I wanted to freshen up my wheels and after trying to no avail to find someone here with a bead blaster (Katrina washed away most if not all specialists in New Orleans) I decided to just see what I could do myself on the cheap and quickly in a weekend-warrior project. I have read about the wonders of Krylon Dull Aluminum so I ordered 4 cans from my local paint store. I degreased and pressure washed them, followed by a light sanding.
Here is what I was looking at, the worst of the 5 was the spare (note the pock marks and chunk out of the edge - no wonder it was hiding in the trunk):
So I filed it down and filled/built it up with JB Weld:
Sanded flat, primed, and painted, followed by Krylon clear coat:
Before (what's that amber colored crap in the lug nut area?):
I decided to paint the insides silver also, even though they are left in grey primer at the factory, I had lots of paint so I went ahead:
Before:
Cool date stamp - April, 1972:
Had some Michelin 215/65/R14 tires mounted this am, balanced with inside weights so nothing cluttering the outside rim, and now back on the old girl. A quick blast to 80 mph proved all is well. Total time - about 7 hours and left to dry overnight.
This is simple and highly rewarding, and dirt cheap. The paint really goes on easily and looks pretty darn good at the end of the day - I used 2.5 cans of paint, a can of primer, and half a can of clear coat. The tire guy couldn't tell if I had them sprayed at a shop or from the rattle can. I highly recommend the Krylon for a quick budget restore.
Here is what I was looking at, the worst of the 5 was the spare (note the pock marks and chunk out of the edge - no wonder it was hiding in the trunk):
So I filed it down and filled/built it up with JB Weld:
Sanded flat, primed, and painted, followed by Krylon clear coat:
Before (what's that amber colored crap in the lug nut area?):
I decided to paint the insides silver also, even though they are left in grey primer at the factory, I had lots of paint so I went ahead:
Before:
Cool date stamp - April, 1972:
Had some Michelin 215/65/R14 tires mounted this am, balanced with inside weights so nothing cluttering the outside rim, and now back on the old girl. A quick blast to 80 mph proved all is well. Total time - about 7 hours and left to dry overnight.
This is simple and highly rewarding, and dirt cheap. The paint really goes on easily and looks pretty darn good at the end of the day - I used 2.5 cans of paint, a can of primer, and half a can of clear coat. The tire guy couldn't tell if I had them sprayed at a shop or from the rattle can. I highly recommend the Krylon for a quick budget restore.
