Estimate On Price

[MoparYoungGun]

I have four 15in steel wheels. Two are 6in wide, and the other two are 7in wide. I was wondering if anybody can give me an idea how much it would cost to have a paint/autobody place sandblast, primer, and paint them. A gallon of the paint costs $200 without any tax. I'm trying to decide if I should just do it myself or have a pro do it. Thanks !

[Silver R/T]

have them powdercoated, set of 4 would run around $200-250USD

[MoparYoungGun]

I would have them powdercoated but I need them to be a specific color.

[Silver R/T]

powdercoat comes in most colors

[Troy]

I'd say it depends on your location. Having them blasted shouldn't be too much but the cost to paint them may vary widely. Don't forget that you have to buy the primer, thinner, and materials too. Don't buy an entire gallon of paint for 4 wheels though. I don't think Silver added in the cost of the blasting and I can guarantee that paint comes in more colors than powder. If you know how to do it yourself then I can't imagine how it would be cheaper to pay someone.



Troy

[Silver R/T]

well if youd like to powdercoat you could just prep them yourself, sand/scuff them real good and theyre ready to go, assuming they dont have serious rust damage/pitting

[MoparYoungGun]

There all in real great shape, minor surface rust in some areas but other than that nothing. I wasn't actually planning on buying a whole gallon of paint, just posting if for a reference on how much it costs. Also, could the powercoating place actually make a coating that matches the body? Thanks guys!

[Drop Top]

Poeder Coat comes in 100s of colors. From Candys and Pearls to just plan old Black. But to get it to match your car exactly. You would need to do the wheels first then do the car to match your wheels. It's very hard to mix powder to match paint. Much easier to do it the other way around. As a rule. If your painting the wheels yourself you could do it cheaper then powder coating. A qt of paint should be enough to do the job.

FYI about powder coating. The piece that is being powder coated has to be sandblasted or it will not stay on the part. Sanding it with sandpaper will not etch the metal good enough to make it stick.

[MoparYoungGun]

Well, I think I will just end up painting them.

I would love a little guidance in the process of painting. So, assume there all sanded down to bare metal. Do I need to do anything to the bare metal besides priming it? Also, should I just do one coat of primer? If I should do multiple coats how many and how long should I wait in between each? After priming I'm assuming painting is next? How many coats of paint should be done? Again, if multiple coats should be done how long should I wait between each coat? Sorry for all the questions but I would like to do it right and I don't know anything about painting. Thanks for all the help guys !

[Drop Top]

The way I would recommend would be. Metal Etch the wheels first. The stuff I use is available from all the paint manufacturers. You delute it 3 to 1 with water. Its blue in color and it is an acid. After wiping the rims down with Metal Etch. Wash them off with water from your garden hose. Blow dry with compressed air and a clean rag. After that. Prime them with a good bare metal non-sanding primer. Usually 3 coats. Waite about 5 mins between each coat. Now if you spray the paint during the correct window (time period). You will not have to sand before painting them with your paint. The window will be differant depending on brand of primer you choose. PPGs DP line of sealers can go for up to a week. But most other brands will give you 12 to 24 hrs.You will need to read the label on this. As for time between coats of paint. 5 to 10 mins should be fine. The best way to tell if it has been long enough is to do the touch test. After about 5 mins. Touch an area that you can see after your done. If the paint strings you need to Waite a little bit longer. If its dry to the touch but still a bit sticky then that is the perfect time for another coat. Each coat will take a bit longer then the next to dry so take that into consideration. 3 coats of paint should be enough.

[MoparYoungGun]

Also, is there a spray gun that anybody would reccomend that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

[Drop Top]

Harbor Freight carries one for around $70.00 on sale. Its not the best on the market. But its worth every penny. Its the first gravity feed gun I ever used. I shot my first paying job with it and many cars afterwords. It would be an excellent choice for your rims and if you wanted too you could paint your car with it. I used it for primer right on up to the clear.

[MoparYoungGun]

I took a look through the spray guns that they carry and still don't know which to choose. Here is a link to the site, http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Category.taf?CategoryID=324&pricetype= , which one would you reccomend?

[MoparYoungGun]

Anybody?

[moparguy01]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=43430

ive sprayed quite a bit of primer with this same gun, but wouldnt use it for a entire cars paint job. it should be ok for just doing a couple wheels though, since wheels dont have to be perfect.

damn you guys who got stuff powdercoated, you guys got screwed. I cleaned up 4 cop car rims in the hot tank at the college and did alittle cleaning myself and had them powdercoated. cost me 50 bucks for ALL 4 rims.

[Silver R/T]

if you do most work yourself you can save LOTS of money

[MoparYoungGun]

Now I am planing on doing all the work myself. I just need to find the time to get the paint, get the sprayer, and sand/prep the wheels for paint.