This is a shot of the rims a few hours after I bought the Jeep.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a307/ope...er/P8270044.jpg
I couldn't stand the cracked and faded center caps, so the next day I ripped them off and used a brissle pad to clean up the rims. This improved the look of them.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a307/ope...er/P8270045.jpg
After deciding the Jeep deserved a fresher look, I set to work. Instead of shelling out over $200 for new steelies, I figured why not work with a blank canvas.
Step 1 - Removed the tire and lay it flat, as its easier to work on.
Step 2 - Clean the rims and wipe them dry. This will insure you have a great work surface.
Step 3 - Sand baby sand! I used 3M's 340 grit. You don't need to take it down to the bare black metal, just scruff it up to give the paint something to grab onto.
Step 4 - Wipe clean again. Inspect to make sure you've reached as much of the rim as you can. Here I stuck a thin, flathead screwdriver into the deep crevis to get out any gunk.
Step 5 - Next, tape off the tire itself. Make sure to get the tape inbetween the rim and the tire and work your way outwards from here.
Step 6 - Spray. Keep it about 10 inches away from the rim and slowly work your way back and forth. You don't have to completely cover it, you can do as many following coats as you'd like. When you start a stream, start on the tape istelf, working your way accross the rim, then stop again on the tape. This will elimante spotting and shadowing due to heavier spots. If you still don't feel comfortable spray paintimg, just think about the way the robots at the factory move, accross and over the peice in soft, slow easy motions. If you mess up, let it dry, resand and try again.
Step 6 - Remove the tape, reinstall and take a step back to admire the work!
I went a step further and got really lucky. I scored these new centercaps at Jeeptoberfest off a guy for $20. They are a direct fit and really add some extra good looks.
What you'll need -
Old rims
3M 340 grit sandpaper
Duplicolor Rim Paint (2 cans is more then enough)
Some towels
Another set of Cragars would take about a week and a half from ordering to mounting and cost about $200.
In total it took me about 3 hours and cost me a grand total of $27.86.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a307/ope...oadster/Rim.jpg
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