Steel Wheel Overhaul

Well my Lannie's steel wheels look rough and flaky as the climate of our isles takes its toll.

So I decided to get them spruced up a bit. I have no wheel removal machine so will have to take a bit of care not to mess the tyres up.

This is the first tyre on the hopper to get done.

I get both sides sanded down using drills and sandpaper. Those flapper-wheel things are handy for this I find.

For getting right into the tighter areas of it I use some more exotic drill bits to carefully remove the paint and any rusty residue. Initially I used a dremel but this really didn't have the right stuff for getting the paint off. The flakey bits were easy, but the rest was more stubborn than Mamma Merkel!

I probably didn't have to do the other side no-one sees, but the rust seems to attack there and work its way 'around' so that gets the full treatment too.

After using rust treatment I begin the fun part - spraying!
Doing this part without getting primer / base-coats onto the tyre is a bit like squaring the circle. At first I tried using an old sheet with a circle cut into it, then I taped it around the tyre leaving the 'hole' part for the exposed wheel. However this was a bitch to get even. And after doing the spare tyre the xxx numper of tape sections and cloth was a bit worse of the wear. The spare looks good, not perfect but good enough for a working man. Doing this for another 4 wheels would test my sanity to the max, I needed a better way of masking off the tyre...

After poking about on youtube I saw a video of a chad American guy who used a method of long index cards stuck into the 'lip' or rim of the wheel, where it meets the tyre.
I haven't got any index cards, but I have plenty of old birthday and Christmas cards. I get the scissors out give them a go and... It works!

I give it the primer spray treatment....

Then it's just the base-coat and clear-coats and onto the Lannie it goes!
I was a bit hasty in re-mounting the wheel and nearly put my back out! So have to R and R for a bit before the next three...

Nicely done, did the paint get right down into the rim where it meets the tyre?

I’ve heard that brushing washing-up liquid onto the tyre will allow you to wipe it clean from overspray after painting. I’ve never done this myself and I’ve no idea if it works or not. Thought it was worth a mention though.

What paint are you using, you mentioned clear coat? When I did mine I used machine enamel and brush painted them. I use a wire cup brush on an angle grinder to remove rust and old paint rather than the flap heals, is much quicker It still amazes me how much difference a quick coat of paint can make.

If you tyres aren't balances (doesn't look like it form the photo) it is very easy to remove them without a machine as long as you have the tools. You can use a bottle/highlift jack to break the bead and then tyre levers to remove and replace the tyre on the rim. A compressor will re-seat the bead and if it is being stubborn a ratchet strap around the circumference of the tyre will help. there are lots of video on youtube of people diy fitting tyres, some very good Australian bush ones. I removed mine when I painted the rims, this also allowed me to replace the valves with stubby motorcycle ones so there is less chance of them getting damaged off road.

I'm going to be doing this soon. Need to buy some axle stands first. But I'm going to take my wheels to a local garage and get them to take the tyres off, I need new tyres anyway, then the Landy will sit on stands till the wheels are done.

Hi. Good job on the wheels. I've currently got alloys but will be reverting to steel wheels soon as they look the biz.

Huddy84 said:

Nicely done, did the paint get right down into the rim where it meets the tyre?

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Thanks.
Yeah pretty much, I had to try and get that with the dremel and a very fine, blade-like cutter attachment.

Lief Zpring said:

Hi. Good job on the wheels. I've currently got alloys but will be reverting to steel wheels soon as they look the biz.

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What are alloys like to use? Are they prone to peeling and denting? I've heard once an alloy is damaged there's no way to knock it back into place? But with steel it's an easier repair.

It is possible to fix minor dents in alloy's but is a lot more work to get looking right, done a couple on my car. Steels however just need heat and a big hammer.

tottot said:

It is possible to fix minor dents in alloy's but is a lot more work to get looking right, done a couple on my car. Steels however just need heat and a big hammer.

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or a large rock in the desert!

dag019 said:

or a large rock in the desert!

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If that is all you have use it. In my case it is the rock causing the problem in the first place.