painting wheels... help!

[vw_golf_nutter]

hi all,

I have seen in all the mags that people are painting the centres of their wheels alot. I think on some wheels it looks pretty cool and was going to try and do it on the speedlines im getting off steve.
I have loadsa things to do on the mk2 yet including respraying and lowering etc but was thinking of taking the tyres off the speedlines and just doing a bit at a time myself.
I really need help with knowing how to do it properly though!
I dont just want to slap some hammerite on, I want a good finish and one that will hopefully last so any tips on paint to use, how to prepare the surface and finishing would be good.
Also has anyone done this themselves? got any pics?

This is how my car will look (i hope) what do you think?

[Breaker]

Looks very good though IMO blue clusters dont look good they cant get the tint right

[Len]

You will have to use some type of heat resistant paint as wheels get quite warm from heat transfer from the brakes.
which is why hammerite is a good choice. You can mix colours of hammerite to get virtually any colour and shade you want.

[...joe]

you won't have to use hammerite, just get the wheel down to bare metal, use an etch primer and spray away! i know loads of people with colour coded wheels using body paint from the original paint code.

do you mean speedlines as in the corrado wheel? as they are all 5 stud, so unless you're doing a vr6 transplant or something with matching hubs etc they will need the hubs changing for them to fit.

[vw_golf_nutter]

thanks for your replies,

Ive used hammerite before but the finish was terrible, i used a brush to do these:



from a distance they look funky but up close they were just bodged.

is there another way to use hammerite any better than i done before then?

Will car paint not chip?

They are defo speedlines as they have speedline embossed on one of the spokes, must not be from a rado, dunno where they are from, got them off ebay!

here they are:

[vw_golf_nutter]

do you not think these lights look ok?



i just wanted to be different as everyone does the M3 look now. I think the colours match ok.

[...joe]

do you not think these lights look ok?

no.

also no they're not the speedlines i thought they were and as they are 4 stud... go for it, but lose the rear lights

[vw_golf_nutter]

what lights would you think suited the colour apart from M3?

i saw in the PVW mk2 special some smoked/clear ones, cant find anywhere that does em though.
The car is depressing me at the mo, i think lights is the least of my worries- I got my BF to change the brake pads for me the other day and it took ages coz one of the bolts was seized. Once they were done i went to test them and my exhaust has decided to get louder and my front washers have decided to go mad and squirt on their own 
cars- sometimes i just cant be dealing with em!

[BobbyT]

if you want smoked clear, just buy a set of all crystal and some 10 quid light tint spray! then just tint the section you want smoked! 

[Dragon Danny]

Wheels,

Easy, Just take them back to bare metal if possible and hit them with an Etching Primer (Upol Acid 8 or equivalent) as said above ^ then choose your colour i.e Sky Silver Met or whatever you want, then spray them on wheels either through spray gun or with Aerosoles (try get from Motor Factors, custom made up cans, far better paint then Halfords etc..) then Just hit them with Lacquer, 2k Is better but you can use 1k just add more coats, or use aerosoles (add lots of coats).

More Lacquer more tough and resisting will be from stones dirt etc....

Add lots of coats of the Colour as well to make it easier to repair scuffs as can jus recoat the lacquer in bits, if the kirbing has not got through the colour to the primer.

Paint will not Burn on Alloys.

Polyester Basecoat is best paint to go for if Met, If Solid colour e.g Black or White go for 2k if Possible.