Painting Tire Rims

Use Hammerite paint. No priming necessary on bare steel, it's a tough finish, and it's easy to patch. It has a textured surface, which would look pretty sharp on rims.

Thanks.

I'm currently running white rims on a black trailer. Doesn't look like Hammerite comes in a Hammered White, only Smooth.

Still, it seems I don't have to be as fanatical about the rust. I'll be looking for a local source. Thanks again.

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I hate sanding- I'd go at it with an angle grinder and wire brush. [right from the git-go] I seem to use the cup style brush most often, but I have a couple others to choose from.

Different strokes, maybe-- I'd go with Extend, then a primerless paint. I used some of the True Value house brand this spring and was pleased with how it came out on some patio furniture. [I'd use Extend on the inside- but not paint it.]

I used to be a Rustoleum fan-- but my True Value guy knows his paints and suggested I try the primerless stuff. He made a believer out of me.

Jim

It's 3 rims with the spare, but I hear what you're saying. Thanks.

You're really bad at spending other people's money. You should be telling DD to get the things chromed, or to replace them and get spinners. ;)

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Only DD can answer for his job- but for me the only reason I'd paint the rims on my trailer is to preserve their life. Don't need powder coat for that. [Nor would I spend $30 a wheel to have it done when I could buy a new wheel & tire for $40]

OTOH- I might get some steel rims for my Impala- and powder coating them might interest me.

Jim

re: "Only DD can answer for his job..."

...and I will!

I can get some mid-range tires, same size as the originals (which have been on the trailer for 15 years) - $69 each, mounted and balanced. I only need 2, as the spare is fine.

The trailer is 15 YO, not spanking new, but certainly presentable.

Whatever I'm able to do in my backyard as far as cleaning up the wheels and painting them for the cost of the paint will be sufficient.

I'd sure like to know where I could get a new wheel and tire for $40. ST205/75R15 Load Range C

$69 was cheapest I found from a local trailer dealer. Online and in a local tire store, I've been quoted $85 to $100.

Metal Prep or Phosphoric acid before the primer.

And do NOT cheap out and put car tires on. LTs perhaps, but not car.

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While I do not plan on using passenger tires, it was suggested (by a tire store) that as long as the load rating for the tries is equivalent to the trailer tires (like a 7000 pound load rating vs. a Load Rating C) it wouldn't be a problem. When I ran that by a trailer shop, the guy sort of agreed but said that the price difference was so trivial, why not just buy a trailer tire.

That's the plan!

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For *my* trailer- Harbor Freight.

Mine is a 12" - I think you've got the right plan-

Jim

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The sidewalls on trailer tires are stiffer and stronger - a trailer that wags like a puppy's tail on passenger tires often trails along like it's not there on trailer tires. Many tire shops will not install passenger tires on a trailer.

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I know that.

I believe the point that the tire store guy was trying to make was that once you get up around a 7000 lb rating, the sidewalls of a passenger tire are stiff enough to support a 5 x 8 trailer, especially if you're not hauling anywhere near the rating.

In any case, as I said, I'm going with the trailer tires from the trailer shop once I clean up the wheels.

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Wire brush the whewels befor repainting, wire brush on drill conforms much better to irregular wheel surfaces. And take a look at trailer wiring might be good to repolace it all at this age......

Do you have a compressor? You could DIY a sandblaster if so (I've done it here and results were pretty good).

Or a wire cup-brush in an angle grinder is good, as someone mentioned - it just won't get right into the corners, so you'd still be left with some manual work there.

Or just hammerite it with some brush-on stuff, then spray over the top. They're wheels, and they're going to get dirty and chipped very quickly, so there's probably no point going for perfection.

cheers

Jules

Your may want to check Tractor Supply they have good deals on tires and wheels.:o

Smitty Two wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

the newest thing is soda blasting. It is eco-friendly and cleans up with water.

Go retro. Paint the wheels Red, like most automobile wheels were painted back in the 30s.

I would advise against relying on a 15 year old tire as a "spare", time and the exposure to the elements even if covered will reduce a tire's lifespan... Besides that unless you match all of the tires properties and ratings exactly you could have performance issues when you try to use the tire before it detreads or blows out...

As far as finding cheap tires and wheels, you go to your local junk yard and look for busted up newer cars that were in accidents that still have decent looking tires and rims on them -- bargains are to be found...

~~ Evan