Re: Questions about steelies
 

Yes, first I sanded and cleaned up the wheels and then put down a couple of coats of some filler primer that I found in the automotive section at WalMart. Then I followed that up with a couple of coats of the gloss white and that was it.

I think I used two or three cans each of the primer and paint to do all four wheels. It's been a couple of years so I can't quite remember, but paint and primer is cheap and I always find other uses for the leftovers on other truck projects so I don't really keep track!

Re: Questions about steelies
 

IVe done up to a 10in wide car rim with some big fat meats with no problems.

http://viragotech.com/tire1.jpg

Re: Questions about steelies
 

I've sandblasted more sets of wheels and had them powder coated than I can recall over the last 30 years. But,I also take a mini-grinder with twisted cup brush and take them down to bare metal in short order,prime,and spray paint with excellent results at a fraction of the cost.

Re: Questions about steelies
 

Thanks for the suggestion for the twisted cup brush. It quickly got these wheels ready to be painted. I did that today, primed them, and painted them today. Very pleased with the results!

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps3a264912.jpg
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Re: Questions about steelies
 

Great job! I'm glad you decided on white. Just like the originals.

Re: Questions about steelies
 

Thanks. Yeah, I think you're right. The white should look better on this truck, especially where I've got the white top and tailgate letters
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Re: Questions about steelies
 

Be sure the person mounting your tires uses the equipment that does not contact the lip of the rim. Most installers do these days, but just be sure.

Re: Questions about steelies
 

Thanks. Will do
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Re: Questions about steelies
 

These will look so much better than those newfangled alloys. First of all,shiny wheels on a truck with old paint seems silly. The white will actually look sharper. The plain old wheel is a more fitting style. And...mostly,you will have a wider track! The stance will look better and it will feel better on corners. The tires will fill out to the body better. Those new wheels have no dish...yuck! These trucks need wheels with mo' dish!

Re: Questions about steelies
 

I hear ya. The PO put them on, and they worked fine and weren't THAT bad, so I did other things first, thinking that new wheels would be hundreds and hundreds of dollars. I have to laugh, when I figure I got 4 wheels, 4 hubcaps, and paint for around $120

I'm excited about the wider stance. Hadn't really thought of that
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Re: Questions about steelies
 

I got the hubcaps painted blue. I set one on the wheel, without pushing it on all the way (paint on the wheels is still a bit tacky), to give you an idea

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps0f52028d.jpg
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Now that is awesome. Great job on the paint work.

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Thanks! It's gonna be hard to wait this week for all the paint to harden, and then get them mounted
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Re: Questions about steelies
 

I painted mine last year bout this time. I'd remove one,wire wheel it,roll it in by the woodstove,wait,roll it out to prime,roll back in,wait,roll out to paint,and roll back in to bake on over night. It took patience,but I wanted to do it during the winter when I can't do much else AND it was better it was baked on.
I always hate that first time you pop hubcap on a virgin wheel.

Re: Questions about steelies
 

Nice job! What type of paint did you use? The caps really pop on the white..

Re: Questions about steelies
 

Thanks man. Here's the paint I used. I've used the black version on quite a few other things, and had overall a good experience. You get it at Walmart over in the arts and crafts section. (And, hey- if a hot chic catches you over there in that section and gives you a strange look, you can truthfully say in a low voice that its for your truck lol). I have a set of small brushes that I applied it with. The color is Cobalt

Spray paint would probably look a little better, but it would be so hard to mask. The chevy logo would be easy, but the outer circle would he a nightmare

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps2541e05f.jpg
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Re: Questions about steelies
 

I did one final step to the hubcaps today. I shot the center part that includes the chevy logo and blue ring with spray clear coat. Looks even better now, and will be even more durable

I made this cover by twisting the corner of a trash bag and doing one straight cut, which made an almost perfect circle. Kinda like making snowflakes as a kid. I was able to reuse this same one for every hubcap
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...psa08cec7f.jpg
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Re: Questions about steelies
 

All done and ready to mount! The clearcoat is dry on the blue part of the caps, and the paint is dry on the steelies.

I cannot wait to get these on the truck

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps9ce9fcf6.jpg
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Re: Questions about steelies
 

^ make sure and fit them tight, be awful on your first bump for one to go sidding off the road, I put a dab of clear silicone in a few spots on the back where my trim rings touch the rim, keeps me from chasing them every so often ;)

Re: Questions about steelies
 

These hubcaps won't pop off. The only time I've seen one of these pop off is on a 4wd from pouncing hard into a mud hole. Water/mud gushes in the center hole and hydraulically forces the cap off.

To bad you don't have a wood stove :cool:. Just need patience I guess.

Re: Questions about steelies
 

Had an interesting time with this project today. I was going to have Walmart install my tires on my wheels, but I found out they don't have the right equipment to minimize scratching the wheels. So, I called around and found a place that sounded like a good fit.

Incidentally, I could not get that hubcap in the above pic to POP off. Obviously all the layers of fairly fresh paint made it stick. Rather than dent it or scratch the rim, I decided to ask the tire place what to do. I was real careful explaining to the head supervisor, that it was stuck, that it could get dented if he's not careful getting it from behind, etc. He says "no problem. I'll do this one myself." He gets a hubcap removal tool out (the one that is flat on one side, has a rubber pad half way down, and a screw driver type plastic handle). Next thing I know, he starts beating on the inside of the cap through the hole in the rim with the handle of the tool. He stops and we look at the front of the cap, and he dented it in several places! I must have given him just the right (I'm going to f$@&ng kill you, moron) look, because he immediately said they would mount and balance all 4 tires for free, put new valve stems on, install the weights inside the rim, and give me a $50 gift card. I proceeded to watch them very closely as they mounted the first tire, so if they weren't careful, I'd say forget it and leave. They ended up doing a great job. The offset of the rims looks cool, and I'm glad to have them on the truck.

Now a new problem. I went to install the rear hubcaps first, and guess what? They don't stick out enough to clear the axel. Apparently these Ford rims don't stick out as much as the Chevy steelies do, and so they don't fit.

So now I'll drive it around like Granspas truck for a while with just plain white steelies and no caps until I can find something

Always something. Never nothing lol
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Re: Questions about steelies
 

And you thought you were gonna pull a Hannibal Smith and love how your plan came together. Oy! That sucks. I feel for ya. You could get a hole saw and punch axle holes in your freshly painted back hubs. (only kidding).

Maybe you could get an aluminum spacer to go in the back between the rim and the hub. You could probably get some machined to our lug patern and 3/8" thick (or what ever you need to clear the hubcaps).

Re: Questions about steelies
 

Lol. Yeah, pain in the butt. Oh well.

So, with your spacer idea, are you talking about something that would mount behind the wheel, to make the whole thing stick out further to clear the axel more? Cool idea.

Anybody have thoughts about doing something like this?
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Re: Questions about steelies
 

MisterB your wheels look great!
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Re: Questions about steelies
 

what about a picture of them on the truck????? please?