James92SE

iTrader: (31)

Just wanted to say that wow this stuff looks/works pretty good to "restore" the OEM wheels. I think Cliff Clavin used this same stuff on his 6th gen wheels but he used the bronze-ish color IIRC.

I'll be rolling with my stockers for a while on the black VE and one of them looked TERRIBLE! I thought I'd throw some wheel paint on it just to try to make it look not SO crappy since the others were in pretty good shape.

It started out like this (I know it's blurry but I had to take it in a pitch black shed so I couldn't get my phone to focus in the dark BEFORE the flash came on). It was covered in what looked to be crustacean type of crud. I've never had one look this bad before so I don't know what happened there. This picture really doesn't do justice how bad it was



I went to get a good tire put on it and then I spent about 10 minutes going at it with a wire brush drill bit thing and got it to this:



Wetsanded and then threw some self-etching primer on it:



Color coat. This took a surprising amount of coats to get to this point. It's REALLY metallicy so it took a while to cover all the primer:



Finished product (I put a few coats of the Dupicolor clear on it):



I'm really pleased with how it came out! I still have a little pit on the face of the wheel that I couldn't get all the way out but it's not bad at all. The paint laid down real nice for rattle can. This came out so well I'm going to go ahead and do the other three wheels (need to find lug covers still) too and enjoy some stock clean VE for a few more months

LvR

Nice!

CMax03

iTrader: (3)

That primer looks like zinc-chromate!!!! Good job, I've done alot of wheels the same way.....

nismomaxgtr18

iTrader: (5)

Wow great job. Can't even tell you rattle can'd it.

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

I just realized I lied. Apparently, I used the Rustoleum brand NOT Duplicolor

ChrisMan287

iTrader: (34)

I'll be doing the same to fix these Volks I got. Gonna use the Rustoleum Graphite but Duplicolor is essentially the same stuff. Nice job! I hope mine come out as good.

maximo018

iTrader: (6)

That looks great, but it looks like the 89-91 SE wheels. Still trying to figure out how to restore the 92-94 SE machine finish. Probably a lot of sand paper and wetsanding. Still great job though!

Cliff Clavin

iTrader: (11)

I actually used gunmetal color.





It looks like that self etching primer did a good job. I have some terrible ugly chrome Murano wheels with snow tires for my FX. I might go with that kind of primer and paint them flat black.

road_warrior05

Very nice for a rattle can. I was considering using that Duplicolor wheel paint to restore my '94 GXE wheels that are flaking off, and now I definately will now that I've seen what it can turn into given some time and effort. I also like Restoleum paints but all the cans I've ever bought, the caps get clogged or just leak

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

Yeah, after I painted it I thought to myself it kind of looked like an "in between" of the 89-91 and 92-94 wheels. The 89-91 wheels aren't shiny at all. This wheel is much shinier and more metallicy than the 89-91 wheels but not as shiny as the 92-94s (which had a nearly chrome quality to them when new)

I don't think you could ever re-create the 92-94 wheels without a WHOLE ton of effort polishing the aluminum. And even at that, you wouldn't be able to get the caps to match properly. I'm pretty sure that's why RockAuto and the like DON'T sell the caps with their refinished OEM wheels, because they can't/don't match properly anymore.

I guess you could get some of that chrome paint stuff but I'm not sure how well it would hold up

Anyway, I'm more than happy with these results for $6 and I think the car will look great when it's all said and done

road_warrior05

Does anyone know where to get that paint besides Autozone or Advance Auto because I really don't like payin $6 per can

maximo018

iTrader: (6)

I think I might polish the hell out of this one I got to see the outcome. Andy's Auto Sport sales refurbs for $70ish each. Always wanted a set even though after I finish this bbk they won't fit. I've always loved these wheels since I was 3yrs old and saw them as collectors item. Soon not to every see a set let alone "clean" again.

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

Hmm.. I had no clue Andy's Auto Sport sold them. Looks like they DO have the center caps

http://www.andysautosport.com/nissan...t00230761.html

Hectic

iTrader: (20)

You need to read the directions Hold can upside down and spray until air comes out to prevent nozzle clogging.

Wheel looks good James, now do the other 3!

road_warrior05

Ah after all this time. Thanks man

Hectic

iTrader: (20)

One time I read the directions, that's how I learned

colinod

92-94 gxe stockers -centercap= sex. Does vatozone sell chrome rustoleum?

SteveB123

iTrader: (2)

Ahh, yes, the old "index card masking trick".

