Wheel Detailing--Redneck Style

[TallPaul]

2001 Ranger I bought last December. Last night, on a whim, I grabbed a $1 clearance spray bomb of silver paint that was sitting in my basement for many years and spruced up my rusty wheels. Here is one of the wheels before I painted them (some had worse rust than this):

Here is the freshly painted wheel (yeah, got some on the rubber, but I don't care):

And here is how it looks on the truck (hey, she don't look too bad for not having been washed since before I bought it last December):

Haha, I didn't even wash the wheels before I painted them. If it peels, I can just hit it with some more of this paint.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Nice wheels for steel. I would have sprayed with rust converter first.

 

[c502cid]

Very nice work, looks great. I've done parts of rusty trucks this way.

 

[TallPaul]

The paint was Meijer brand (Meijer is in a 5 state area including Michigan) and it was an anti rust enamel. Still, I didn't even wire brush it, so it is sure to need touch up down the road. I used that same can of paint about 6 years ago to do the bumper on the F150, that I did scrape and wire brush.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

You didn't even bother to tape over the valve stem? Jeez.

 

[TallPaul]

Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
You didn't even bother to tape over the valve stem? Jeez.
Yeah haha. No that was the first wheel and I just shot a couple bursts to see the effect and accidently got the stem. Tried to wash it off. I did put a plastic tube over the other stems before shooting those wheels. But notice I did paint the wheel weights.

 

[Donald]

Nice - but the proof is in the pudding. Lets see a pic next spring. After the winter dirt & salt.

 

[TallPaul]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Nice - but the proof is in the pudding. Lets see a pic next spring. After the winter dirt & salt.



It won't be pretty!

 

[Volvohead]

That just screams CLASS!

Washing first would have only made more rust. Paint don't stick too well to soap anyway. You did good.

You even got refinished brake drums and chromed valve stems out of it. A bonanza.

PS: I've got a old can of white marker paint if you need new whitewalls.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Volvohead
You even got refinished brake drums

But only when the wheel is in this exact position.

 

[TallPaul]

I think I'll go proudly display it in front of Wal Mart this afternoon.


Notice the overspray on the tires too.


Too bad the paint on the body is in such good shape. I am just itching to have a flat black vehicle someday.

 

[Volvohead]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete

But only when the wheel is in this exact position.

A trivial detail.

And now you have motion effects. More bonanza.

 

[Volvohead]

Since you painted right on over the dirt, they are also powder coated.

High end all the way.

 

[bigmike]

Those are 10 foot wheels. As in, they look good from 10 feet away.

 

[TallPaul]

Originally Posted By: bigmike
Those are 10 foot wheels. As in, they look good from 10 feet away.
Yep, actually more like 20-foot wheels!

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Volvohead
You even got refinished brake drums

But only when the wheel is in this exact position.

Nein: Six spoke wheels, six lug pattern. This ought to match up every which way.

 

[Donald]

Now the brake dust will really show. But that too can be painted over.

 

[TallPaul]

The hope is that by the time the wheels are really badly rusted there will be enough layers of paint to hold them together.

 

[phillipmcmillian]

hey i have white testor paint lets do the lettering. anything to save what you got. no worries it works.

 

[TallPaul]

some 1/32" thick slabs of delaminated metal pulled off one wheel with gentle finger pressure. Maybe I should be surfing Craigs list for newer wheels?