaser.
5. I primed using Rustoleum etching primer, followed with 3 or 4 coats of Rustoleum Wheel paint in silver.
I learned that if you are painting on a hot day, in direct sunlight, the chromed rims get very hot, and the paint flashes off too fast giving a rough
finish. On a couple of rims I had to wet sand and paint again. Best to paint in shade, and make sure both the paint can and the rims are not hot. I also used a heat gun to make sure all water was gone from any seams. Again make sure to let rim cool off before painting.
I may follow up with a clear coat (the kind that comes in a spray can with hardener you activate right before using, gives a 48 hour pot life), have not decided. I will wait several days for the paint to fully cure and harden before I decide. These wheels will be washed many times over the next years, and a hardened clear coat will help them keep their sheen longer.
I used a total of 2 cans of primer, 3 cans of wheel paint, 5 sheets of sand paper, 1 3m scrub pad, and the degreaser I already had. cost is about 45 to $50.00. Add 28.00 if you buy the clear coat with the hardener. (You can get it from Eastman if your local auto paint store doesnt carry it).
Hope this helps someone.

[mr_bill]

Powdercoated, "VW Marathon" steel wheel with 215-75R-15 BFG ALL TERRAIN TA's
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[joemama]

Bill. those wheels look awsome