Rostyle Wheel Re-Finish

There are a few aftermarket style wheels I would like to throw on. But for now I've decided to refinish the Rostyle wheels currently on the B. I looked around and I don't believe this style wheel is available anymore. So one cheap option is to paint them to the original black and silver scheme. Victoria British and Moss both sell a kit to do this but from my research I've found that most people were not happy with the stencil; that it wouldn't stay in place. So I just went to Dale's Paint Supply here in C-Springs and told the guy what I wanted to do. He recommended the Hammerite brand spray paint. You can paint right over rust (though I don't recommend it) and it's heat and weather resistant. The aluminum color is pretty dang close to the original silver. Then I just picked up some masking tape and taped everything off as opposed to using the stencil. It took longer but there was no overspray and the result is pretty awesome. See for yourself. I also strongly suggest removing the tire; though I decided against it because I'm trying to stay cheap. Most tire shops will charge about $75 to take off the tire then replace and rebalance it for you. So I just used old plastic grocery bags and taped the tire off. I've heard you can actually "paint" the tire with a cheap liquid dish soap and let it dry. Then just spray the rim. Obviously you'll get overspray on the tire but supposedly it washes right off when you apply water to the dried soap. So here's a price breakdown and how it all went:

First and foremost, I suggest you try this process on your spare first. As you’ll read on I made a few mistakes and had to re-do somethings.

Hammerite Aluminum Smooth Finish* $7.00
Hammerite Black Smooth Finish* $7.00
Pit Bull Spray Primer $3.50
Pit Bull Spray Gloss $3.50
Sand Paper $3.00
Maksing Tape $1.50
Labor 5-6 hours over the span of about a week
Wheel 14" Trim Ring Set of 4 (Stainless) $59.95 from Victoria British p/n 9-031
Lug Nut Set of 16 (Stainless) $34.95 from Victoria Bristish p/n 15-961
Total: $120.40

*These are spray paints. Be sure not to get the “hammered/crackled” finish.

Step#1: Clean & Sanding
If you opted to take the tire off, then you might as well have the wheel pressure washed or even sand blasted. Since I left the tire on, I just used a tooth brush, hot water, and a good scrub brush. I avoided any soap for fear the residue would mix with the paint and affect the finish. Once it was cleaned I used a fine sandpaper and took off any surface rust and remaining dirt and followed up with a final rinse.


Step#2: Primer
I taped off the tire and sprayed the whole rim with primer. DON’T FORGET TO TAPE OFF YOUR VALVE STEMS! The Pit Bull primer dries within minutes.

Step#3: Spray with Aluminum/Black
First I sprayed the entire primed rim aluminum. This turned out to be a mistake. Initially I taped off the silver part and sprayed over with the black. When I removed the tape it took the aluminum finish with it. And this was after it had dried nearly 48 hours. So I re-primed and did the black first, let it dry 48 hours, then taped off the black, re-primed, and finished up with the aluminum. The black didn’t stick to the tape at all and it looked great! This is why I suggest practicing on your spare.

Step#4: Taping Off
Though I did this in step 3, I felt this part of the process deserved its own step. This is the most tedious and time consuming part. I actually used and Exacto blade and trimmed the taped to perfectly mask. Its killer on the back but the result is worth it.

Step#5: Clear Coat
Once I was completely satisfied with the wheels, I followed up with two coats of a semi-gloss clear coat. Though the original Rostyles weren’t really “shiny”, they also weren’t really spray painted. The clear coat will help prevent against scratches and chips. I allowed 24 hours between clear coats.

Here’s the final product next to a rim I haven’t painted yet. Huge difference! I’m really happy with it. This process will probably have to be re-done in 2-3 years; assuming I haven’t upgraded to a different wheel by then.