The thing to remember is that if there is any shiney old paint, oil or dust the new paint will not stick as it should and you may have to do it over again. Sand the old surface completely!! It is not necessary to take the old paint off, just "dull" the old paint with the sand paper. Sanding and cleaning is the key to a lasting job.

My OEM 17" Cup IIs were all silver so I sanded with wet/dry 400 grit sand paper (sanded dry by hand) and cleaned with Simple Green and water and forced air dried with my compressor. I was told to get ALL the dust and finger oil off before I began spraying paint.

The green tape is used to form a perfect edge is the $4 per roll stuff from the paint shop (Finishmasters here in town) and the paint is R-M Aero-Max, AM200 High Gloss Black (2 cans). The blue tape is just painters masking tape. Total Cost, $35.00 US.

Taping and sanding was about one hour per wheel. Each coat of paint dried in about 15 minutes and I gave the wheels 3 light coats of paint with a light sanding and cleaning between each of the coats. They are holding up very well so far.

 

It is beautiful. Perfect combination on the colors.

 

+1

Ice, if you're looking for ideas, I did my own Fuchs 16s by removing the anodizing with original E-Z Off oven cleaner (yellow container) and used Norton green synthetic "steel wool" to give the outer rims the brushed aluminum look. This is known as the Scotch-Brite method but the Norton product is MUCH better. I had some curb rash which I removed with low grit wet'n'dry sandpaper and a little water. I used JASCO, a strong paint remover, to take off the paint on the inside petals. There still was a little grinding and sanding to do to get to bare metal.

I then taped mine with the 3M blue thin automotive masking tape and masked to the edges with the 3M blue painter's masking tape (both bought at an automotive paint supply store). It still takes a VERY steady hand to apply the thin tape and mine isn't perfect but I don't intend to show the car obviously. This technique did allow me to mask to the inside part of the circle which leaves the little cup unpainted and is a little different look. The wide blue 3M masking tape comes off much easier than the creme colored (but much cheaper) generic tape and it doesn't leave a residue. I did mine with the tires on so I cut out rings of body shop masking paper to protect the tires from overspray. I painted mine with a black satin primer made by SEM. Three coats should do it. I just use Vaseline to treat and care for the wheels, both the painted and brushed parts, and they look nice in no time.

I really like the look and it wasn't too expensive. It just took a lot of time. Some of my Porsche buddies thought I was a little crazy for doing it myself but it was actually kind of theraputic. Here's a pic. Car is in rehab which is why it's on the wheel carts.

 

This thread has me thinking of refinishing mine to the original grand prix white.

 

Boy those wheels look great !
i am not too sure i want to go the chemical removal route. I did funiture stripping for years so know exactly how dirty a job it is.

 

There is a stripper called 'circa 1850'. It has pictures of flowers on the bottle. It is available at Canadian Tire in the household paint section. It's what I used to strip old paint off my cookie cutters. It's very low odour and won't give you cancer just by looking at it unlike the other strippers. It worked very well on the several coats of aftermarket paint I had on the rims but took it's time on what I think was the factory coat. In any case I got most of the stuff off and went straight to paint with no primer. There is also a special wheel paint available at Canadian Tire that requires no primer, it's what I used. It comes in the basic colours and clear coat. Might give you a nice glossy black if that's what you are after.

-matt

 

Yeah Mat that's what I used in the furniture biz so I am very familiar with it. if it works i might use it . we will see

 

I figured that since I wasn't doing it for a living and I was using a respirator that I'd be OK (just this once). Other than the tic I think I'm going to be fine.

 

Well it will be a long winter.....lets see what happens

 

I have also painted my Fuchs myself. Scuffed 'em up with a little sandpaper, cleaned, taped off, and rattle-canned them blue in a few light coats followed by a couple of clear coats. Not concours quality but the only person who will be able to tell is the one with a tooth brush cleaning the brake calipers...see avatar. Go for it!

 

hey Chris did you strip yours completely or just sand a little and paint ?

that is what I am leaning towards

 

I think it would matter if you have the original factory finish on there or someone else's rattle can job. I wouldn't want to be painting on someone else's rattle job. Just my 0.02-1/4

-matt

 

I used blue painter's masking tape when I painted the black insets on my fully polished Fuchs. Three light coats of Wurth satin-a very crisp line that wasn't overly built up. Took about an hour to an hour and a half to tape each one. I used a dremel with a light flap wheel action to rough up the surface to be painted.

I tried this all first with electrical tape, but had some bleed under on my test area, so I went to 3M blue and never looked back.

 

Unless you are polishing them out, it really doesn't take a lot to paint wheels. Once you get started, they go really fast. You do want the wheels to be at around 75 degrees when painting, so the paint will tack up fairly fast. Once you start, you won't stop until you are done, so get the materials lined up.

 

I've done 2 sets. The first set came to me already painted red with some flaking paint and chips here and there. I scuffed them up with a coarse Scotch-Brite pad, cleaned, taped, and painted them and the results were good but the paint is coming off in spots already.

The second was an original black set that was just old and faded. I sanded them by hand enough to make the finish really dull and dusty looking but I didn't sand all the black off. Then I degreased and cleaned them. Then I taped them off and did 3 light coats of blue following the can instructions on how long to wait between coats then 2 coats of clear. I can't believe how good they look and they've survived 2 track events pretty well so far.

It's all in the prep and if you sand enough to get a good surface to put fresh paint on they will look great. Don't get in a hurry with the painting and keep the coats light to avoid runs. I never hold down the button on the can for more than one second and I keep my hand moving all the time. I am not with the car right now but I will get some closeups when I get home tonight.