After checking out this DIY, a fellow ZHP Mafia member and I decided to make our own.
Total cost? Around $60 for 2 wheels.
Total time? 3-5 hours depending on how fast you are!
Was I happy with the outcome?
Yes, much improved over my OEM curbed wheels.
Will this process make your wheels perfect?
No, not unless you have experience in repairing wheels.
1. Remove curbed wheels
2. Buy necessary materials
-Dupli Color Primer Filler, Dupli Color Wheel Paint, Dupli Color Clear Coat, Bondo body filler, and 220 and 400 grit sand paper.
-If you remove the wheel from the tire, aircraft paint remover will strip the paint off the wheels which speeds up the process.
3. Bondo
-Squeeze bond from tube onto your finger (wear a glove!) and spread over the curbed areas. Spread thick enough to fill in the needed areas, but don't over do it!
-Let the bondo dry for 15-20 minutes. If you use thicker coats, it's best you let the bondo dry for a longer period of time.
4. Sanding
-Start with the roughest grit (200), and work your way up to the lightest grit (400).
-Be sure to sand the bondo until it's smooth and the curb rash is filled in.
-As you can see in the image above, excess bondo can get stuck between the wheel and tire. Use a small pick tool to remove excess bondo, then use a shop vac to vacuum out dust and excess bondo from the wheel.
-After sanding and vacuuming is complete, wipe down the wheel with a rag + alcohol to insure that all dust is gone.
5. Primer
-Use Dupli Color Filler Primer to cover the curbed areas or the entire wheel (your choice). In this case, we went ahead and primed the entire wheel.
-Do multiple coats, with drying periods of 10 minutes in-between each coat.
-Be sure to tape off or remove the ///M badge and your air valve stem.
-After the primer is dry, sand out any 'runs' or areas that need attention. Wipe wheel down with alcohol to clean the wheel before moving to the next step.
6. Paint
-Using the Dupli Color Wheel paint, spray the wheel using multiple coats with drying periods of 10 minutes in-between each coat.
-"More is less, less is more" - be careful painting as you do not want to get any 'runs'!
-After paint is dry, wipe down wheel with alcohol before moving on to the next step.
7. Clear Coat
-Using the Dupli Color Wheel Clear Coat, spray the wheel using multiple coats with drying periods of 10 minutes in-between each coat.
-The same saying applies to the clear coat - "More is less, less is more".
-We were very impressed of the shine the clear coat provided.
Finished Wheels
The re-finished wheels are slightly darker than OEM, but they look fantastic on Silvergray. I will be re-finishing the rears this weekend.
This is a great cost effective way to re-finish your wheels.
Reply With Quote
