Since the center caps are huge and plastic, i can't powder coat them. Should i just Plastidip them?

Do the SRT center caps, which are aluminum, fit on the NA wheels? If so, can the aluminum be powdercoated?

any suggestions? I'm all ears.

 

Hey Jim, I struggled with this exact problem this spring when I powder-coated my rims Matt Black. You cannot powder-coat the centre caps, they must be spray painted. I tested out many. Go to a professional auto-body supply and get a professional spray paint. Under no circumstances use anything from a Walmart, Home Depot, Canadian Tire etc. I used U-POL Matt Black and it came out stunning.

The thing you have to know going in is that they will not match the wheels exactly once you're done. This is a result of the different drying times of the paint and the powder-coat, the different underlying materials (plastic vs. alloy), and the different finishes (powder-coat vs. paint).

I am really fastidious and this really bothered my eye when I was preparing them to go on the car. But once they're on the car, the different angles upon which the light hit the rims, and set against the black of the tires, everything really comes together. You will not even notice.

The one thing I would suggest though is to paint your centre caps first and then have your powder-coater match the centre caps. This will get you as close as possible. You will love the result, it really looks amazing! If you have any more questions, let me know and good luck!!

Jeff

 

Thanks for the insight. I checked out your gallery pics and i LOVE what i see! My XF is Alabaster, so your pics really helped complete the vision for me. Thanks for chiming in.

 

Hey are your chrysler emblem's on the wheels stock? Cuz they look silver.

 

Thanks for the compliments on the rims and yes the emblem's are original. I just taped them off before I painted them.

Also, I forgot to mention that you will also need to paint the valve-stem posts as well!

 

Well I tried to order that paint you said and the company I found that had it wanted $150 shipping for 2 cans :/ back to the drawing board

 

Crazy, it only cost me $17.00CAD and one can is enough. No need to do that. Find a local auto-body paint supplier or even ask an auto-body shop if you could buy a can of professional black spray paint off them. Have you considered Plasti-Dip? With Plasti-Dip if you don't like the finish you can always peel it off.

 

I have plastidip now. You think that would hold up?

 

I wondered about that myself. I have not worked with it so I really don't know. There are people on the forum who have used it, and used it to do the entire rim, so you could start a thread asking about the durability.

 

Here is the first coat of UPOL satin black.

How many coats did you do?
2tX7uF8.jpg

 

OMGosh! Looking good. I think, I did 4-5 coats, but I can't remember.

Please tell me you didn't pay $150.00 for the paint!

 

No, the cans just showed up in the mail one day so i assume they figured out they can ship 2 cans for less than $150. Problem is, is that after some light handling, the paint started to come off.. so for now i have switched to Plastidip to see if that holds up better. I'm on the fence about all of it right now. Im looking at all my options. I might just buy some knockout center caps to cover the hub and ride with the lugs exposed for the first few weeks after i get them powdercoated to see how it works out.

 

Did you prep them at all? A light sanding with high grit paper and a prep solvent and that paint should be like glue...

 

It needs a Primer! I apologize as I forgot to mention this and assumed you would prime. The primer I used was Flex Fill Multi-Purpose Filler for plastic fiberglass and metal. Code# 24002.

You will have to remove the paint with a light sand and then prime everywhere you are going to paint.

 

yeah my bad, im used to plastidip which requires neither primer or sanding. dually noted! Thanks

 

I'm sorry again that I failed to mention this! It's by a Canadian Company called Dominion Sure Seal Ltd., so this could be difficult to get ahold of. I would suggest calling a local autobody supply and asking for a primer/adhesion promoter.