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my wife made a trip back home to Iowa from cali during the winter while I was deployed, and in doing so with all the sand and salt put down on the road the steelies are starting to show the cancer we call rust, its just surface rust but what are some good opinions on bustin the rust and repainting black? my goal is to repaint them and just leave the hubcaps off since my caps are gettin aged and 1 is crackedthanks,Nick

POR-15 those things!http://www.por15.com

Wow thanks for posting that! I've been wishing for something like this, didn't think it existed. I have a used set of performance headers I have been trying to clean the rust off so I could paint them with a high temp paint. But I just can't get the rust off. I was about to give up and just install them as is. But they have a high temp aluminum(color) paint. Says 1400 degrees, should be good for a header right? So I can just paint right over the rust with this stuff. SWEET! Im excited now. Lol

very nice, now the question is, on a black car would flat black or semi gloss black look better on the steelies?

Tough decision. I think gloss.

I was thinking that but IDK if I want them to stand out, but I have never seen gloss steelies either, I think that just made up my mind right there, gloss it is to be different

Quote, originally posted by Nitr0 »now the question is, on a black car would flat black or semi gloss black look better on the steelies?Quote, originally posted by silverbullet »Tough decision. I think gloss.Quote, originally posted by Nitr0 »I was thinking that but IDK if I want them to stand out, but I have never seen gloss steelies either, I think that just made up my mind right there, gloss it is to be differentSplit the difference and use matte black !

POR 15, while a good product isn't your complete answer here. POR 15 needs to be topcoated after application for it does not stand up to being exposed.You need a matte finish, original wheels were not glossy.Dave

I know they were originally matte but since Im paintin them and leavin the hubcaps off I cant decide whether I should go with matte again or gloss

I roll black gloss steelies on my Abyss in the winter. Welcome to the club.

Quote, originally posted by jkm311 »I roll black gloss steelies on my Abyss in the winter. Welcome to the club. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qm8PH4xAss&ob=av3e

could you post a pic of them? either just them or on the car?

For winter steelies... rattle can black works for me!

I had gloss (or semi-gloss) steelies on my Civic for a short while - looked great with chrome lug nuts. If I could have found a good chrom trim ring I might have stuck with that instead of getting new wheels.

star deceiver, how well does the paint stick to your rims using a rattle can? did you use a specific brand or type?

Those rims came stock and haven't been touched. I did use rattle can silver on old Honda rims years ago. Cleaned the rust up and off decently, several coats later the rims looked normal. Can't remember what brand, but I didn't pay more then $10 back in the late '90s. For winter rims it lasted the season and didn't flake, peel or rust through. Got rid of that car not long after the winter. I'm not overly fussy of what my winter rims look like, and I'm not the most patinent painter. Just make sure everything is clean and dry before you start and cover up what you don't want covered with overspray. There are some on this forum who make spray paint look fabulous.... I am not one of them

Gotta agree with Star. Rattle can black. They are steelies and the will rust, even without much salt. I painted my son's steelies (they were looking really rusty)... sanded the rust, cleaned the wheels, let them dry and used a small amount of rusty metal Rustoleum primer, and then painted with semi-gloss black Rustoleum. He uses them here in New England during our salt filled Winters. No rust popping through yet. Going into their 4th year this Winter. Cheap, effective. No complaints. Will eventually have to do the same to mine. They have snow tires on them, too.