Painting wheels with tires on them...A lazy way?

I know the obvious...masking tape and cover the tire, but are there any neat tips for doing this...Something like rubbing something on the rubber parts so the paint won't stick, like WD 40 or something, then washing them with Bleech White, or something like that...or just "Shut your pie-hole, stop being lazy and get out the masking tape."

I SHOULD have painted them with the old shitty tires on, but the tire guy made me an offer I couldn't refuse to do it today...

 

Eastwood sells something for this. # 11785 Wheel Shield and Tire Mask Kit .. $24.99

on page 13 of the late summer 09 catalog.

local body shop supply place may have them also

 

break the bead away from the wheel, mask, paint.

 

We used to use dish soap - no tire machine to break the beads back then.

 

just rub petroleum jelly on the tires. Then hose off when rims are dry. Just make sure the valve stems don't get too stiff.

 

just use note cards. stick them in where the bead is and line the tire with them, overlapping slightly.

 

Nope - you'd chip all the new paint changing the tires after the paint was done.

I like the index card idea, just let the air out, stuff them in and air up again - cool.

 

We used to use 3 inch masking tape and actually just place it on the wheel itself making a tube effect but it always left the 1/8 inch on the edge of the wheel that didnt get paint. It never really showed tho. 2cents

 

get a big piece of card board and cut a semi circle in it ( then you can use a rattle can. Thats the lazy way.

 

Use black paint

 

Paint 'em, then run a laquer thinner soaked rag around the rubber...Rap the rag around your thumb to get tight against the wheel bead

 

We have a winner!!-MIKE

 

Like he said, only I run a 1/2" masking tape around first. If you get some overspray on the tire it comes off with lacquer thinner and you don't have to get up close to the fresh paint.

Someone mentioned the tire machine chipping paint; not with the new machines! They grab the wheel from behind and spin it, the tool never touches the face.

 

Go to Lowes/Home Depot and get a roll of aluminum roofing flashing.
It's about a foot wide and you're going to make something that looks a lot like a giant ring compressor out of it.
Cut a piece about 4-5 times the wheel diameter and wrap it into a belt and fasten it with a bungie cord or two around the wheel to mask off the tire.
Lay wheels flat on the ground and spray away.
Use the rest for shims, etc.

 

we use one of those plastic "license plates" that the new car stores always put on the front bracked. Just hold it in one hand, bent to fit the curvature of the wheel. Spray with the other hand. If you do a lot, you will get it down to a smooth and easy routine...spray, spray, spray, move, spray, spray...

works especially well when using BLACK

 

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ive used grease on the valve stem before...


anyone ever hear of rubbing the sidewall of old tires with used motor oil?

its supposed to make old tires look nice again. my grandad told me they used to do this when they were trying to sell an old car or tractor.

 

I just painted my wheels black. But I didn't want my whitewalls black! So, I used 1/4" tape to get close to the wheel then more tape and masking paper for the rest. It worked great except it was a bitch getting that green tape of the white wall. Use the blue stuff that doesn't stick to anything!

 

Lazy way from the professionals.. I took a Sunbeam Alpine I had worked on to sell to Earl Schieb's, this was early 70's. I told them please do not paint the wheels as I knew what they did. Sure as heck they sparayed the wheels too. Black tire paint was there lazy way to spray the wheels. Never been back to them since...I don't know if they still do that or not it was Tacky and I don't mean the sticky ness of the paint.

 

When i was in my 20's Id spray rim and then brush paint my tires in flat black.

 

He He...try that, then cruise down a Georgia dirt road. You'll Have red walls for sure!

 

I've done it like this..take a large pice of card board, lay it on the rim and tap it pretty hard with your hammer all along the rim. This makes a good outline of the wheel ,cut it out, hold your new sheild agen the rim and rattel can your collor on the rim not on the tire, move the shild and do the next section. Took me longer tipe this than to make a paint shield.

 

WOW, there's a ton of responses. This is exactly what I'm looking for. There are a lot of great suggestions here so when my laziness (and the rain) wears off I'll get cracking. Black was the color that I was thinking, anyway. I masked the spare on my '60 a few months back and it took a bunch of tape for it to look nice, but that's white. I figured I'd need to find someone with a family discount at 3M if I want to mask all 4!

 

If ya get any overspray use some bleeche white and a brass brush, it will come off

 

Be careful using grease or petroleum jelly. The solvent in the paint from the over spray can dissolve it, making a fine old mess.

 

I do something similar using two overlapping pieces of paper dry wall
joint tape. Works great!

 

The joint tape and the note cards: what great ideas! Solves a problem as it is a real PITA to mask around a wheel rim with tape.

 

Ive always just used a deck of cards or notecards....

 

The secret is to rip your tape into strips about 6 inches long. Otherwise it'll want to curl up on ya since it never sticks well to rubber. Once you lay one round, grab an old car mag, rip some pages out, and make your own masking paper by taping one edge. 7 or 8 pages and you're around the wheel. If you have actual masking paper, several individual pieces are key to getting it to lay flat.

5 minutes a wheel. Tops. Do it right and you'll be able to paint 100% of the visible rim. Good luck

 

Whatever you do, don't use WD40, the silicone in there will cause fisheyes in the paint.