Plasti dip guide: Wheels

Joshtradamus

Member
Apr 22, 2012
15
pokeypokey06 said:
Hey just wondering what you guys are doing for cleaning plasti dip wheels? Did mine last night and love them!


Denatured Alcohol... makes stuff stick better then anything I've tried.
 

killallblue

Member
Dec 14, 2011
82
ive done it on alot of vehicles i love the stuff
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my truck
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guiltyimnot

Member
Mar 25, 2012
20
Just finished redoing mine today. Figured I'd post here too. All 4 wheels plus part of the console. What do to next? I have like 4 more cans. Haha. Maybe some trim pieces. I did the rear Bowie with regular paint. Maybe redo it and the front Bowie. Nervous about my ability to mask off well. Any other recommendations? View attachment 21066
 

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TB2k4

Member
Dec 4, 2011
134
thanks for the thread! ive been looking to go black with the rims. they got some curb rash and nasty looks to them. before cleaning and painting what tools should i use to grind them down to a clean working surface? just a automatic sander with touchup from sandpaper?
 

Ghost

Member
Jun 1, 2012
932
STLtrailbSS said:
I have been getting a lot of questions about plastidip on wheels So I figured I would make a thread for everyone to see.

Ok To start plasti-dip if you don't know is a rubberized coating most commonly used via spray can, When dried the finished is a nice very slight gloss flat black. Its available at a lot of common hardware stores and runs on average $5-$6 a can. The greatest advantage of plasti dip and why it is seen on almost every Automotive forum is that if you get tired of it, It peels away. Listen to your fellow GMT guy its not hard to pull off, I have no idea where people get these outrageous ideas that It takes hours to strip a wheel of plasti dip. Guys have also used this on there paint it is a harmless product on TBSSowners you will see plasti dip pillars,stripes,dash panels,vents,grills...it goes on for ever. Plasti dip has also released a glossifier that can be used over matte plasti dip to give it that clear coat look which I will be experimenting with soon. Basically Plasti-dip can be used for endless applications.There has even been sites entirely dedicated to automotive plasti dip.
Plastic Dip Intl. 11203 Plasti-Dip Spray: Amazon.com: Home Improvement

Anyway on to your wheels.

PREP:
Take your rims off..obviously then I used diluted simple green and scrubbed inside and out get the rim CLEAN as possible and make sure they are completely dry before moving on. So simple get em CLEAN

TAPE:
this is an iffy area heres what I have learned and had rage so you don't have too lol, If you tape first do the best you can to get the tape as far in between the rim and tire as possible, Since its a rubberized coating and not paint if you have plasti dip on the tape and rim that is bonded together when pulling the tape it will take the plasti dip off the rim as well. Via TBSSowners many guys have used index cards with the thin stiff edges they can get in between the lip much easier and the angle they sit at create less problems with the bonding. You can also use a razor to trim the lip before pulling the tape. Honestly after the first mistake I didnt even tape off anything the plast dip has a very rough time bonding to the rubber I was able to rub my hand around the tire and it all just came off. MAKE SURE YOU TAPE OFF YOUR VALVES! DO NOT WANT PLASTI DIP IN YOUR TPMS/VALVES!
IMAG0214.jpg

Looks good but they can be deceiving lol


PAINT:
The best way to start is with a THIN layer after drying it feels grainy and you should still be able to see the chrome through the black, I found this is the best way to get a solid bond. Make sure you hit all the little spots and insides of the spokes with the first coat leave nothing untouched.
about 75% through the 1st layer
IMAG0226.jpg

Following that I added about two to three more coats,I was impatient and waited about 20-25 minutes between coats it does dry pretty fast but you can probably give it a little longer to get a good set. Use a smooth back and forth spray just like spraying anything really, do not spray close this stuff will lump. When coming back for another coat make sure to flip the can upside down and give it a few sprays to clear the nozzle there will be a little build up and you don't want to spray that mixed with the fresh plasti dip on your rim. This is the result
IMAG0219.jpg


**Going back I would recommend doing the inside of the rim first that way if you get some over spray its not going to affect the outside of the rim just peel your drips off and your good to go, On the inside I just used 1 base coat and 1 nice thick coat.


