Painting Rims With Plasti-Dip

[Davy]

Hi Guys,

It’s been some time since I did a DIY worth mentioning about. Not having a car of my own yet, so nothing really going on these days under the hood. A good friend of mine wanted to get his rims painted in matte black and (knowing what a grease monkey I am) asked me if I can pull it off. Naturally, I said yes.

So here’s the car. It’s a2007 Subaru Impreza WRX with a 2.5L Turbo Intercooled engine. A little rocket I would say.

The rims on the car were silver. Original colour had been white and the previous owner had painted the faces in silver. The front wheels were covered in brake dust, so cleaning them took a quite long time. The photo below was taken after we took the car to a car wash and pressure washed all four wheels and giving them a good scrub. Still you can see a lot of brake dust and grime. Thanks to the previous owner, there were some prominent scratches on the left side rims because they got too close to the curb.

So this was the starting point. The rims were still really dirty (especially on the reverse side), so we decided to take off each rim and give them a good clean up. Most people apply plasti-dip while the rims are on the car by masking off the brake components using a garbage bag. That was our initial plan, but the amount of dirt and grime on the rim was too much and a thorough clean-up was necessary. Plus, covering the inside of the rim cannot be done 100% if you paint the rims while they’re still on the car.

This is what you will need:

- Grease and grime remover (oven cleaner or something similar)

- Clean rags

- A good brush (one with plastic bristles to prevent scratching the rims)

- Masking tape

- Gloves and masks

- Plasti-dip (3 cans will be enough if you paint carefully – 4 coats per rim)

- Garbage bag/bin liner

STEP 1: CLEANING UP THE RIMS

Start cleaning the reverse side first. Apply a liberal amount of grease and grime remover and scrub thoroughly using the brush. Make sure you cover all nooks and crannies. Rinse with water. Repeat the process until the rims are spotless. Repeat the same for the front side of the rim.

After washing, wipe the rim dry. Saturate a small part of a rag using grease remover and wipe the rim with it one last time. This will ensure that the remaining water is evaporated soon because most grease removers have a small percentage of alcohol. Make sure the rims are dry before proceeding to the next step.

Now the rims are ready to be plasti-dipped.

STEP 2: PLASTI-DIP THE INNER WALL

Apply one thick coat of plasti-dip on the inner wall of the rim. Let it dry for about 15 minutes. Apply a simiar second coat. Let it dry again for 15 minutes. You can work on the other wheels while one is drying up.

Remember that you only need to cover the areas that can be seen from outside when the rim is installed onto the car. This is quite different from painting the rims.

At this point, you have two options:

1. Mount the wheel onto the car and continue painting

2. Complete painting and mount the wheel after all coats have been applied

We had to follow a combination of option 1 and 2 because we had only two jacks to keep the car on, and we had only about 6 hours to complete the job. If you decide to follow option2, you can read ahead and ignore the stuff specific for option 1. One thing to note if you follow option 2 is to spray over the wheel nuts (2 – 3 coats) after the wheels have been mounted.

STEP 3: MOUNT THE WHEEL*

Install the rim carefully, making sure you don’t touch the inside of the rim which was plasti-dipped. It should have dried up by now, but still might peel off if too much pressure is applied.

STEP 4: MASK THE BRAKES*

Grab one of the garbage bags and cover the brakes. Use masking tape to keep the garbage bag in place if necessary. Make sure the garbage bad does not touch the rim at all. If it does, the plasti-dip will peel off when we take off the garbage bag later.

Crumple the garbage bag so that it could be inserted through the spokes of the rim and thread it around the rim.

Don’t forget the valve stem and dust cap. Use masking tape to cover.

 

STEP 5: PLASTI-DIP THE FRONT SIDE

Apply the first coat. If the wheel is mounted onto the car, make sure you tilt the can at all possible angles and cover as much of the surface as possible. Allow to dry for 15 – 20 minutes. After 2 coats, move the car so that the wheels turn approximately 60 degrees. This way, you will see the spots you missed during the first two coats. If you're spraying on a removed rim, just spin the rim 60 degrees between coats.

While spraying, make sure you spray the inner wall as well, through the spokes because we only sprayed 2 coats onto the reverse side. After 4 coats on the front side, you would have sprayed enough plasti-dip through the spokes to give a thick layer on the inner wall as well.

Continued...

 

Edited May 23, 2018 by Davy
Fixed broken image links

[Davy]

STEP 6: UNMASK THE BRAKES

Carefully remove the garbage bag from the brakes.

STEP 7: PEEL OFF OVERSPRAY FROM TYRE

Nip the edge of the overspray with your finger and roll in the plasti-dip overspray and it will start to fold out. Carefully peel the plasti-dip all-round the edge of the rim.

And you’re done.

I’ll leave you gentlemen to decide if this looks like a good job or not.

Thanks for reading. Comments are always welcome!

