Neofate

iTrader: (1)

While I have my front wheels off, and its jacked up. I might as well paint the wheel wells black to give them a better look.

I figure I clean them off really well with a somewhat abrasive brush. Dry well.

Then tape off the edges of car and put a towel over say the brake rotor/caliper etc.

The spray paint away.

Just a quick question -- Any recommendations of paint type for wheel wells?

Black of course,.. but what gloss/matte etc? Any brands come to mind?

What about for durability?

Does my process sound reasonable?

Thanks.

LiCelsior

iTrader: (32)

i would just clean them every detail u gonna do to the car. no one is really gonna look under ur wheel wells to see if u clean them or not.

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

No, one side needs painting -- It has some white paint splatter in it from the paint splatter I had re-painted by the wheel well. So if I do one.. I should do the other.

Not to mention its an easy 5 minute job.

I'll get whatever if no one knows how to spray paint the wheel wells.. It is part of some detailers process on some vehicles. And it looks fairly good.

When its painted fresh it will look alot better between washes than not, as its, fresh paint -- And the wheel wells are just plastic pieces nothing fancy and not clearcoat etc on them

I was just asking because I figured someone might have done this before.

I always clean them when I clean the car, and I put tire gel/armor all -- ultimate shine.. whatever I have atm on them... It is just the main reason is because of that white splatter in the pass. front well.

I will only be doing the front two -- And don't necessarily need to paint the tops, just about 45 degree's on each side.. maybe 55 degree's on each side, leaving 70 degree's of the half circle untouched.

You might want to try it sometime ,.. really makes things look fresh. And is very cheap.

DIY LS400

Just use the spray-on bed liner stuff, that should look nice and hold up well.

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

Bed liner .. hrmm -- Isn't that textured? I don't want to put texture on the smooth plastic linings under there -- which are the main pieces I intend to paint. If it isn't, great.

I heard any auto parts store has 'undercoat' paint for this purpose..

I figure for $5 I can get a can of something that will do the job. It might not hold up that long, but just trying to get the 'best bet' while I'm at it. I don't suspect it will take more than 5 minutes to do. I will probably tape, spray, and then work on the car a bit more -- Then after 30mins or longer resprary a second coat for durability.. Then remove the prep tape.

Maybe a third if I end up working longer than anticipated.

TJW98LS

iTrader: (1)

Krylon or Duplicolor...nothing else

And BTW...clean those puppies first...if you dont the paint will look terrible.

Also, spray paint has a tendency to float out onto other surfaces, so cover your wheels and vehicle with something along the same lines as a transhcan liner

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

Good answer, what I was looking for.

I intend on cleaning -- for sure.

Maybe you missed it.. the wheels are off, and the car is off the ground atm -- So it will be much easier getting to the areas.

Though on prepping -- So I should tape garbage bags down the side of my car? How far?

Also are you saying until it dries well it will run? I would think a good hour before driving would be a safe bet , no?

I was gonna use the blue painters tape alone -- around the edges, but I will use some garbage bags, tear them , and tape them along the entire fender, and down maybe 1/3rd of the door on each side to be double safe. Also going to put a towel or bag, etc over the rotor/caliper area. Not super worried about getting the rack, or coils with overspray as they are black anyway, and I'm only painting the plastic panel sections not up top where you can't see, and behind that much where the wheel covers it up when on the car.

TJW98LS

iTrader: (1)

When spray painting..use all of these tips at once.

-Dont apply heavy coats.
-Make sure the can is a good 6-8" away from the surface, start on the inside of the wheel well first (that makes it easier to judge where the paint will end up)
-Spray in short bursts instead of a constant spray.
-Spray in a swaying motion.

I would give each wheel well about 2 coats of the paint...paint each wheel well ONE time before applying the next coat as this gives the paint enough time to dry....but more time MAY be needed.

Garbage bag is about all I could come up with which is essentially what auto-shops use when protecting the paint on the vehicle. I wouldn't bubble wrap the car lol, but what I would do is cover the fenders and part infront of and behind the doors.

If you really wanted to do a professional job you could sand it all down and prime and paint ans polish and blah blah...but its just the wheel wells lol.

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

Yup -- awesome tips.. I will do them all, I appreciate it!

I am only going to do the front,.. I have alot to do today, and not enough time

The backs look pretty good compared to fronts, and don't show nearly as much due to design of car of course.

So I will just be taping /bagging the fenders/front part of door.

I will go in real short bursts, and not let it build up to float everywhere.. thats for sure. I will give it 20-30mins between the two coats.. might throw a third if it needs it. Or just to give it added durability.

The side with the paint splatter will have some 'bumpiness' , but I don't mind.. Black will simply make it much less noticable, and it fine for me. I can sand and prime at a later time when I've run out of things to perfect the outside of the car -- For now, that is a long way off.

JBrewster

I used undercoating on my old Montero Sport. Worked well.

drewkaree

Rust-Oleum has a "Hammered" that looks nice

Otherwise, if you're going this entire route, I'd find some Hammerite and apply that. It's a heavy-duty paint (once you find it, you should see what I'm talking about). It gets brushed on, so you wouldn't have as much prep work to do with taping/masking off the rest of the car.

DIY LS400

O... I thought you were talking about the upper parts where it's covered with the factory coating. Yea I guess undercoating paint would be okay. I suggested bed-liner because it's very durable and would withstand the all the debris thrown around the wheel well.
"Spray in a swaying motion."
When you do that, make sure you don't arc your arm. IE: move your hand closer to the surface and further at the ends.

When taping, just put a bunch of newspapers on whatever you don't overspray on.

Neofate

iTrader: (1)

But I don't want to lose the smooth finish of the OEM wheel wells.. I don't want a heavy textured, stubbled, rocky gritty look. I understand how that can withstand the elements, but it isn't a truck bed , its the compliments to the sides of my wheels. They are flat black atm.

I obviously didn't spray them today, Doing what I did today to fix the PS finally, wore me out. I'll be spraying them with my next detail which is coming soon .