Operation: Joker Rims

After purchasing the whip last week, I couldn't wait to start all the projects and fix-ups.  I began with the rims.  The previous owner...decided to put red rims on the hatch.  After rescuing her, I decided to embark on said project.  Little did I know, that painting simply didn't require spray painting the rims while they were still on the car.  Oh, simple minded Crystal.

I woke up at the crack of dawn because I was so excited, 5am actually.  My homeboy and I began by jacking up the car and removing the lugnuts, and then removing the tires from the car.  Tires are actually pretty heavy.  In essence, the process involves giving the tires a good wash down, sanding the parts to be spraypainted, priming, shielding, taping what I don't want to be spraypainted, clear-coating, rotating the tires and then finally putting the tires back on.  This sounds like a quick process, however, from 5am to 10pm, I still wasn't done.  I still have yet to clear-coat the rims, but that'll be saved for another day after my legs and back have healed.  I guess the weight-lifting techniques I learned from the gym came in handy...because what I did all day was deadlifts and squats picking up and moving the tires from one place to another.  Oh fun.  It's been about 3 days, and I am still sore.  There are also oil/grease stains that I can't quite get off my legs.  Oh well, I don't mind the strange stares.
 

 Look how clean the inside of the rim SHOULD be. The one on the right took half an hour to scrub out.

 Laying the clean tires out to dry.  Waiting time takes time!

 Using 3x5 index cards to shield the tire so they don't receive extra color.


Will post pics of the rims when the project is done, hopefully in about a week.

Crystal