* Optional steps

Edited May 23, 2018 by Davy
Fixed broken image links

[Splat]

Wow Davy, nice job . 4 days ago I restored my steel rims. I just used oil primer and sprayed with TOA Flat Black. Removing rust and crud is the toughest. You got a good steady hand there. keep up the good work

[Splat]

How much does a Plasti Dip can cost in Sri Lanka??????

[Sierra Charlie]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Splat" data-cid="276913" data-time="1430655453"><p>

How much does a Plasti Dip can cost in Sri Lanka??????</p></blockquote>

One guy said 6k per bottle. If you have friends and/or relatives overseas, you can buy one for about half that.

If anyone fancy paying 6k for a bottle of plastidip, send me a PM, will send the guy's contact details.

BTW Davy, nice job as always. The amount of grime though.

Edited May 3, 2015 by Sierra Charlie

[MrCat]

yeah...! the end-result definitely looks good.. could you keep us posted on how well this`ll last over time please.? As in, would it peel off after a pressure wash or do you have to use low pressure water and a rag to clean now?

[Crosswind]

At the risk of sounding stupid, may I ask why Plastidip??

[Hoonigan]

the results look great Davy!

But I was kind of thinking the same thing as Crosswind. Wouldn't an actual paimt hold up much better? And if it was a temporary look you guys were going for, wouldn't a vinyl wrap be a better option?

[Davy]

Wow Davy, nice job . 4 days ago I restored my steel rims. I just used oil primer and sprayed with TOA Flat Black. Removing rust and crud is the toughest. You got a good steady hand there. keep up the good work

Thank you!

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Splat" data-cid="276913" data-time="1430655453"><p>

How much does a Plasti Dip can cost in Sri Lanka??????</p></blockquote>

One guy said 6k per bottle. If you have friends and/or relatives overseas, you can buy one for about half that.

If anyone fancy paying 6k for a bottle of plastidip, send me a PM, will send the guy's contact details.

BTW Davy, nice job as always. The amount of grime though.

Yeah, I should have taken a photo of the front rims before we pressure washed them. They actually looked like they were black. Probably aftermarket brake pads.

yeah...! the end-result definitely looks good.. could you keep us posted on how well this`ll last over time please.? As in, would it peel off after a pressure wash or do you have to use low pressure water and a rag to clean now?

Thanks and will do. I'm sure pressure washing would be okay. The 4 coats form a solid shell around the rim and is very hard to penetrate once it is fully dried up. So you will not have a problem washing or cleaning them.

At the risk of sounding stupid, may I ask why Plastidip??

That's a valid question. He wanted to be able to strip the Pasti-Dip later. Painting would mean having to spray it again in silver.

the results look great Davy!

But I was kind of thinking the same thing as Crosswind. Wouldn't an actual paimt hold up much better? And if it was a temporary look you guys were going for, wouldn't a vinyl wrap be a better option?

Thanks Hoonigan! I guess it's safe to say that we went for this option because it's much easier to grab a can of Plasti-Dip and spray it over the rims rather than going through the painful process of of heating, stretching and moulding a sheet of vinyl wrap. I agree that it's a cheaper option.

[Jor-el]

You are an artist in your own way...

[Sierra Charlie]

<blockquote>

Thanks Hoonigan! I guess it's safe to say that we went for this option because it's much easier to grab a can of Plasti-Dip and spray it over the rims rather than going through the painful process of of heating, stretching and moulding a sheet of vinyl wrap. I agree that it's a cheaper option.</p></blockquote>

Davy, I've seen in some Wheeler Dealer episodes that they use some sort of a water transfer film. Worked really well on interior trims and rims. Can't remember what it's called though. Isn't it an option? (Considering, of course, that you don't want to roll some plastic between your fingers. )

[Hoonigan]

<blockquote>

Thanks Hoonigan! I guess it's safe to say that we went for this option because it's much easier to grab a can of Plasti-Dip and spray it over the rims rather than going through the painful process of of heating, stretching and moulding a sheet of vinyl wrap. I agree that it's a cheaper option.</p></blockquote>

Davy, I've seen in some Wheeler Dealer episodes that they use some sort of a water transfer film. Worked really well on interior trims and rims. Can't remember what it's called though. Isn't it an option? (Considering, of course, that you don't want to roll some plastic between your fingers. )

What you're talking about is hydrographics. They did that hideous snakeskin wrap on an RX7 with that :S I don't think that it will be easy to DIY though.

I see your point Davy, since you guys seem to have wanted to DIY.

[s.madura]

Yet again nicely and neatly done as always.

[Sierra Charlie]

What you're talking about is hydrographics. They did that hideous snakeskin wrap on an RX7 with that :S I don't think that it will be easy to DIY though.

I see your point Davy, since you guys seem to have wanted to DIY.

Yep, it was hydrographics. Hideous choice with the wrap when they could have gone with so many other options.

I guess you can't go too wrong with plastdip. I sprayed the chrome grille on the Galant with plastidip. My first attempt with any sort of spray paint. Went way better than I expected. So yeah, ditto on plastidip as a very good DIY option.

