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During spring break my youngest son painted the wheels on the 99 SE while he had them removed to install G35 brakes and new tires.
So last night he texted me a picture that he made late yesterday. It had been raining so this isn't the best picture. Also, he has the trunk loaded down with a bunch of tools and a large sub woofer. I can tell the extra weight causes the car to sit lower in the rear than normal.
The paint has been on the wheels for roughly two weeks now. He did a good job of sanding, priming, painting, and applying a final clear coat. The Nissan logo snaps off of the plastic center cap, the the cap was painted to match.
The 18" wheels are originally from an 07 Maxima. The paint is Dupli-color high performance graphite metallic with Dupli-color clear.
Before Picture - 2014
After Picture - 2017 - The tires are Kumho ECSTA 4X II 225/40R18 92W - Purchased on sale at Walmart online $327.
Here's a picture of the wheel and the center cap. I can see the G35 brakes showing from behind the wheel spokes.
Here's a Dupli-color instructional video that he followed to paint the wheels. The new tires had been installed before painting. He didn't want to risk scratching freshly painted wheels without having time to let the wheels fully cure. An approach for painting the wheels with the tires mounted is shown at the end of the video.
Something went major wrong with PhotoBucket in the past 24 hours. My file folders from the past couple of weeks of uploads show the right number of images, but the images are GONE. It will take many hours to re-upload all of the missing images. I can't believe I pay that site.
Stop paying Photobucket. I used to and quit. The only difference I found was the unwanted ads ... site performance and reliability has not changed with the free usage.
Those darker wheels blend great with the black maxima.
I did a similar project with my 98 SE. The OE color was deep evergreen with silver metallic wheels. When I painted the max black I painted the wheels Gun Metal for a better blend.
How well does this hold up? As long as the way they come from the factory, or does the factory get a better cure that stands up better to the environment and road conditions?
My 99 SE-L has the titanium painted 16" OEMs. They look like it's time for the nursing home for them and at least two have pot hole flat spots. (Hello NY)
I'd like to do something so I can have round wheels that look good again and without costing too much. The tires are new (16" Pirelli P7's). Maybe I could find the same rims clean and change the color to Titanium? If it holds up well that is!
How well does this hold up? As long as the way they come from the factory, or does the factory get a better cure that stands up better to the environment and road conditions?
My 99 SE-L has the titanium painted 16" OEMs. They look like it's time for the nursing home for them and at least two have pot hole flat spots. (Hello NY)
I'd like to do something so I can have round wheels that look good again and without costing too much. The tires are new (16" Pirelli P7's). Maybe I could find the same rims clean and change the color to Titanium? If it holds up well that is!
Thanks for any experienced advice!
I don't think any refinishing process will last like a factory finish. Maybe a high heat type powder coat finish will last.
A few years ago I had some 18" Q45 wheels refinished by a service that repairs wheels for car dealers. It has held up ok except for a couple of areas around the valve stem where it started to peel off. The refinish color was the same as the original, so you can't see it unless you get up close. I paid $40 per wheel for that job roughly 7 years ago.
One thing we have noticed on the Duplicolor wheels is the rear wheels have picked up a few chips possibly from some road gravel. However, the fronts have not chipped at all. We think the reason the fronts are doing better is because the heat from the front disks baked/cured the finish where the rear did not receive the heat treatment. So we are going to sand and respray the rears and put them on the front so they can get the heat treatment from the brakes to hopefully avoid the chip problem. Also, we might be able to use a heat gun to cure the wheels while they are off the car
I guess it's all a matter of how many $$$ you want to put into some old wheels.
You nailed the question right on the head with the baking process most likely being a big difference.
Honey..... I need the oven for a few hours this evening.
What for?
Ummmm..... I'm baking two BIG cakes.
Now I know why Suzy Homemaker ovens for little girls from the 60's are selling for so much. To bake the rims on the Hot Wheels cars from that same era.
They come out perfect! LOL
PS... Your Black Maxima looks GREAT! I haz a jealous!
04-03-2017, 08:04 PM
