Change of plans! Originally I was going to have them powder coated but I am going for a minimal investment first to see if it works and if this is not hold up one of them sandblasted and powder coated. So I have some questions. Being that these are aluminum what would be the absolute best way to prep them? Wired this going to drill sandpaper etc.?? Then clean with some sort of acetone or alcohol?? Finally, what type of paint for coding should I use? I want a high-gloss and should I finish with a clearcoat? Should I use a primer? Thanks!

 

Had this done last summer.

Tires off, bearings out, discs and pulley removed. As for the pulley and discs, they can Powder them also. Obviously they can't powder the Pulley where the belt rides, or the disc where the pads contact, but they can powder most areas where you're gonna see.

After they Powder, use Dyna Beads for balancing instead of the ugly stick on weights.

 

Sorry to change it up on you bud and thank you for the reply it's exactly what I need to know for when I do have them powdered if I do!

 

Definitely remove the disks, bearings, and pulley. Then I would pick up a couple cans of engine degreaser from your local auto parts store. Spay them down, rinse, and repeat until both cans are empty. Then on the way to the PCer stop off at your local car wash and hit them with the pressure washer. By then those wheels should be spotless and you've spent less than 20 bucks. You will also have the peace of mind knowing that you got them as clean *** possible and if there's any issues later the PCer cant blame it on imbedded oil or grease. And even if you are having the pulley PCed too, you want to have it removed so everything is completely coated. And who knows, later down the line you might want to swap pulleys for a different tooth count. Maybe a 30/70 combo? It would suck if you separated them later and the coating pealed where they mate together. Do it right the first time so you don't second guess yourself or have regrets later.

 

Man I type to slow. lol. Do everything I said above and then for a last step spray the **** out of them with brake cleaner. For paint I would use wheel specific spray paint or appliance epoxy paint. Or hell, if you just want to see what they look like you can always spay them with Plasti Dip. I did the wheels on my wife's 4 Runner just to see how they would look in black and 8 months later they still look great. Super easy to apply and actually pretty durable also. For prep just power wash, spray down with Brake cleaner, and then Plasti Dip

 

Haha thanks man sounds good! Should I rough the surface up at all if I use an actual paint?

 

Man I don't know. Im sure it couldn't hurt. Kind of sound like a pain in the *** though. I think I would just look for a local media blaster. Just the thought of hand sanding in tight corners and nooks and crannies makes my fingers hurt. lol

 

Don't plasti dip those mags . Trust me on this one the stuff doesn't come off the textured surface. It'll cost you more in the long run. All your going to do by painting them now is make more work and cost yourself more money down the road when they start getting etched with brake dust. And if you rattle can them the first time you change your tire it's gonna chip and look like crap. IMO take advantage of the crappy weather right now and PC them and be done with it

 

The more I read the more I lean towards PC again, ah! Dealer wants to charge two hours of labor to remove my tires and bearings and then put back on. So basically $180 just for that. Is that right or should I find somewhere else? Seems high....

 

Unfortunately that sounds about right. Make sure they put in dyna beads and not ugly wheel weights. Might be able to find a shop that will do the bearings cheaper, just depends on if you trust them