Charcoal GTZ wheels project for my 89 Beretta GT
Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2011 10:25 am
Hi guys. Thought I would share a little weekend project I recently completed for my 89 GT. I picked up a set of mint GTZ rims that were on Kijiji here in Montreal for $200 cash complete with center caps. They were maroon metalic and my car is white, so I thought I would go with a dark charcoal metallic color.
First, here's a before pic of the car with the standard 15" GT rims, which I will keep for my winter wheelies with the snow tires that are already installed on them.
Step one: Buy paint. I picked up Duplicolor Wheel Paint from Canadian Tire. Two cans charcoal metallic, and two cans of clearcoat. $9.99 per can.
Step two: Sand wheels. I used 600 grit and wet sanded everything so it was smooth and so that the new paint would stick well. The silver lips were in decent shape so I wet sanded them with 2000 grit.
Step three: Taping. I used a 1/4 inch 3M tape to do the silver lip. Anything wider and the tape won't curve properly to maintain the perfect circle. I used a drywall screw plug to press the tape cleanly around the edge and into the grove. Used standard 1" tape to do the outside of the lip.
Step four: Paint, paint, paint. As always, test your paint on something before applying. The Duplicolor Wheel paint goes on easy and dries fast, but it has a lot of metallic content, so when they say shake the can for 2 minutes, they mean 2 minutes. The directions said to hold the can 12" away, but I found that no more than 8" gave a much smoother finish. The paint is relatively drip resistant, so don't be afraid to load it on. Wait 15 minutes between coats of the paint, and then do the clear coat after 1 hour, but before 2 hours. Same 15 minutes between coats. The clear coat looked at first like it was going on milky-white, but after 5 minutes this disappeared and left a nice even coat with a good shine. The Duplicolor wheel paint is supposed to stand up to abuse and not chip or peel.
Step five: Remove tape & admire a job well done. Here's one of the wheels with the tape removed after two coats of charcoal and two coats of clear. I removed the tape before doing the clear coat so the silver lip would be done too.
Step six: Paint the center caps. Same process, quick wet sand, two coats charcoal, two coats clear.
Step seven: Paint the inside of wheel. I cleaned and sanded the inside of the wheels then taped off the holes to prevent overspray. I applied two coats of flat black Tremclad rust-paint since it was cheap and very durable.
Step eight: Get those bitches installed! I picked up a set of used Goodyear Eagle GT 205/55/16 from a nearby tire shop for $100 cash including installation and balance. Total cost of job: $200 wheels, $50 paint & materials, $100 tires & installation.
First, here's a before pic of the car with the standard 15" GT rims, which I will keep for my winter wheelies with the snow tires that are already installed on them.
Step one: Buy paint. I picked up Duplicolor Wheel Paint from Canadian Tire. Two cans charcoal metallic, and two cans of clearcoat. $9.99 per can.
Step two: Sand wheels. I used 600 grit and wet sanded everything so it was smooth and so that the new paint would stick well. The silver lips were in decent shape so I wet sanded them with 2000 grit.
Step three: Taping. I used a 1/4 inch 3M tape to do the silver lip. Anything wider and the tape won't curve properly to maintain the perfect circle. I used a drywall screw plug to press the tape cleanly around the edge and into the grove. Used standard 1" tape to do the outside of the lip.
Step four: Paint, paint, paint. As always, test your paint on something before applying. The Duplicolor Wheel paint goes on easy and dries fast, but it has a lot of metallic content, so when they say shake the can for 2 minutes, they mean 2 minutes. The directions said to hold the can 12" away, but I found that no more than 8" gave a much smoother finish. The paint is relatively drip resistant, so don't be afraid to load it on. Wait 15 minutes between coats of the paint, and then do the clear coat after 1 hour, but before 2 hours. Same 15 minutes between coats. The clear coat looked at first like it was going on milky-white, but after 5 minutes this disappeared and left a nice even coat with a good shine. The Duplicolor wheel paint is supposed to stand up to abuse and not chip or peel.
Step five: Remove tape & admire a job well done. Here's one of the wheels with the tape removed after two coats of charcoal and two coats of clear. I removed the tape before doing the clear coat so the silver lip would be done too.
Step six: Paint the center caps. Same process, quick wet sand, two coats charcoal, two coats clear.
Step seven: Paint the inside of wheel. I cleaned and sanded the inside of the wheels then taped off the holes to prevent overspray. I applied two coats of flat black Tremclad rust-paint since it was cheap and very durable.
Step eight: Get those bitches installed! I picked up a set of used Goodyear Eagle GT 205/55/16 from a nearby tire shop for $100 cash including installation and balance. Total cost of job: $200 wheels, $50 paint & materials, $100 tires & installation.
