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Thanks for all the feedback guys, I see we're split on the darker vs. body color. Obviously this is where personal taste comes in. My initial attempt in Photoshop also had the paint darker, but I ended up lightening until it matched the car's paint. It seemed more cohesive to me...
The center caps is where there seems to be clear consensus among those who responded: they should match the wheel hub's color. I also fully agree, but to be clear I did not retouch them, they're actually this color. They're ePay chinese knock-offs and are darker than the wheels. The originals, which I kept, were missing 2 emblems and the other 2 were pretty faded so I decided to replace them. I couldn't find non-oem silver colored caps so went for these hoping they would match the wheel, obviously without much success. I also searched for replacement emblems only but came up dry so went with the knock-offs.
This is what my oem caps look like in their current condition:
I will be doing a trial soon using Plasti-Dip. Does anyone have recommendations for the automotive masking tape I should use? It will mostly be curves and I will probably need something quite flexible to follow the contours smoothly.
I picked up a set of Sport Techno wheels a few years ago to replace my 19" Antera wheels. They were my favorite 996 wheels but I didn't think they really fit the car that well. And they had a bit of curb rash and needed to be refinished.
So I went down a similar thought process and mocked up images on my pc. Although not nearly as nice as your pictures above I like the polished aluminum look since it adds a bit of flash but isn't as dramatic as full chrome. I got a few quotes to refinish the wheels but in the end I decided to try it myself. It was definitely an adventure.
I ended up sanding off the paint on the flat surface using a ~300 grit sanding pad on my polisher. I taped the inner portions with electrical tape to protect that paint. I then proceed to polish the outer surface going from 600 grit sand paper all the up to ~2000 grit. And then switched to steel polishing compound. Most of it was by hand although I also used a dremel for some of the work. Probably around ~8 hours/wheel.
I then taped off the polished section with regular household painters tape, and then sprayed on black plasti-dip for 3 coats.
My original plan was to replace the plast-dip with either powder coat paint or black wheel paint but I haven't gotten around to that yet. The pasti-dip has survived pretty well for the past 2 years but it is starting to peel.
I'm very happy with the results although I realize not everyone likes the look (which is fine with me because I do). They don't photograph that well because of the shiny surface so they look better in person...honest. Also the black interior is more visible in person so they look a little less like thin spoke wheels.
My plan now is to polish them again since it has been a few years, and then replace the pasti-dip with real paint. Or maybe see if I can get them professionally painted since I already know I could do it myself.
I picked up a set of Sport Techno wheels a few years ago to replace my 19" Antera wheels. They were my favorite 996 wheels but I didn't think they really fit the car that well. And they had a bit of curb rash and needed to be refinished.
So I went down a similar thought process and mocked up images on my pc. Although not nearly as nice as your pictures above I like the polished aluminum look since it adds a bit of flash but isn't as dramatic as full chrome. I got a few quotes to refinish the wheels but in the end I decided to try it myself. It was definitely an adventure.
I ended up sanding off the paint on the flat surface using a ~300 grit sanding pad on my polisher. I taped the inner portions with electrical tape to protect that paint. I then proceed to polish the outer surface going from 600 grit sand paper all the up to ~2000 grit. And then switched to steel polishing compound. Most of it was by hand although I also used a dremel for some of the work. Probably around ~8 hours/wheel.
I then taped off the polished section with regular household painters tape, and then sprayed on black plasti-dip for 3 coats.
My original plan was to replace the plast-dip with either powder coat paint or black wheel paint but I haven't gotten around to that yet. The pasti-dip has survived pretty well for the past 2 years but it is starting to peel.
I'm very happy with the results although I realize not everyone likes the look (which is fine with me because I do). They don't photograph that well because of the shiny surface so they look better in person...honest. Also the black interior is more visible in person so they look a little less like thin spoke wheels.
My plan now is to polish them again since it has been a few years, and then replace the pasti-dip with real paint. Or maybe see if I can get them professionally painted since I already know I could do it myself.
Pictures of the result and my progress:
Great job on your wheels, and many thanks for posting pics & the detailed steps you took. That will be very useful. The finish on my wheels is still in decent shape so I won't be going to the extent you went in terms of sanding/polishing. If I can get one season without the plasti-dip peeling off I'll be happy - based on your experience it sounds like a realistic expectation.
A couple of questions:
- did you have any issues using regular painter's tape?
- did you peel off the tape while still wet or did you wait for everything to dry?
Great job on your wheels, and many thanks for posting pics & the detailed steps you took. That will be very useful. The finish on my wheels is still in decent shape so I won't be going to the extent you went in terms of sanding/polishing. If I can get one season without the plasti-dip peeling off I'll be happy - based on your experience it sounds like a realistic expectation.
A couple of questions:
- did you have any issues using regular painter's tape?
- did you peel off the tape while still wet or did you wait for everything to dry?
The plasti-dip should definitely last a few years. On the bright side it is also possible to touch up any issues if they occur.
I definitely used painter's tape for the straight edges, but I don't remember if I used painter's tape or electrical tape for the curved bits. The problem with painter's tape is that it isn't flexible so following the curve is almost impossible.
Removing the tape was a bit tricky. I removed it when the paint was wet just after the last coat. The plasti-dip will almost certainly peel off if you try to remove the tape when dry.
I didn't get a perfect edge, but it was close enough for me. I debated whether or not to use a razor blade to cut the tape off but decided it wasn't worth the effort.
Plasti-dip was pretty easy to work with and it isn't permanent. I was going to try it for year to see if I liked the look before committing to a full paint job. However it has been 2 years and I haven't felt the need to redo it yet
I didn't get a perfect edge, but it was close enough for me. I debated whether or not to use a razor blade to cut the tape off but decided it wasn't worth the effort.
Car you share a picture of the job you did? I'm really curious to see if plastidip is able to give near perfect lines. How many coats did you apply? I suppose if it looks bad you can always pull it off?
I also wonder if any body guys in this list know of a specific tape to use when painting with plastidip?
According to this video, the trick to getting clean edges is to apply several coats one after another without any drying time in between, and then to peel off the tape immediately.
I definitely used painter's tape for the straight edges, but I don't remember if I used painter's tape or electrical tape for the curved bits. The problem with painter's tape is that it isn't flexible so following the curve is almost impossible.
Removing the tape was a bit tricky. I removed it when the paint was wet just after the last coat. The plasti-dip will almost certainly peel off if you try to remove the tape when dry.
This was the result of my painting 2 years ago. I followed the approach mentioned above of spraying 3 coats close together and removing the tape almost immediately. Electrical tape seemed to work okay, but I wouldn't be surprised if thinner tape resulted in a better line. But the tricky part is bending the tape around the wheel.
I'm happy with the result, but it would probably be better with real paint.
Mental note I really need to polish the wheels again
03-02-2017, 06:37 PM
I like the polished aluminum look since it adds a bit of flash but isn't as dramatic as full chrome. I got a few quotes to refinish the wheels but in the end I decided to try it myself. It was definitely an adventure.
