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      03-06-2015, 07:15 PM   #1
minmat11
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Plastidipped Wheels 19" - Walkthrough - Pics

I thought I would keep myself busy as I wait for the warm weather to come, so I decided to plastidip my 19's. The advantage of using plastidip over regular spray paint is that you could easily peel it off if you don't like it or just grow tired of it.
There are a few scratches that need to be smoothed out before spraying the wheels, thus the sand paper. I bought three cans of black plastidip, one glossifier to get that shiny finish, a brush to clean the wheels and sand paper (grids 120 & 600). I just got home from ace hardware and snapped a few pictures. I'll upload the rest when I finish the wheels!





* UPDATE *


Alright. I just now finished painting my wheels. Took about 4 hours to completely finish everything, I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes paint jobs so it may take less time. In addition to the plastidip cans and sandpaper, I used a set of notecards, vinyl gloves, face mask, brush and cloth towels.
Here is a walkthrough of what I did:

#1 Two of my wheels had some scratches and a few small dents that needed sanding. First, I used the 100 grid paper to sand off the corrosion and scratches. After sanding for a good half hour, I proceeded to use a finer paper (600 grid) to smooth out the areas that were sanded.

These are all the things I used.


Sanding the scratches down.


#2 Wash every wheel thoroughly. I used a bucket of hot water mixed with soap and a little degreaser. Use a brush to scrub off any grime or dirt from the wheel (specially brake dust). Wash the inside of the wheel as well; that's where most the brake dust tends to accumulate.

Scrubbing the spokes and outer lip.


Washing the inside of the wheel.


#3 Hose the wheel down with water then wipe everything down with a dry cloth until it's completely dry. (This is very crucial). There should not be a single drop of water lingering around. If you have access to a leaf blower or even hair dryer, give that a shot. Once you have dried all the wheels, start to put the notecards in between the lip of the wheel and the tire. I did this so that the plastidip didn't get on the tire. This is optional of course; it just helps to a cleaner install.




#4 Start plastidipping! Shake the cans well and make sure you do it in a warm place, otherwise, the spray will shoot drops of paint instead of a smooth application. I used 5-6 coats of black plastidip per wheel. Start out with a very light coat on each wheel. Keep your distance when spraying (6-8 inches). Allow 10-15 minutes in between coats. (don't worry if the wheel doesn't look dark after your first coat. It's not supposed to). I didn't think I would need a face mask but I had to use one after I sneezed black paint out of my nose! So as safety equipment, I highly recommend it.

1st coat


A quick video of the first coat.


2nd coat


3rd coat


4th coat


5th and 6th coat



#5 I turned the wheels around and painted the inside/bottom of it (pretty much anything that will be visible to the eye). BE PATIENT and take your time with the coats. If you happen to spray a bubble, use your thumb to gently flatten it right away.

This is what my wheels' surface looked like after all the black coats were applied. Smoooooth


#6 Again, allow at least 20-30 mins after the black plastidip is applied in order to apply the glossifier.

No glossifier


After glossifier



I apologize for the last pictures, I just got done and it's already pretty dark out. I will put my summer tires/wheels on this weekend. I will take new pictures then. Until then, I hope this write up helps! Plastidip ftw!

I put my summer tires/wheels on a few days ago and loved how they looked! But! I decided to peel the plastidip off of the lip to see what it would like. I'm not sure if I will keep it this way but I'll see. Here are some pics:





And if you have never seen how easy it is to peel off plastidip, here is a quick clip!

Last edited by minmat11; 03-19-2015 at 09:31 PM..
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      03-07-2015, 11:04 AM   #2
Finnegan
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Great DIY as well!
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      03-07-2015, 11:14 AM   #3
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Can't wait to see them! I was thinking about doing that to my 224's.
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