I buffed the wheel covers to a mirror finish and moved forward to repaint the black ring around the center cover and silver between the “spokes” that give the wheel cover a perception of depth.
I went to the local auto paint supply store and got some masking tape that worked wonderfully since it is stretchy and can move around curves to keep the lines nice and neat. This is a very time consuming process but it all comes down to preparation prior to spraying paint.
For paint I used semi-gloss black Rust-Oleum and silver from MOPAR Restoration Silver which turned out to be a very close match compared to what was on there before. I cleaned the metal with acetone to remove any oils from the buffing for better paint adhesion.
I painted the black ring first. After applying the paint I allowed it to dry for 30 minutes and removed the tape. Next, I then used a wood block with an old T shirt moistened lightly with lacquer thinner to remove paint from the edges and high spots to get a nice crisp line. Once that is done, allow it to dry overnight to work on the silver.
This part is the most time consuming with the amount of work needed to tape the spokes. Probably took me about 45 to an hour to complete. Used the wood block again to touch up my work, installed the center medallion and started on wheel cover number two….
Can't wait to install them on the car when I am done!
I went to the local auto paint supply store and got some masking tape that worked wonderfully since it is stretchy and can move around curves to keep the lines nice and neat. This is a very time consuming process but it all comes down to preparation prior to spraying paint.
For paint I used semi-gloss black Rust-Oleum and silver from MOPAR Restoration Silver which turned out to be a very close match compared to what was on there before. I cleaned the metal with acetone to remove any oils from the buffing for better paint adhesion.
I painted the black ring first. After applying the paint I allowed it to dry for 30 minutes and removed the tape. Next, I then used a wood block with an old T shirt moistened lightly with lacquer thinner to remove paint from the edges and high spots to get a nice crisp line. Once that is done, allow it to dry overnight to work on the silver.
This part is the most time consuming with the amount of work needed to tape the spokes. Probably took me about 45 to an hour to complete. Used the wood block again to touch up my work, installed the center medallion and started on wheel cover number two….
Can't wait to install them on the car when I am done!