Durability:
Im going on roughly 2 months of it being on my wheels. It has been through 2 nice salty snows and I do use a gravel road on the weekend on the farm and around lakes and it has held. TBSSowners guys are seeing up to a year of continued use and some longer BUT keep in mind if your going to do a lot of off roading like a lot of you do I don't think you will see that longevity, I'm not saying if you go on a dirt road your screwed but if your going to ride with hardtrailz or Regulator for a day I'm pretty sure your finish is not going to come out as nice as it went in. *If you use a touch car wash your playing Russian roulette some guys haven't had an issue some have seen some peeling

All in all your getting black rims for roughly $30 thats $490 cheaper then I was quoted for some PC and you can get rid of it! Perfect for a winter rim or if you want to change things up for a couple of months. I can honestly care less if my rims are dipped I will never drop 1K on rims on a ss that would be put straight to the LS2 chrome does not drop my times lol. Hope this helped some of you guys out.


*Easiest way to remove plasti dip is pick an area around the lip and create ALOT of friction with your finger and it will eventually peel and then your can start "skinning" your rim.

[video=youtube;eDCI12JR4Xo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDCI12JR4Xo[/video]
IMAG0259-1.jpg

I like that looks very nice. i found the SS 20" rims in black for $500 clearly that's not worth it plasti dip is awesome! Thanks for this DIY thread. Question what are those holes on your grill between the headlights?
 

Ghost

Member
Jun 1, 2012
932
bmartinezx3 said:
i used regular index cards all around the wheel between the tire and rim. works better than tape because its easier to place in the groove and you can use the same index cards on all the wheels. found this video on youtube of a guy using index cards too [video=youtube;nfQECLQHHyA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfQECLQHHyA[/video]


And plasti-dip is basically plastic in a can not paint so if you try to sand it it will probably just start to tear or peal off but for $7 a can its worth a try.

here are some pics of my stocks done :cool:
View attachment 5882View attachment 5883
hey those are the same rims i have! that looks good. how did you do the center caps?
Also my cans say 4 hours per coat... not sure how to do this without messing up. so what procedure did you guys do to plastidip? I donot have car jacks so ill have to do 2 rims at a time:sadcry::biggrin:
 

STLtrailbSS

Original poster
Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
Ghost said:
I like that looks very nice. i found the SS 20" rims in black for $500 clearly that's not worth it plasti dip is awesome! Thanks for this DIY thread. Question what are those holes on your grill between the headlights?
Just the SS grill style is all. It also creates a ram air like intake the vent will push some air into the intake. But still really just holes is all.
 

Ghost

Member
Jun 1, 2012
932
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Doing my emblums. Got some over spray but my finger rubs it right off. Ah and all of the suddon there is now thunder in the sky haha it better not rain !!!!
 

Ghost

Member
Jun 1, 2012
932
Real pita getting the extra off in between the letters. But overall it looks good.
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Yacdogg

Member
Apr 27, 2012
92
YOUNG said:
06 Stock wheels
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so thats whats mine would look like, :googlyeyes: i got to do it, also have to body match my mirrors, thinking about plasti-dippin the silver grill part. (or body match) any opinions appreciated
 

STLtrailbSS

Original poster
Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
About 4 actually. I bought 5 just in case but if your confident with your painting skills buy 4.
 

Canary2323

Member
Mar 31, 2012
346
Two toned mine ss 20s with black and red plasti dip plus glossifier.
 

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STLtrailbSS

Original poster
Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
UPDATE
STILL 1st Application, No peel no fade soap and water make them brand new!
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Sir ffeJ

Member
Dec 1, 2011
543
Have any of you guys done the inside of the rims or just the outsides?

In some of the pics, it looks like just the outsides are done.
 

ItsOnVoy

Member
Nov 21, 2011
2,401
is there anyway to do this without taking the rims off? Like how would I tape off the gaps is my question really because I think it will be much quicker if I don't take them off one by one. That will take me all day which I don't have
 

Short Bus

Member
Dec 2, 2011
1,906
ItsOnVoy said:
is there anyway to do this without taking the rims off? Like how would I tape off the gaps is my question really because I think it will be much quicker if I don't take them off one by one. That will take me all day which I don't have

[video=youtube_share;OlyB3FbYRRs]http://youtu.be/OlyB3FbYRRs[/video]
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
ItsOnVoy said:
is there anyway to do this without taking the rims off? Like how would I tape off the gaps is my question really because I think it will be much quicker if I don't take them off one by one. That will take me all day which I don't have

Seriously... all day??? I can take off n rotate all tires in 20 minutes while drinking a beer.
 

ItsOnVoy

Member
Nov 21, 2011
2,401
HARDTRAILZ said:
Seriously... all day??? I can take off n rotate all tires in 20 minutes while drinking a beer.

