Painting Wheels?

[rustykan 140]

I will be installing all new tires on my C-120 and was looking for suggestions on the best way to paint wheels. Thanks in advance for your help!

[diggerjames 64]

I fitted new tyres to my d200 and should of painted them first but I didn't want to damage the paint so I masked them up like so hope this helps James

[rustykan 140]

I fitted new tyres to my d200 and should of painted them first but I didn't want to damage the paint so I masked them up like so hope this helps James

That's exactly what I was thinking. How do you like how they turned out?

[kudzu3 323]

Paint the wheels, have the tires mounted, leaving the air out. By leaving out air, masking will be much easier for touch up. When finished add air.

[Digger 66 3,478]

I sandblasted mine , primed , then painted .

Granted my tires were off .

 

[diggerjames 64]

That's exactly want I did like Kudzo3 let the air out sand mask under the beading !

[Wishin4a416 2,191]

Since your going to have the tires off, I would blast. They turn out real nice when done.

[bmsgaffer 2,043]

Im fairly certain im going to have my wheels blasted and powder coated when the time comes. Just cant beat the durability of that stuff.

[prondzy 3,881]

If u take the tire and rim to a local tire shop they will usually Mount and dismount them for a couple bucks. Paint them in between and do yourself a favor and tube them when your done. Easiest way!

[HorseFixer 2,012]

Since your going to have the tires off, I would blast. They turn out real nice when done.

 

 

I second that! I also like them painted  white to me it makes them POP!

 

~Duke

[AMC RULES 37,125]

Mounting up new tires is awfully hard on new paint...

blast 'em, mount 'em, then paint 'em up.     

[Martin 2,131]

or....

 

blast them, powder coat them and mount them up without the worry of damaging paint......

 

(and not waiting for the paint to harden either.....)

Edited April 7, 2014 by Martin

[Digger 66 3,478]

Mounting up new tires is awfully hard on new paint...

blast 'em, mount 'em, then paint 'em up.     

 

A piece of 3/8" rubber fuel line slit the long ways placed between the rim & the spoon works wonders for saving the edges .

Hmmmm... should add that one to "Garage tips-n- tricks" 

[rustykan 140]

Im fairly certain im going to have my wheels blasted and powder coated when the time comes. Just cant beat the durability of that stuff.

How much extra does the powder coating cost?

[AMC RULES 37,125]

Depends on your area...  

typically though, the more you have done, the cheaper it'll be. 

I would venture, it'll be substantially more than a couple cans of paint...but, the final results will be like night and day.    

[Racinbob 11,034]

I cut a bunch of index cards to the radius of the rim. Then, with the air let out I slid them under the rim all the way around. Then I masked off the rest and sprayed. Turned out great with the paint fully to the tire and no paint on the rubber.

Edited April 8, 2014 by Racinbob

[rustykan 140]

I noticed Harbor Freight has two different tire changers. Which would anyone recommend if you were only to buy one? The smaller or larger one? I have 12" & 8 " tires. My local tire shop wants $10 per tire to mount. That will almost pay for the tool so I was considering purchasing one, but wanted to get the right one. Thanks for all the good advice.

[Draudio 32]

First off @ Digger66 - Great tip about the split fuel line to protect edge! To avoid the time to split the fuel line pick up some edge guard like this link

or door trim used on car doors. Not too expensive and ready to use. The smoother the better, softer rubber may not let the tool slide easily around the rim.

 

I would point out that your method would depend the condition of your rims and whether you want the inner part of the rim to be painted(inside the tire). If you ever plan on loading the tires with fluid for weight, I would highly recommend painting all surfaces to protect them. This will almost definitely require removal of the tires. Obviously this would not be an issue if using tubes.

 

If that is not a concern or your using tubes then you can do like RacinBob said but instead of index cards an old deck of playing cards will work the same.

 

[pacer 3,168]

I recently got the larger tire changer from HF (with a %25 coupon was only like $35) (I dont think the small one will do a 12") and have already used it on some 12 -14 12" and 10-12 8" and while not too impressive on removing the tire from the rim, it broke the tires loose right quick on 6 of those 12's that were the gnarliest/rustified/crusted up messes I've ran into, and breaking the bead was always my biggest headache. I can peel the tire off the rim quicker just working off the ground with 2 spoons and a big hammer (the tool that comes with the changer works really well for that) As I was leaving the HF store I cruised around back and picked up a 42" skid/pallet and mounted the changer to it. I think it was money well spent.

[312Hydro 474]

Can't really add anything here that hasn't been said. When I did mine I sandblasted ,let out the air and used rope to hold the bead off the tire so it covers the rim. I learned that tip from a fellow member's post on this forum. I also like the many suggestions here as they all get the job done. Your choice depends on your resources or your resourcefulness! :handgestures-thumbupright:

I also found out that laundry detergent liquid poured around the rim on the tire when dismounting it is pretty slippery stuff. Tire came off a lot easier.

Edited April 10, 2014 by 312Hydro

[rustykan 140]

First off @ Digger66 - Great tip about the split fuel line to protect edge! To avoid the time to split the fuel line pick up some edge guard like this link

or door trim used on car doors. Not too expensive and ready to use. The smoother the better, softer rubber may not let the tool slide easily around the rim.

 

I would point out that your method would depend the condition of your rims and whether you want the inner part of the rim to be painted(inside the tire). If you ever plan on loading the tires with fluid for weight, I would highly recommend painting all surfaces to protect them. This will almost definitely require removal of the tires. Obviously this would not be an issue if using tubes.

 

If that is not a concern or your using tubes then you can do like RacinBob said but instead of index cards an old deck of playing cards will work the same.

 

I will be taking the old tires off and installing new, so I can try just about any method. I have read lots of great ideas so far. I'm checking on the cost of powder coating as someone suggested. Do you powder coat or use regular paint? I am considering filling the tires with liquid and was thinking about installing tubes with the new tires.

[rustykan 140]

I recently got the larger tire changer from HF (with a %25 coupon was only like $35) (I dont think the small one will do a 12") and have already used it on some 12 -14 12" and 10-12 8" and while not too impressive on removing the tire from the rim, it broke the tires loose right quick on 6 of those 12's that were the gnarliest/rustified/crusted up messes I've ran into, and breaking the bead was always my biggest headache. I can peel the tire off the rim quicker just working off the ground with 2 spoons and a big hammer (the tool that comes with the changer works really well for that) As I was leaving the HF store I cruised around back and picked up a 42" skid/pallet and mounted the changer to it. I think it was money well spent.

So this one will do the 8" tires. That's what I was wondering. Looks like this will be what I buy. Thanks!

[pacer 3,168]

Oops, let me expand on that -- It will break the bead on an 8" but the rim will not go over the part of the changer for tire removal - which, as I mentioned - I wasnt impressed with that part of it anyhow.

[Draudio 32]

I will be taking the old tires off and installing new, so I can try just about any method. I have read lots of great ideas so far. I'm checking on the cost of powder coating as someone suggested. Do you powder coat or use regular paint? I am considering filling the tires with liquid and was thinking about installing tubes with the new tires.

I use Rustoleum from a can, it works well, but if you can afford it powder coat is the way to go