Spec_Davis

looks good with white

dcjwlee

Should I get this done 'professionally'? Is this the right stuff and how much did you guys need?

http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip

covance

looks sweet

AskDrTodd

Naw man, it's surprisingly easy to do. Clean your rims real good, finish by using rubbing alcohol just before painting, stick index cards around the rim in between the rim and the tire, do one light coat and then 2 or 3 medium ones, let dry, and you're done.

dcjwlee

Cool, so I don 't even need to take the tires off? What about the inside of the rim??? How does one guarantee a smooth drip less finish and what are the options for removing the stuff if I do manage to screw it up.

I'm probably going to try to pick up a few cans and do it some time this week. Please advise as to how many cans/which type to use.


p.s. dr.todd I like the location in your profile. Any chance that it's from the quote, "FLAHRIDA?, I AIN'T NEVA BEEN TO FLAHRIDA."

AskDrTodd

I'd buy one can per wheel although it might only take 3 total. Black Plasti-dip spray (there's pretty much only one). I got mine at homie depot for $6/each. make sure to pull the index cards carefully, and while they're still wet. Here are a couple pics from when I did my Acura wheels, although I used gunmetal dupli-color paint the idea is the same.

dcjwlee

Do you guys just hand wrench your tires back on or use a torque wrench.

How did the dupli color hold up? Is it harder to get a smooth finish than using plasti-dip?

dcjwlee

This might sound a little crazy to you guys, but if there is anyone in the Bergen County, NJ area that has a set of jack stands and torque wrench I could borrow or come by to use I'd really appreciate it.

The only way I'd be able to go about doing this is one at a time using the factory jack that might fail at any minute

AskDrTodd

Just get an inexpensive set of stands, they're like $20, you can get them on the same trip to get plasti-dip. The factory jack will suffice for one wheel at a time.

dcjwlee

Yah, I could find a cheap pair online for around that price, but it seems they cost nabout $50-$60 retail and since I hardly ever need to lift the car...

Should I get one or two pairs? Also, is it okay to manually tighten the bolts or do they need to be set to a certain pressure?

jctevere

You will hear people who say that it is important to use a torque wrench, but I never had, nor has my father, and we do a lot of work on our cars through the many years. Never had a problem. Just be sure to tighten them really good, and to tighten them in opposing order (as if you are drawing a star).

you go top left lug to bottom right, top right to bottom left, then top center.

dcjwlee

How do i get the jack stands into the factory lift points if I'm using the factory jack in that spot to lift the car... LOL

Tried searching for a DIY that would require me to lift the car or other threads, but could only find on the c63 forum that went unanswered.

Other Thread Here (C63)

Also, last time I changed a spare I had a horrible time getting the rim off without kicking it from the inside (using the side of my foot, not TOO hard). Is that a safe way to do it? I will lay a towel down so the rim does not get scratched this time.

DimSum9i6

did you guys use clearcoat? if so what brands the best to use. plan on doing the rims sometime soon before it gets too hot

jctevere

No clear coat, just straight up plasti-dip from the spray can. Clear coat makes it look terrbile IMO.

AskDrTodd

yeah it's flat black so clear coat is a no-no. I might do mine tonight... hmm..

Stevedotmil

24 bucks vs 2400 for decent rims and tires. No brainer.

bigigg

I came across this thread and was just wondering how everyones plast dip is holding up?

jctevere

I don't use my plasti-dipped rims anymore, as I got a great deal on used rims and tires that I couldn't pass up. But when I used it for like 4 months, it was fine, occasional nicks from rocks or road debris, but easily repairable with a simple touch-up spray. I also converted my friend to do this on his Dodge Ram truck (and he went all out and started spraying his grill and other trim components). Been nearly a year for him, and his is all fine, some rock chips, but thats about it, same as paint.

He is also going to try Plasti-dipping the rims, and then PAINTING a color over that. I'll let you know how it turns out, but the logic sounds pretty good, you have the plasti-dip down so you can always just peel it off, and then paint the plasti-dip the color you want the rims to be.

Invain15

Seems pretty cool to me. I personally like this as a holdover until other rims are purchased.