Well yeah I mean between coats to dry up and all it will take sometime. 5 coats and about 30mins in between each coat to have it dry and then 4 tires, will pretty much take almost all day lol that is if I take them off one at a time, I only have two stands anyway and I myself wouldn't take off more then one tire at a time anyway just to be safe and all
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
ItsOnVoy said:
Well yeah I mean between coats to dry up and all it will take sometime. 5 coats and about 30mins in between each coat to have it dry and then 4 tires, will pretty much take almost all day lol that is if I take them off one at a time, I only have two stands anyway and I myself wouldn't take off more then one tire at a time anyway just to be safe and all

How do you rotate your tires if you think it is safe only to remove one at a time?
 

ItsOnVoy

Member
Nov 21, 2011
2,401
HARDTRAILZ said:
How do you rotate your tires if you think it is safe only to remove one at a time?

I take the car To discount tire every year. They do them for free for me with balance and checking persure etc
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
ItsOnVoy said:
I take the car To discount tire every year. They do them for free for me with balance and checking persure etc

You need to check your tire pressure more than once a year. Everyone needs to check tire pressure more than once a year.
 

ItsOnVoy

Member
Nov 21, 2011
2,401
HARDTRAILZ said:
You need to check your tire pressure more than once a year. Everyone needs to check tire pressure more than once a year.

Well yeah I do that more often
 

kjkim93

Member
Jan 1, 2012
696
To leave them on and paint use you should use this video [video=youtube;ek1mRhEIbHA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek1mRhEIbHA[/video] shows you how to cover your brakes
 

rmsg0040

Member
Dec 10, 2011
285
I would love to try this but here in Canada its about $20 a can vs $6 a can in the US.

Maybe when I go to buffalo, I would buy some for me and anybody else if interested in the GTA.
 

Sir ffeJ

Member
Dec 1, 2011
543
rmsg0040 said:
I would love to try this but here in Canada its about $20 a can vs $6 a can in the US.

Maybe when I go to buffalo, I would buy some for me and anybody else if interested in the GTA.

I hear ya. Home Hardware wants $21.99 a can.
 

TB2k4

Member
Dec 4, 2011
134
Did this a while back, meant to post the results and say thanks for starting the thread but got sidetracked by school and life.

View attachment 23243
 

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Ghost

Member
Jun 1, 2012
932

TrailblazerLS

Member
Jul 31, 2012
6
what can you use if you dont want to paint a specific part? Does tape work the same as it would with paint? havent seen this mentioned in a few threads ive read. Was thinking about this for our tb and my car, my car has a "polished" lip on the rim that i would want to keep as the powder coat on them is trashed.

Plastidip pretty much forms a new surface on the rim so if you just taped off a portion i would imagine when pulling the tape off it might pull the rest of the coating off? Maybe tape it then go around with a razor so its a clean cut?
 

STLtrailbSS

Original poster
Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
you almost need to pull it off wet because any contact with the tape after drying is going to pull that bit straight off because it never fully bonded.
 

jrSS

Member
Dec 4, 2011
3,950
Yup pull tape off while wet otherwise your screwed. Or do the whole rim and cut the section u want and peel.
yjezu6e7.jpg
 

TrailblazerLS

Member
Jul 31, 2012
6
thanks that sucks lol, cant really pull it off wet if you do multiple coats unless you do it for each coat which would be time consuming. So tape plus a razor sounds like the best option. I still say tape because then you have an edge to work with instead of guessing where it starts.
 

Ghost

Member
Jun 1, 2012
932
I usually use bumper and trim paint on my rims which i may end up doing rather than.plastidip i can't see thenplastidip lasting as long as paint.
 

jrSS

Member
Dec 4, 2011
3,950
Plasti dip is good stuff. Pretty durable. I just had alittle peeling and became obssesed w/ trying to "fix" it. And my obssesion (ocd) got to me and had to take it off. Was driving me nuts. If I were to dip again I would do the the index card deal. But for me I think real paint is the best option well other than PC.
 

bmartinezx3

Member
Apr 6, 2012
68
im thinking about doing my SS 20's. but i don't want the flat primer look, I want a more modern shiny look. Has anyone used the glossier? if so do you just apply it right after the black coat? and how many coats do i need to get a clear coat look.
 

jrSS

Member
Dec 4, 2011
3,950
You wouldn't believe the thin layer of clear coat that's on these oem SS wheels. I sanded down to the bare aluminum in some spots w/o even trying. No wonder why the finish don't last long at all. You can paint ontop of p-dip. I never have but heard its a bitch to peel after its been painted on.
 

STLtrailbSS

Original poster
Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
Guys we are not to far away from 1 year of my rims being dipped. Heres my update pic and yesterday this went through a wheel scrub car wash thing i thought for sure i was going to be repainting they came out like this still freaking perfect.
35C9B928-30B1-45C4-B469-206F19E7BCA7-7446-000007212F604A2E.jpg
 

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