[Davy]

DIY hydrographic kits are available, but not large enough for rims. They're meant for stuff like dash trims and the like. So unless you have the equipment, applying hydrographics on rims is not really a DIY job I guess. And yes, we wanted to do this ourselves.

[The Don]

Brake dust is not an aftermarket pad issue. A lot of manufacturers make softer pads which provide better braking performance and is easier on the discs.

I have originals on my car and afrer a drive or two the rims are covered in brake dust.

Did you not attempt to repair the kerbing because plastidip will mask it?

[Davy]

As soon as I saw the blackened front rims, I told my friend that it should be due to aftermarket pads. I've seen many WRXs of this model without the least bit of brake dust. That is why I immediately assumed that it should be bad pads. After my friend took the car for the first service, it was found that the car indeed was using a set of aftermarket pads. The mechanic had told him to change them.

As for brake dust being normal, maybe up to a certain level but not excessive dust that makes the entire rim turn black. I might have mentioned this before, but I read that a large portion of brake dust is actually rotor material. So using good pads means that your rotors will last longer.

As for repairing the kerbing, you're correct, it was masked by the plasti-dip and is barely visible. I believe labour charges here to repair them would be pretty much the same cost as buying a used rim in good condition.

Edited May 7, 2015 by Davy

[Supra_Natural]

As soon as I saw the blackened front rims, I told my friend that it should be due to aftermarket pads. I've seen many WRXs of this model without the least bit of brake dust. That is why I immediately assumed that it should be bad pads. After my friend took the car for the first service, it was found that the car indeed was using a set of aftermarket pads. The mechanic had told him to change them.

As for brake dust being normal, maybe up to a certain level but not excessive dust that makes the entire rim turn black. I might have mentioned this before, but I read that a large portion of brake dust is actually rotor material. So using good pads means that your rotors will last longer.

As for repairing the kerbing, you're correct, it was masked by the plasti-dip and is barely visible. I believe labour charges here to repair them would be pretty much the same cost as buying a used rim in good condition.

Well for what it's worth, the Jag is running original Jaguar pads and there is rim blackening levels of brake dust.

[The Don]

Yeah same here on my BMW.

Its probably more indicative of the type of drive you've had rather than the pads being orignal or aftermarket. And to be honest there are plenty of excellent after market pads out there and some superior to the original. This is particularly true for Evolutions, WRX's and STIs, basically performance cars.

In Europe PAGID Brake Discs and Pads are widely considered to be equivalant or better quality than the original.

Why do I make this argument. Because I do not believe quality === original.

There are DIY kits to deal with kerbing by the way. Most of the process if what you described above. The only extra steps are, you need to sand the damaged area down a bit, use a filler made for alloy rims, sand it down again using different grades of sand paper, prime it and then paint using alloy paint at a shad of your chosing. I'm not sure how roads and kerbs are like in Australia, but in the UK it is near impossible to avoid kerbing, no matter how careful you are.

Edited May 8, 2015 by The Don

[Davy]

Fair enough. My experience is quite different from what both Supra and The Don have experienced. The moment I started using aftermarket pads on my previous car, I got loads of brake dust. Further, the pads would wear out within 6 months or so. I went through two sets of pads within a year after which I decided to spend the money and go for a set of genuine pads. I didn't have a speck of brake dust since, and the pads were not changed up until the point I sold the car. However, I agree that some aftermarket pads are superior in quality to some OEM ones.

[gayantha789]

Designs with HydroGraphics :

[Devinda_V]

Nicely done Davy ... keep up the good work ! I might give a try to paint my Primera Gts wheels this weekend as well ...

[Davy]

Nicely done Davy ... keep up the good work ! I might give a try to paint my Primera Gts wheels this weekend as well ...

Thanks and good luck!

[LashNeo]

Fabulous job buddy! If you were in SL, would have definitely evaluated the option of doing the same to my rides alloys as well.

Since we are at the topic of brake pads, thought of sharing my experience as well and it was similar to what you experienced.

My car had original brake pads installed by the previous owner which I replaced with an aftermarket set of nibk pads two months ago. For the period of 5 years where I used the original pads, never noticed dust accumulation but with the new aftermarket set, I see lot of dust accumulation. Will be checking the condition of the pads during the next service and will decide on whether to use or not to use aftermarket stuff in future.

[Davy]

Fabulous job buddy! If you were in SL, would have definitely evaluated the option of doing the same to my rides alloys as well.

Since we are at the topic of brake pads, thought of sharing my experience as well and it was similar to what you experienced.

My car had original brake pads installed by the previous owner which I replaced with an aftermarket set of nibk pads two months ago. For the period of 5 years where I used the original pads, never noticed dust accumulation but with the new aftermarket set, I see lot of dust accumulation. Will be checking the condition of the pads during the next service and will decide on whether to use or not to use aftermarket stuff in future.

Thanks machan! Maybe when I come for the holidays. White would suit nicely for yours.