Painted rims

My OEM rims had a few dings in them and I was fortunate enough to get a brand new pair from a fellow Priuschatter, so I decided to play with tarting up my old rims for fun. I have pictures of a Seaside Blue Prius in my computer and it's easy to use PhotoShop to color the rims to find a color that looks good.

I went first with pink, and actually painted the rims, but that was a little too strong. Other colors that I thought would be ok were emerald green, maroon and tan. I opted for the green.

I'll keep my new rims if I ever need to go back to looking stock.
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<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AOV @ Aug 9 2007, 09:51 PM) [snapback]492940[/snapback]</div>

I've done hand painted car graphics on about 15 cars over the years; my Prius is the first car I've owned in 30 years that does not have a graphic design. I use "One Shot" brand enamels which are available at sign painting outlets. Check Google for a dealer near you. Their paints are bulletproof and are intended for just this sort of thing. "One Shot" means you only need one coat. The paint is very pigment heavy and goes on nicely, especially if you use foam brushes. Wide range of colors. Some of my paint jobs are still holding up well after more than ten years.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AOV @ Aug 10 2007, 09:23 AM) [snapback]493310[/snapback]</div>

Google "1 Shot"; the brand name uses the numeral "1" instead of the word "One".

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AOV @ Aug 10 2007, 06:32 PM) [snapback]493454[/snapback]</div>

I'm not sure what "super gloss clear" is, well, obviously, it's some sort of transparent cover, but is it made by the 1 Shot folks? I don't think you'll need a clear coat, however; this paint is pretty tough. I'd also skip the masking tape. The sections of the rims you'll paint have edges, meaning that there is a gap between the parts you paint and the parts of the rim you'll leave unpainted. Start at the center of each section you wish to paint and move outward to the edges, including towards the rim. The nice thing about foam brushes is that you can paint right up to the edge and as long as your strokes move away from the center towards the edges (as if you were driving off a cliff), the paint will stop at the edge. Masking tape will not fit smoothly along the outer edge of the rims. To paint to the rim, apply the paint outward towards the rim, stopping short of the actual edge, and then use a paper towel over your finger tip to wipe off the excess, leaving a nice 1/8in band of unpainted plastic. You don't need to be terribly precise because no one is going to be laying on the sidewalk trying to get a close up of your paint job. From a distance of only a few feet, they will look great.

The paint will set up in about an hour and will be safe to handle in three hours or so. Overnight works best.
Post photos.

I just repainted mine in a blue that is a fair match with Seaside, but not exact. Unfortunately, 1 Shot doesn't have a blue that's any closer and I didn't want to use ordinary paint.
Bob

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AOV @ Aug 11 2007, 06:37 PM) [snapback]493931[/snapback]</div>

Maybe we are all nuts. I recently went to a memorial for a dear friend who died at 79, but who had the spirit and creativity of a child; boundless love and energy, somewhat like "Maude", of "Harold and Maude". One lesson she taught all of us, and which was articulated beautifully by her daughter, was "do it". She had a whacky, artistic energy and was into multiple media, meticulous detail, and endless recycling of things no one ever thought had artistic potential. She spent the last ten years slowly fading into dementia, but never lost her curiosity about the world. I say all of this because painting wheel rims on a Prius is a way of stamping a machine made object with the personality of a specific human. That's our role in the cosmos. Have fun, and know you aren't alone.

p.s. I repainted my rims blue (third color selection) and will probably keep them blue to go with the Seaside Pearl.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AOV @ Aug 14 2007, 09:57 PM) [snapback]495337[/snapback]</div>

The only black I had available was high gloss, and I expected the same result you described. Flat black would probably work and look much sharper, AND you wouldn't need to spray your tires.

Uploading photos is easy if your digital camera has a cable to connect it with your computer, and your computer has a decent photo/graphic capability. If you're running Windows 2000 and up, you probably have a media capability already. Once you plug your camera into your PC and turn it on, the PC will read your camera as a storage device and give you the option of opening up your photos. I created a directory in my PC for Prius, with subfolders for various categories. Copy and paste from the photo directory onto your hard drive. The browse function at the bottom of your PriusChat post form is pretty easy to use. Browse to the folder that has the pictures you want to up load and open them. In a moment or two, the titles will appear in your post and you have the option of having them be visible as soon as someone opens your post.

I'd like to see your photos.