# Do I really need to sand them down?



## Lars Z (Jul 20, 2011)

Hi guys.

I need a few opinions on these Fiesta ST alloys that I bought cheaply from a guy of a Danish site.










They need to be repainted, mostly because they have had a few meets with the pavement, but nothing major. Just a few scuffs here and there.

There are no flaking, no corrosion and so on them so the question is: Do I really need to strip them back to the bare alloy or can I just key the surface, prime and then paint them(matt black) and give them a few coats of clear?

Opinions are very welcome. I had a quote for glass blasting(Not English, I´m not sure that word even exists) and then powder coat and a final clear coat for around £270.- for all 4.
I´m sure I can do a good job myself, or what do you think?

Lars

P.S Sorry about the English spelling, Danish goes a lot better.


----------



## gm8 (Apr 25, 2011)

i think you will be fine just keying them to be honest.


----------



## moosh (May 8, 2011)

Hey mate hi and your english is perfect, you are right you don't need to rub these right back. Key them up as you plan to, prime any chips or bare alloy (no need to prime the painted area) and paint them.reason I say no need to prime the painted part is because primer is used for bare metal or repairs so in this case the wheels already have primer from factory so a rub down with 600-800 wet and dry will be sufficient.:thumb:


----------



## Lars Z (Jul 20, 2011)

Guys, thanks a lot for the fast answers.:thumb:

It just seems that everybody is doing a big job of sanding alloys down to bare metal before painting. I just didn´t get why they did it.
You also does not sand the car down to bare metal before painting.(I don´t anyway).

I guess I´ll give it a go, just priming the areas where I need to sand, to smooth the minor scuffs out.

If anyone else has tips or hints, please bring them to the table.:driver:

Lars


----------



## Hasan1 (Jul 1, 2011)

Don't know if I'm right but if you paint them(matt black) and give them a few coats of clear? Don't think the Finnish will be matt if that's what your after.


----------



## Lars Z (Jul 20, 2011)

Hasan1 said:


> Don't know if I'm right but if you paint them(matt black) and give them a few coats of clear? Don't think the Finnish will be matt if that's what your after.


I actually hope you are right. 
I´m not after a matt finish, but hoping that the matt paint will be easier to spray on and will bond better with the gloss clear coat.

I may be wrong on the above, if so, please stop me before I do something wrong.:doublesho


----------



## gm8 (Apr 25, 2011)

with clear is should not be matt. do a small test section to see the finished outcome , can always sand it back


----------



## craigeh123 (Dec 26, 2011)

lars z i did exactly what your planning , i prepped and painted mine matt black then 
gave them to my mate who laquered them . Its much easier to paint the matt black than gloss and then laquer them glossy after


----------



## Lars Z (Jul 20, 2011)

Cheers guys.:thumb: 
I´ll try my skills out on one of the wheels and post the result before I go on the the rest.

If everything else fails, I can always go the powder coat route.

It´s never easy being a nOOb.:wall:


----------



## mnmc (May 26, 2011)

The design of the wheels makes them easier to work on than my first time which had lot of indents and tight spaces, so I think you should be fine with them.

The easiest way would be to sand back to the paint, IPA wipe & dry, spray your chosen colour in thin built up layers then lacquer the same route but you will use a lot of lacquer to build up an even coat (don’t try to dry them quicker as you will end up with fish scaling.

If your painting over paint then you don't need to use primer, If you have bare metal from scuffs and kerbing or if you are sanding out corrosion then you need to sand back to metal as the corrosion will be back (albeit under lacquer and looking shiny) within a year, so you need to use a acid etch primer then your chosen colours matching primer colour.

I'm sure you'll be fine its slow and methodical but worth it, remember every race starts with the first step!

I got lucky on my last set of wheels (bought with really bad paint scaling and an odd colour) a local wheel repair came out and did a backhander for cash doing the above for £75 for 4 wheels.


----------



## President Swirl (Oct 23, 2011)

400 grit wet and dry, followed by 800. 2 coats of primer, when dry, flat back with 1000 grit or higher, then 2 or as many top coats as you need. The above is based on them not needing much work, ie grinding out defects.


----------

