im using Dupli color high performance wheel coating...i did the front 2 rims today, im basically gonna look like an idiot til next saturday, becuase i ran out of time and cant paint the back 2 til next sat when im off again. oh well. but i am going to redo the fronts as well. im not happy with how they turned out. i also put a clear coat on, becuase i couldnt get the black paint by itself to look evenly applied...now its glossy, and has some orange peel. im just gonna sand all the clear down, and re paint it with some black, and if i need, ill get it professionally cleared. but heres some pics. from a distance, it looks badass IMO. only when your up close to it can you see the imperfections, which bothers me, thats why im redoing it. hey, it only costs like 5 bux a can, and maybe 5 bux in sand paper, and time. so im not really loosing anything

had to protect the MINI from overspray



sanded down and cleaned (this i did right, the paint just didnt work out right lol)





trashbag ftw






i tried so hard, but it wouldnt go on evenly!!!! i could get the top surface even, but to get in the little grooves, it made the top part get over spray and turned out bad



to be honest, at first i didnt want clear at all. i wanted it to be flat completely. but i think i like it, looks good with the black paint. next up to get painted (professionally of course) is the wheel arches








give me your honest opinions

 

I must say, despite your concerns that looks pretty darn good. It certainly isnt powder coating but it sure is a hell of a lot cheaper. So basicaly

PS: What kind of tint do you have on your windows? Those are really dark and damn does it looks good.

 

5% all around and 15% on windshield

and thanks.

 

where's your front rims?

but it IS hard puttin on an even layer. i'd say you have to have a little bit of experience in spraying it evenly.

couple days ago. my friend painted his stock prius rims flat black. his was def uneven. but after drying it looks perfect. until you inspect is closer. but in your pick after putting on the clear coat...they look pretty darn good.

but hey..you saved hundreds of dollars. and you had fun painting them im sure!

 

Does the silver interior ruin the effect? I have those rims as well and you can't see MUCH back in there but you can see SOME of the inside. I wonder how they'll hold up to regular cleaning and all as well. Looking forward to seeing these in the daytime.

 

Nice DIY FTW!!!

 

no you cant really see the back of the rim, when i redo them, im going to spray a light coat inside just so its darker in side incase somenoe looks real close, although even closely, you cant see. the brake dust takes care of that

 

Damn, very nice . How much sanding did you have to do, and what grit?
I must do this to mine now, they look great

 

i just sanded it down with 320 (mostly wet, then i got the spots i missed by dry sanding) until the shiny finish was dull and flat, was easy in the sun, i just did it until i saw that the sun wasnt reflecting on the wheel any more. then i washed it with soap and water.

 

You have 15 on the whole windshield? or the strip???? HMMMM

Jack

 

Looks mahvelous to me! But then, I'm already a convert.

Spraying evenly takes practice for sure. You almost need to be on the edge of creating runs to get it to look perfect. The orange peel look can be polished out with effort. I now own the Mothers Mini Ball. Just stay light on the sharp back edges of the spokes.

Get used to washing those babies. Glossy black gets that dirty look even faster than the silver. But then, there aren't many S-Lites in black on the road. Maybe we need to start a new club. MIBS, Mini's in Black S-Lites.

 

whole thing.



ya, theyre already getting dirty!

i have a question though. when i redo them, should i go with no clear, or put a clear? im sorta liking the glossy look now, but i still like the more matte/satin (semi flat-ish) look too.i guess i can paint it and put one side on, if i like it ill leave it, if not, i can clear

 

where do you live that you dont get pulled over every mile with that tint?

 

Seriously,
but any...
Your rims look pretty sweet . I was thinking of doing that on my car but didn't know how it would look on a RG/S mini.

 

Florida. I have 5 percent on my Explorer's windshield, and double 5 on the sides. Lol

I think black s-lites look good on any color

 

lets see some pics of the car with them all done! very ninja.

 

 

^^ looks good. I like that gun metal look you have.

 

bettie, what exhaust tips are those? they look great!

 

Supersprint Viper

 

My wheels are the same paint "pimpedout97x" used but with no clear coat. Mine also did that messed up look but after the paint had cured and they had been washed a few times they look like the do now!

 

im getting a set of stock honda rims for a week from a friend (i know, my MINI will look really stupid lol) but itll give me a week to take my time, prep, paint, let cure, and wash them so they come out right.

i still cant decide if i want to do it like urs, or clear it. i kinda like my gloss, but on the same note, i like urs as well. what u think?

also, it says to apply the dupli color wheel coating "clear" within an hour of the last coat of black paint. what if i let the black cure, put them on, if i decide that i then want it to be cleared, could i still do it (being way after 1 hour from the last coat of black) ?

 

it says to wait at least a week to let the paint fully cure. then you can repaint or clear them

 

the can says apply clear within 1 hour of the last coat of color.

 

Maybe if you primered the wheels first, it would go on more evenly??