Painted my stock 17"s - how long til I can drive?

[sbca96]

I finished the clear coat at around 5 pm, they sat in the sun for
about an hour and a half, then I mounted them on the car for the
night. You think they will be safe to drive on tomorrow, without
the brake dust melting in? Or should I give it a day? It was in the
low 80's today.

I only got two done today, its pretty time consuming, and I did not
get to start on it until 2pm. I was thinking of doing the yellow on
the edge, since I have a YJ. I figure these have to last until the
new tires I bought for them wear out. Then I will buy something I
actually like. I just dont like the stock 17 inchers.

I had also considered painting the calipers yellow.

Tom

[thekingntb]

When i did mine I finished around 8pm, and just let them sit for the night... Than the next day I mounted and drove with them... Worked out fine for me..

[sbca96]

Well .. the weather wasnt as nice today, the tire/wheel assemblies
took forever to dry after cleaning. Fog and clouds came in and the
temp dropped sharply. Was mid 80s on Sunday when I did the two
front wheels, today it didnt break 70. I couldnt bring myself to do
the last wheel, the temp dropped below 50, so thats back on the
car, I have three done. I used a flood lamp to keep the surface a
little warmer then outside air for a couple hours then mounted the
tires back on the car. We have an association here, cant leave a
car on jack stands. Here is a few pictures before todays work.

http://www.emperorjordan.com/sbca96/images/2004GTO/ Wheel_painting/GTO_wheels_001a.jpg

http://www.emperorjordan.com/sbca96/images/2004GTO/ Wheel_painting/GTO_wheels_002a.jpg

http://www.emperorjordan.com/sbca96/images/2004GTO/ Wheel_painting/GTO_wheels_003a.jpg

Tom

[blackXgoat]

i asssume you painted them with the tires mounted on the wheels. was it hard to mask off the tire? what paint/clearcoat did you use? what did you use to prep the wheel? looks good so far. yellow and black go great together. you should call it project yellow jacket.

[sbca96]

you should call it project yellow jacket.

My wife calls it "The Banana".

I used the playing cards trick, works amazingly well. You get a deck
of cards and slide then short side into the seam between the wheel
and the tire, overlaping them. Looks like a jet turbine exhaust after.
Then you just paint. I followed the instructions I found on here for
the paint, I have had good luck in the past with Krylon, so I went
with their "glossy black" and their clear. I could not find dark primer
in Krylon, so I bought Rust-oleum (which I hate their paint) dark gray.

As far as I could tell the stock wheels did not have clear on it. The
350 fine sand paper I used cut the silver off in seconds. I used this
sanding sponge for the flat areas and did the tight spots with paper.

Tom

[sbca96]

Here is the card setup, and the coat of primer.

http://www.emperorjordan.com/sbca96/images/2004GTO/ Wheel_painting/GTO_wheelspainted_001a.jpg

http://www.emperorjordan.com/sbca96/images/2004GTO/ Wheel_painting/GTO_wheelspainted_002a.jpg

http://www.emperorjordan.com/sbca96/images/2004GTO/ Wheel_painting/GTO_wheelspainted_003a.jpg

Tom

[sporaclic]

what kind of prep is required to the stock finish any?
I Want to paint my stock ones a dark grey for the winter wheels.

[75TransAm]

Looks like a full house to me! Lol. Looking good. I would wait at least a day before you drive. The paint me feel dry on the outside, but not so dry underneath. Give the paint and primer a chance to cure. Just my $.02

[sbca96]

Surprising little effort is needed to scuff the stock surface, I do not
think they are clear coated from the factory. Fine sandpaper and a
few strokes and I had dull/no metallic flake left.

Tom

[mrgrandnational]

04's aren't clear coated from the factory, 06's are. I had to get a replacement wheel about a year ago. Side by side, you can easily tell the difference in paint texture and shade. No clue about 05's

[Axe Man]

If you have a heat gun or a good hair dryer, it will speed up the process as well. You will want to wait until the paint is fully cured before you drive. You never know when you may find a water filled pot hole to get one wet!