Repainting Rims

[rplines at pacifier.com]

Alexander-
I just had the Ronals on my 4kq redone.  The process was as follows:
1. I removed all the weights, tape, and everything else that was loose.
2. I had them bead blasted.  Make sure they use glass beads.  Some media (like sand)
can actually erode the aluminum.  This cost me 15$ per wheel.  It is not necessary
to remove all the original paint and primer, just everything that is loose.
3.  I hand-filed to smooth out some light curb damage and then hand sanded the front
of each wheel with 150 grit paper.  This took about 1.5 hours per wheel.
4.  I had them powder coated the original silver.  This cost me $40 per wheel.

They look great.  Look is exactly stock.  There were many colors and shades to choose
from.  Although I pitched the plastic center covers, they were trashed and I think
it looks better w/o them anyway.

The shop was Portland Powder Coating.  Look for "Metal Finishers" in your local yellow
pages to find something similar.

As an alternative, I also got a quote to do the complete job for $125 per wheel.
 This would entail driving the car in with the wheels mounted, and returning after
3 days to pick it up.  Less work, but more expensive.  Also, they would use a PPG
Deltron paint, not powder.

-Peter