Plasti dip guide: Wheels

STLtrailbSS

Original poster
Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
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
 

STLtrailbSS

Original poster
Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
You won't regret and if you do you can make it like it never happened....its like magic I swear
 

Black_tb

Member
Dec 6, 2011
817
im sold going to try it as soon as it stays some what warm out red rims here i come :rotfl: not really but i would love to see some black ones on mine
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
Would be cool to try it in a few areas.
 

djthumper

Administrator
Nov 20, 2011
14,950
North Las Vegas
If you put a light coat of tire dressing on before you spray, it will not stick to the dressing. So after it is good and dry you can clean the tires and it is gone.
 

kjkim93

Member
Jan 1, 2012
696
Hows the dry time for plasti dip? Im dying to try this but with my equipment i will have to take the tires off one by one and mount it after it dries.
 

STLtrailbSS

Original poster
Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
kjkim93 said:
Hows the dry time for plasti dip? Im dying to try this but with my equipment i will have to take the tires off one by one and mount it after it dries.

I would say your wheels will be mountable without issue after 1 hour definitely, Im not sure if you would be able to mount before that time I just set a timer for one hour and then mounted.
 

kjkim93

Member
Jan 1, 2012
696
STLtrailbSS said:
I would say your wheels will be mountable without issue after 1 hour definitely, Im not sure if you would be able to mount before that time I just set a timer for one hour and then mounted.

Guess when i dont work or have school i need to take a whole day to do this :biggrin: Know to find a store that sells its :smile::smile::smile::smile:
 

JosueLT

Member
Nov 20, 2011
315
Thanks for the info!!

I'm among the people who are oblivious to the plasti-dip craze. haha I'm going to get a can and do the emblems on my Mazda, but I'm still going with Duplicolor Wheel Paint for my rims. They're curb rashed and stained from not being taken care of by the previous owner, so I don't need the convenience of being able to peel the coating away. Worst case, if I get tired of black or go to sell it, I'll spray them something close to OEM Silver.
 

Mark20

Member
Dec 6, 2011
1,630
Run into any problems with tire balance?
 

STLtrailbSS

Original poster
Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
Mark20 said:
Run into any problems with tire balance?
Tire problems have been non existent for me, never heard anything on TBSSowners either
 

jham

Member
Nov 20, 2011
1,334
From seeing these wheels in person they look great. There was no signs of stone chips that you get with just painting. I am going to do my winter wheels with it to see how it holds up to the salt/brine mixture that is used on the roads here
 

Mark20

Member
Dec 6, 2011
1,630
I've got the 6 spoke polished rims with the GMC logo center cap. Does anyone know if they make plane center caps to fit in their place?
 

STLtrailbSS

Original poster
Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
Mark20 said:
I've got the 6 spoke polished rims with the GMC logo center cap. Does anyone know if they make plane center caps to fit in their place?

[EBAY]370566333477[/EBAY]
 

STLtrailbSS

Original poster
Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
I was just about to post on your page to get you to post that here lol so thanks
Update Pic On The SS Still Perfect
IMAG0004.jpg
 

IHZ05VOY

Member
Dec 8, 2011
73
kjkim93 said:
Guess when i dont work or have school i need to take a whole day to do this :biggrin: Know to find a store that sells its :smile::smile::smile::smile:

Home Depot. About $5-6 bucks per can.
 

ItsOnVoy

Member
Nov 21, 2011
2,401
Envoy10 said:
Anyone try this on their faded trims with pics?

You do not need to do this for faded trims. Trust me go get some armor all wipes from a auto store and wipe the trim that is faded and watch it come back to life. That stuff is amazing and it will last :yes:

102342_front200.jpg
 

Envoy10

Member
Dec 4, 2011
86
ItsOnVoy said:
You do not need to do this for faded trims. Trust me go get some armor all wipes from a auto store and wipe the trim that is faded and watch it come back to life. That stuff is amazing and it will last :yes:

102342_front200.jpg

I tried last summer. Worked good but its back to dull again. Looking for something more permanent besides painting if I can.
 

jayd1563

Member
Nov 18, 2011
96
djthumper said:
If you put a light coat of tire dressing on before you spray, it will not stick to the dressing. So after it is good and dry you can clean the tires and it is gone.
you actually dont even need tire dressing,,with the few sets of rims ive done with the plastidip, the overspray peels right off....it is a great product.
 

jrSS

Member
Dec 4, 2011
3,950
Envoy10 said:
I tried last summer. Worked good but its back to dull again. Looking for something more permanent besides painting if I can.

Fuck dressing. Paint that shit.
 

jayd1563

Member
Nov 18, 2011
96
Envoy10 said:
I tried last summer. Worked good but its back to dull again. Looking for something more permanent besides painting if I can.

ive heard that after you plasidip you can paint over it,,,never tried it just heard it could be done..the plastidip underneath allows you to peel it off even with the paint on top,,,,or at least thats the theory.
 

DARKASS04EXT

Member
Nov 21, 2011
193
yes, you can spray paint on top of the plasti-dip. I havent tried that but i do know that a clear spray WILL NOT give you a glossy finish, you have to use their Glossifier product.
 

jayd1563

Member
Nov 18, 2011
96
Envoy10 said:
I wonder how the dip would hold if you wet sand after painting over it
in threory,,if your wetsanding paint over the top of the plastidip there would be no issue,,its just like wetsanding any paint..now wetsanding the actual plastidip will not work.
 

Envoy10

Member
Dec 4, 2011
86
jayd1563 said:
in threory,,if your wetsanding paint over the top of the plastidip there would be no issue,,its just like wetsanding any paint..now wetsanding the actual plastidip will not work.

Theory being the word. Only one way to find out. I might just pick up a bottle this weekend and find out
 

bmartinezx3

Member
Apr 6, 2012
68
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:
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STLtrailbSS

Original poster
Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
Very Nice! Love the jewel tint with black. I have some update pics....STILL LOOKIN GOOD!
IMAG0331.jpg
 

mitch

Member
Feb 21, 2012
8
That's fantastic, I'm glad I found this thread. I plan on doing this same thing to my stockers, but I didn't know how to go about it without ruining the wheel. I already had a lot of trouble doing my center caps, so this looks like it would be a fantastic solution. Thanks for this.
 
Jan 4, 2012
76
does look great, wow that is a great product. I can't wait to use it, just have to see if its in canada though... we have a home depot up here, if not might have to get it on website.
 
Jan 4, 2012
76
Get this over the weekend, bigytwotone came over to help with fixing the blazer, he brought over the plasti-dip so he could do his rims and also front and back bumper. This product is so great, you should see the rims and also front and back bumpers, they look so great in the mat black color. and the best thing is that if you don't like the way it was put on or want to change it, it peels off, doesn't damage the underneath, just what the product says it does.... so sweeeeet..... love this product....... now do you think it comes in bright green or red..... lol, I want to change the rims now. :thumbsup:
 

STLtrailbSS

Original poster
Member
Dec 4, 2011
1,617
Red is available in some stores, but you can also order it online.
 

Canary2323

Member
Mar 31, 2012
346
I just used soap and water to clean and also put on another coat. Just ordered the glossifier can't wait to see it gives a shiny look instead of matte black.
 

DARKASS04EXT

Member
Nov 21, 2011
193
Canary2323 said:
I just used soap and water to clean and also put on another coat. Just ordered the glossifier can't wait to see it gives a shiny look instead of matte black.

On Dipyourcar.com, they talk about using approx 3 cans of Glossifier on 4 wheels. The more you use the glossier the finish.
 

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