stock rims DIY thread

[twist_the_wrist]

so bought a used 2008.5 MGM. looks great except it came with poorly painted white rims. yes thats right i said white rims. within one week my friend and I at his shop had them off in no time. took a long time to wet sand properly. gloss black or any black really shows grittiness or imperfections so you have to make sure surface is perfectly smooth. after that you can see the grey sealer. shortly after you can see what it looks like with the paint just applied and then finally installed on the car with an 18% tint all around.

if anyone has any questions on the process lmk

 

[jay32m]

Looks good. Now just do the center caps. The mazda emblem pops off them so you don't have to worry about painting over or around them.

 

[Kyrosfactor]

Been wanting to do this for a while now, mind PMing me instructions, how to for the painting noob.

 

[spdjnke]

Looks good, but why didn't you get them powdered coated to ensure longer life?

 

[twist_the_wrist]

@ jay : not a fan of blacking out the mazda centercaps. since i left the flying M's on the front and rear chrome i decided to leave caps chrome. didnt want to go too murdered out. but i can understand you're suggestion

@ kyrosfactor : sure i can send you the how-to for it but you need a spray gun and know-how to use it. this was done at my buddys auto body shop so you could say it was done professionally. i wouldn't try to do it myself even though i was there every step of the way.

@ spdjnke : ya my friend said he could do anything but powdercoat. thats more difficult to get right and more expensive. we just did several layers of "Ford Black" automotive paint. its got a nice shine when consistently kept clean (something i didnt know if id like but now i love). if it ever wears or has noticeable imperfections i have the luxury of just easily repainting whenever. my motorcycle's mainframe is black factory powdercoated (as they all are stock) and that looks real tough to get right. plus i think you need a special powdercoat spray gun as opposed to the one he uses for his business.

ill try and get some pics with a quality camera later on after its had a proper bath. hopefully that will do it justice cuz it looks really good in person especially at night.

 

[Kyrosfactor]

@ kyrosfactor : sure i can send you the how-to for it but you need a spray gun and know-how to use it. this was done at my buddys auto body shop so you could say it was done professionally. i wouldn't try to do it myself even though i was there every step of the way.

My gf's dad has an air compressor and the other tools needed. I'm just lacking the know-how. Thanks for the warn though!

 

[shaneS]

Nicely painted white > Black imo

but you didnt have nicely painted white

 

[twist_the_wrist]

@ kyrosfacor : here are some more pics of the process.

@ shane : ya i guess you could like them but they're impossibly hard to keep clean. plus with a dark tint and the MGM color the black looks great. I've gotten nothing but compliments from people in person. but to each his own

***sorry i didnt rotate the photos