The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Wheel paint removal/prep

I am looking for a recommendation for the lowest amount of effort to prepare my steel wheels for new paint that will still have long lasting results. Strip the current paint, scuff up the current paint? If I need to strip it how? Chemically? Ideally I would take it to have them sand blasted but I really don't want to dismount all my tires. I am only worried about the face. They have good paint on them and are in good condition. I just want to change the color.

I would just scuff the good paint and then apply the new primer and paint if they were mine.

Thanks Wayne, by the way, I have stole you tag line and used it a few times.

Get a pack of playing cards and stick them in the bead between the rubber and the wheel all the way around. Make sure you overlap them slightly. That way you can spray without getting paint on your tire. It's a lot easier than taping. Then just pull the cards out when you're done.

Deck of Cards work every time.
Listen to Otto

I used to help mask-out cars when I was a kid.

Knock off the wheel weights else there will be a spot underneath when you buy new tires and rebalance. You can also mask the the weights but that is up to the owner.

If the existing paint is good, light sanding with 220 grit on surfaces to be painted.
If there is rust, the rust has to be removed. Sand blast the rust.
Professional auto body paint stripper is caustic and getting nooks and crannies clean is difficult. A hood, door or fender yes but not rims.

Using auto body masking tape on rubber tires is a real pain. The rubber has to be really clean to make the tape (has to be fresh tape) to stick well. It simply peels off otherwise. We used a clean rag with lacquer thinner and wiped up to and sometimes underneath the edge of the rim. Rotate the rag to a clean spot then wipe some more. When clean, let it dry completely. Air hose the edge of the rim. Wipe again if needed. Tape (series of tape segments), then lap the tape slightly below with another row. On top we taped masking paper to completely cover the tire to catch overspray. One pass of the spray gun, no paint, will tell if the masking tape will hold. Back then if you sprayed enamel paint we waited till the next morning to remove the masking. Masking tape in the hot sun will turn to goo.

Remove the masking in the reverse order of installation. The last bit is done slowly. If the paint has bridged well to the tape (no gap or crack) you may have to help with a thin razor blade to separate. Slowly pull down and away from the rim edge, not up or out.

Pressure wash them real good, wipe them down with enamel reducer and wipe them dry again with clean rags (leave it all sit to dry for another 20 minutes), use the playing card trick described above, and paint. If you are taking the tires off...Clean up the bead and inside of the rim with a wire brush if necessary, and do the same for cleaning, then paint. If you want absolutely cleaned and painted, get them blasted, epoxy primer and a paint job.