metalmedic

iTrader: (4)

so i just picked up some tc wheels... there painted black and then plastic diped over that... i wonna paint the gold but i know gettin the black off is gonna be a pain!!! i have a sand blaster but im not sher what to use out of it so i dont harm the rims.... any ideas???? and if u were wonderin this is the gold im gonna use...
http://www.grimmspeed.com/catalog/pr...roducts_id=144

thanks for the help guys.... and happy holidays!!!!

evofire

unless you plan on doing a complete repaint with primer and all that, i would not blast the wheels. peel the plastidip off, and scuff the entire surface with a red scotchbrite pad really well, dipping the pad in water every few minutes. then clean with acetone or mineral spirits or isoprpyl alcohol. this will give the new paint a good clean surface to stick too. the black paint will act as a primer.

metalmedic

iTrader: (4)

im plannin on goin the whole nine yards with it... we have a painting booth at work and i work for an ambulance company so we do no painting...lol so im gonna keep them there to cure and all that... plus i didnt want the black paint affecting the color of the gold ( not sure if it will )...

evofire

black underneath will actually make the gold "pop" more. lol

to do this 100% right, (blasting and cleaning and priming and painting) will take you 2-3 days with 4 wheels.

if you do as i suggested, it will probably cut the time in half.

I am a professional aerospace painter, and more often then not, if a color change is all that is requested, and the "old" surface is free of knicks and scratches and doesnt require body work, we just scuff the surface, clean and spray our desired color right over the top.

metalmedic

iTrader: (4)

that actually doesnt sound that bad... but there is ALOT of runs and marks.... so should i just wet sand the blemishs to even everything out and then scratch pad the rest????

evofire

peel the plastidip then report back. odds are the runs and marks are in that. if the base coat black that is under the plastic dip is good, then yes iw ould just scuff-clean-spray.

metalmedic

iTrader: (4)

ok cool i was plannin on sittin down this sunday and peelin all that crap off... so we'll see how that goes... thanks for the help sofar

Joe Schulte

iTrader: (16)

The TC wheels I had were spray-painted horribly, I spent about an hour+ with a DA to sand out the runs and faces, and then scuffed immensely. Only to primer and have the primer lift. Annoying.

I opted to have them sandblasted, for $20 a wheel I couldn't complain, but I had also decided to go powdercoat at the same time. Another place here charges $15 a wheel.

I've also dealt with Plastidip, stupidest damn idea IMO but I ended up use a couple cans of TuffStrip on them (Lowe's). This could create a potential mess though as it also lifted the factory clear finish on my Ion Redline rims, but this ensured the new paint would adhere! Stripper is a mess, I'd advise to have the tires dismounted of course, well ventilated. I ended up taking mine to a car wash, hosing them with stripper, letting them sit, and pressure washing AWAY from yourself as you definitely don't want a hint of that in your eyes, just lightly burns the skin . Had to double coat inside the lug areas, etc. It wasn't fun.

Anyhow, there's my .02!

metalmedic

iTrader: (4)

update..... ok ive takein the plastic dip off 2 rims... there is alot of runs and pooling in the rattle can black under the plastic dip... and in a few places the paint came off with the plastic dip... ( only used my nail )... so caould i just use a stripper or should i just sand blast??? if so what should i use to sand blast???

apicia

iTrader: (2)

Sandblast them or have them done. Then have them powder coated and clear coat powder coated. Post pics when done!

metalmedic

iTrader: (4)

I wonna have them powder coated but the cheapest I've found around me is like 160 a rim... that's why I think I'm just gonna paint them..

FrossB

iTrader: (6)

Gold rims 4 life!

heathkidder

iTrader: (20)

mine were bad when i got them also i had them sandblasted and powdercoated. just make sure they dont sandblast alot of it

metalmedic

iTrader: (4)

What do u mean by "don't sand blast a lot of it"???

heathkidder

iTrader: (20)

because iv seen some ppl **** up sandblasting big time on these type of rims you shold let some1 that knows what there doing take care of it

09redsscobalt

i used aircraft stripper on mine. it took off the stock paint, and 4 different spray paint color layers i had on it. i am working on polishing them now. Just use the stripper. its really easy, spray on and rinse the paint off

evofire

i wouldnt sand blast them. find someone who uses plastic media, or organic media like walnuts or baking soda. Sand blasting will change the look of the metal, and possible cause surface damage if not done right. the other two will only removed the old paint.

jran

^ yeah only if the person that is sandblasting has no idea what the hell they are doing..

metalmedic

iTrader: (4)

i think im just gonna go with the aircraft stripper.. i used it alot when i was a kid repainting bikes and what not... i just didnt no what it would do to the rim...

Powell Race Parts

iTrader: (3)

pm whyumadson he can point u in the right direction. like someone just said the media is critical if blasting, and paint stripper left on too long can really screw up the alloy metal in wheels.

try a soft media blast...

metalmedic

iTrader: (4)

thats what im afraid of with the stripper... but i literally called 20 shops and they either said they wouldnt touch them or they would have to ship them out. but they all said if they had to ship them out it would take a few weeks because of the holidays...

09redsscobalt

i put it on for about 5 to 10 min. you just wait till the paint bubbles up and then i used a power washer and sprayed it off. works great and very easy. it didnt damage the wheel at all

Joe Schulte

iTrader: (16)

My wheels were sandblasted prior to powdercoated and my OEM paint has more texture than they do.

If you have them done by someone experienced there should be no worry.