Hey guys i have 18 inch gunmetal rims... i am trying to sell them but if i cant sell them within a week i am gonna sand them down...and get them painted gloss black, same color as my cobalt... soo how would i goo about sanding my rims down....anyone have suggestions?
thanks

 

aircraft grade paint stripper

 

idk, ive always had problems with stripper, but then again i was using pep boys stripper, lol. just make sure you do a good job, have you ever done body type work before?

 

thats what i used, then i fine sanded and polished the rims, took two weeks

 

yes
i have i just need to know how to get the top paint off
should i wet sand it too!!!

 

i wet sanded mine.

 

yea..like doesn anyone want to post up steps...and what grade paper...like a how too?
thanks a lot sam

 

More details.

 

like anyone have like details on how to sand down the rims

 

If you want to paint them, just strip them down, then start priming and sanding with fine paper, 600 grit to start and then 1000, 1500, 2000 as you get coats of paint on them. Use the primer as a guide.
Prime the whole wheel with one color primer.
Then, re-prime with a different color.
Sand down until all the original color is back. This will show any uneveness in the wheel, like scratches that need to be filled.
Once you have an even color, prime, sand lightly with 600 or finer, then paint.
Wet-sand paint with 600-1000 grit, re-paint.
Wet-sand with 1500-2000 grit, re-paint. (each time, you are not removing all the paint, just making it extra smooth and correcting for any imperfections.
Paint, wet-sand with 2500 and start with clear-coat.
Repeat light wet-sanding on the clear until they are perfect, shouldn't take much.
Wax them well once paint has fully dried, give it at least 48 hours. A few good coats of wax will go a long way to protect the paint and the work you just did.

If you need more help, let me know. I've sanded and polished aluminum wheels before, when the final result was a polished finish. Painting is much easier.

 

I stripped mine and then polished them. No sanding. The stripper I used was 34.00 a gallon but it is good ****. Spray it on let it set for 10-15 minutes, dont let it dry! Took 2 to 3 applications per rim. Do some minimal scraping and they are stripped. Worked great on mine. It is alot of polishing though but its worth it.

I will post a pic of the stuff in a bit. There you go, made by Real Products Mfg, in Ney, Oh. Also it just washes off with water!

 

okay...what do i do to remove paint?

original paint?

 

you guys are talking about the gunmetal rims right? As far as I know, there isn't a way to do that with the chrome rims that I have on my 07.

 

Look for aircraft stripper or something similar. Follow the instructions, that stuff will take anything off.

Yeah, chrome removal is a completely different animal. Not easy or cheap.

The factory rims are polished though, aren't they?

 

use a dremmel

 

okay...now lets get to paint here....i dont have a spray gun...soo what paint is recommended....in the end i want a gloss black!!

 

yeah they are polished from the factory. I wanted to have a slightly different look but that only comes with the alloys. I guess I will look for someone who wants my chrome stockers.

 

If you want to paint them, just sand with 600 grit and prime them. Unless there's damage, you're ready to paint.

 

i'm thinking about doing something to the rims as a winter project. sand em down and either polish or paint them. we'll see.

 

I think it would look great on mine, especially since it's black w/ red seats. If you got the time, you should do it!

 

i am gonna do black...!!

 

where can i get the rim paint? anyone know?

 

Anyone know where you can get aircraft stripper stuff?

 

Eastwood sells all the stuff you need to paint a set of rims, from primer to paint and clearcoat!

 

I meant an actual store. I work for UPS and I see what happens when you ship this stuff