> From: "olivier cabanes" <[email protected]> > Subject: Painted wheels... > > I have the chance to buy some wheels that were painted flat black. The > only thing is that BBQ paint was used and I'd like to know how it'll > hold up and if there's a way to apply somekind of gloss so that it'll > look nice.
i painted my wheels black last year. depending on how crazy you want to get, you can spend alot of time, or a little time. there are plenty of types of clear coats that will make the wheels a little more shiny, if thats all you want. you could also throw another coat or three of paint down before the clear coat, to get more consistency. you can steel wool the whole wheel and then primer, paint, and clearcoat (thats what i did) or you can completely remove every last spec of paint, and then primer, paint, and clearcoat. i went with the high temp engine, but i would bet normal paint would be fine. wheels get hot, but not THAT hot. then there is the desicion to paint with or without tires... another FYI...after having shiny black wheels, i would reccomend against them. you need to tire wet (or whatever you use) your tires ALL THE TIME to keep the car from looking silly. dark grey tires, especially when the color is completely flat, look out of place on gloss black wheels. if i did it again, i would go for some shade of grey. i think i have a picture or two of my 92 gti with the black wheels if yer interested. also note that the paint will chip here and there. not alot, and its not that noticible, but it will chip over time, and faster than, say, the paint on your car. when that happens, just remember that you didnt spend hundreds to get them powdercoated (which, IMHO is a complete waste of money). be happy that you only spent $20-30 on a few cans of spraypaint, and a few hours of labor. ben _____________ List Sponsor: http://www.netsville.com To remove yourself from this list, send mail to [email protected] with 'unsubscribe a2_16v' in the body of your message See us on the web at http://www.a2-16v.com Visit the 16V Homepage at http://www.gti16v.org
