refinishing wheels

[newfie glass]

so although its not for my jeep, i need some advice on refinishing some wheels for my vw project. i plan on painting the centers black and leave the lips polished. they look like this
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/magicbus66/PorschePics002.jpg
i would like know what grit sand paper would be best to use and what if any products to use.

[snodawg]

Those wheels will definitely be clear coated, I would wet sand with 400 grit just to dull the finish for better paint adhesion and it will leave a nice smooth finish.

[yyc_tbird_sc]

I'd skip the sand paper....you're going to be there forever. Drop them off to be sandblasted (or media blasted). It'll be a much better finish and way more consistent.

If they're powdercoated already, get some aircraft coating remover. BE CAREFUL!! That stuff will take your skin off....get a good pair of heavy PVC chemical resistant gloves. Put it on and let it sit for a bit. If you can, put them some place warm (ie, in the sun in an enclosed container) as this will help the remover lift the powdercoating off faster. Rinse following the directions, usually clean water. Then sandblast them.

I suggest powder coat...but if you want to paint them yourself, talk with some paint guys and follow their advice when it comes to primers and etc. Remember, 90% of the work is in the prep!

[Zombie]

I wouldn't sand blast them, I would get  some kind of other media blasting that will not eat into the wheels as much, I found that out the hard way, and then it was a pain in the rear to have them turn out looking good as I had to use alot of high-build primer to fill it all in.


but ya, prep is the most important part. I have sprayed a few sets of wheels after stripping them, and it took a while for some of them as I  had to fill some scrapes, and lighter coats are better too, painfull sometimes, but it will turn out much better.

and don't cheap out on the paint, it looks like crap really soon after