ok so i just picked up some american racing steel rims wrapped in 31 inch bfgs. the rims are a little rusty so id really appreciate some tips or even a whole tutorial on the best way to sand and paint them. suggestions on what type of paint to use would be great too, thanks

well, where to start , i guess the first step would be to take off the tires,, and start sanding with one of those sanding sponge things, or take them somewhere and get them sandblasted, most body shops would do that , it is so much easier ,
if you choose to sand i think alot of it will be by hand, start with a coarser paper,like 100 grit to get started to remove the heaviest chunks, than go to a higher number paper like 200 so the grit is smaller,
once all the rust is removed, than use a fine paper like 320 or 400 and than clean with a good degreaser to get all the oils off the rim, and than paint in many thin coats till you are happy with the finish coat ,

well actually i just paid my friend 5 dollars per tire to mount them for me, so they are not coming off lol. but they arent aired up and i can easily get the tire far enough for the rim to work with. i actually work at a body shop but im almost 100% sure we dont have a sandblaster, if we do ive never seen it. but im going to bring them by tomorrow and see what my boss thinks. any more input would be great, thanks

i just thought if the tires were not on they would be easier to work with ,you know,, a bit lighter,,

If you search on YouTube, you can find some video tutorials that show you how to do this. It's not really a hard thing to do, just takes some time. I used Duplicolor wheel paint on my stock alloys and they turned out pretty nicely

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs033.snc1/2661_55698093014_500778014_1615803_103118_n.jpg

Just make sure you tape off the tires and take your time with them and they'll look like new in no time.

those look nice. ive decided to have them sand blasted depending on the price. does anybody know how much it might cost and where to look for a place that can do it? im gonna stop by a local welding shop after work and ask about it

i got a number from my boss, called him and he wants 25 per wheel. but i only paid 50 for all of them, idk if its worth it...

I got my stock aluminum wheels blasted front and back for 15 per wheel earlier this month as prep for some powdercoat. I think that is kind of on the cheap side of what to expect though.

just use a scuff pad or some sandpaper to rough them up. then wipe then down with a damp cloth. Then take a piece of cardboard and cut a bit of a arc in it. now when you spray the wheels, but the cardboard under the lip, in between the tire and rim. use a desent spray paint like krylon or rustoleum. I painted the explorer wheels this way. My f-150 wheels had the tires off when I sprayed them. For those I used a dupla color to match the truck.

remember the paint really dosn't get that much ware.
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