Too easy, eh?

DanNY

iTrader: (14)

then pay $100+ for a new rim.

REALLY...6 bucks...you're really complaining about it? that's less than 2 gallons of gas.

shiloh51933

iTrader: (5)

Wow...I'm really impressed, I think I might do that to my factory wheels since I'm keeping them for the winter anyway. I meant to ask James 92SE, what color paint did you use, metallic chrome?

road_warrior05

I'm cheap I know

Maximan190

iTrader: (8)

Ive actually used this same paint on some engine bay parts that I didnt have powdercoated (like the throttle body since I did not feel like stripping it apart just to get the body coated) and it matches the gunmetal/metallic gray powdercoat pretty well

I got stiffed out of the pleasure of owning the 92-94 SE wheels with original finish, twice.. my original 92 had the wheels repainted silver and my latest 92 also has the wheels painted over

I think the best bet to get the original look back is to start with a set of 92-94 wheels and use some paint stripper and some fine sandpaper (if any) so as to not rub away the machined marks on the face.. and then clearcoat over

Actually it was 91-94 they had the machined face+clearcoat finish on the wheels

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

GXE stockers minus the centercap = Sex?

Sex? This.



Also - I like how Nissan's marketing images weren't really accurate. They show the corner lights AND bumper lights lit up which we all know isn't correct. And they show amber bulbs in the corner lights even though stock we get those fugly pale yellow ones.

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

I think alot of people got stiffed out of clean OEM wheels. My mom got her 3rd gen VE (late my first one, the skyblue VE auto) in about 97ish. I remember even back then the finish/clear was crumbling off of those wheels. Once you even get one fake/crack on that finish it would just start coming off so quickly.

If your wheels aren't pitted/covered in crustacean crap, you can likely wetsand and clear and it should look pretty good. I was wetsanding this one pretty aggressively and it never took those slight machined marks off of the face. For a minute I thought I could just wetsand and clear it, but there was lots of pitting looking type of stuff after I got all the crustacean crap off that wouldn't come out. So then I just went ahead and painted

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

I don't even know what the color is called exactly. It doesn't look like it has an actual color listed on it. They only had this color and and then a graphite color like Cliff Clavin posted

Here's what I used (again, like I said, it's actually Rustoleum rather than Duplicolor as I originally said)

colinod

Hah! Gxe stockers are badass. scientific fact

Cliff Clavin

iTrader: (11)

They are also narrower.


I think the paint I bought was $6 a can at NAPA. All total, I bought primer and clear, too, so I think I was up to a whopping $20 or so.

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

Two down, two to go



I'm also replacing the crank seal and power steering pump on the car so hopefully I'll finish that up tomorrow and be able to knock the other two wheels out tomorrow evening or Friday.

colinod

How much more tire do you need? It only weighs 3100lbs and you shouldnt be driving too fast on the street. Or get track wheels.. That extra .5" isnt super killer enough to have corvette knockoffs.

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

Do what?

doubleclutch92

Looks good man, nice work. I gave my stock wheels to my brother when he had a 4 gen, he got rid of them though when he traded for a truck. Kinda pissed me off. Good work.

maximo018

iTrader: (6)

He's on a roll!

Chris Gregg

iTrader: (59)

Don't forget to clean the rubber and apply some tire wet!

Tool

iTrader: (1)

I believe he thinks you have Corvette wheels.... lol

I can see the resemblance tho...

colinod

I wish I could like the 3rd gen SE stocks...but the angle on the spokes aren't aggressive enough. It should be steeper. and chromed

Brad92SE

iTrader: (9)

That looks really good James! Do you want another set of VE stockers for a different color?

BTW, whats up with that turbo piping in the background?

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

Haha, I think one set is enough. These won't even be staying on permanently. I have 18" 6th gen wheels to go on it when I can get the money for new tires for them. I just wanted to make the car look better in the meantime

The turbo piping is the setup I built a few years ago for the VE. I'm sure you remember me bugging you constantly with questions. I still need to get some more stuff for the setup.. injectors.. fuel pump.. oil lines.. fittings and whatnot. Hopefully it'll be going in the blue VE in the spring

elusivemax93

James i work at autozone and if im not mistaken it is an aluminum finish paint. Might not say it on the front of the can but by the bar code on the back it says the color right there above it.

elusivemax93

The paint color name from restolium is called steel part number 248927

Hectic

iTrader: (20)

That's what...