How to Paint Your Wheels
Use a lug wrench or an impact to loosen the lug nuts., Jack up the car., Use jack stands to stabilize the car., Remove the lug nuts., Remove the wheel from the wheel base., Have the tires removed from your wheels., Remove your valve stem.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Use a lug wrench or an impact to loosen the lug nuts.
This is the safest way to loosen your lugs.
While the car is still on the ground, it puts pressure on the wheels.
This holds the wheels in place and allows you to loosen the lugs without the wheel spinning. -
Step 2: Jack up the car.
Look in your service manual for recommended jacking points.
This will help avoid any unnecessary damage to the vehicle.
Place the jack under the jacking points and jack up the car. , Although you need a jack to get the car in the air, a car resting on a jack is not safe.
Again, consult a service manual for jacking points and slide the jack stands under those points.
Lower the car with the jack and rest the car on the jack stands.
If you are lifting the front or back end there should be one on each side of the car.
If you are lifting the whole car, there should be two on each side near each corner. , Now that the car is in the air and well supported, you can remove your lug nuts.
They should be loose enough to remove by hand.
If not, use a lug wrench or impact to get them off. , Once the lugs are removed, you can simply pull the wheel away from the car.
Follow this same procedure for each of the four wheels.
Move the wheels to a suitable workspace. , It's very difficult to do this safely without specialized equipment, so it's best to have this done by a mechanic or tire shop.
While not strictly necessary, removing your tires reduces the time taken to mask off the rim, and eliminates the chance of overspray on your tires.
Removing the tires will also help ensure that you can paint all the way to the edge of the rim with no interference. , This step, like removing the tires, is optional.
Removing the valve stem from your rims allows you to paint without masking it off.
It also eliminates the difficulty of trying to paint at different angles to avoid missing parts of the rim that may be slightly blocked by the valve stem.
This allows a more natural spraying motion and can result in a better overall paint job. -
Step 3: Use jack stands to stabilize the car.
-
Step 4: Remove the lug nuts.
-
Step 5: Remove the wheel from the wheel base.
-
Step 6: Have the tires removed from your wheels.
-
Step 7: Remove your valve stem.
Detailed Guide
This is the safest way to loosen your lugs.
While the car is still on the ground, it puts pressure on the wheels.
This holds the wheels in place and allows you to loosen the lugs without the wheel spinning.
Look in your service manual for recommended jacking points.
This will help avoid any unnecessary damage to the vehicle.
Place the jack under the jacking points and jack up the car. , Although you need a jack to get the car in the air, a car resting on a jack is not safe.
Again, consult a service manual for jacking points and slide the jack stands under those points.
Lower the car with the jack and rest the car on the jack stands.
If you are lifting the front or back end there should be one on each side of the car.
If you are lifting the whole car, there should be two on each side near each corner. , Now that the car is in the air and well supported, you can remove your lug nuts.
They should be loose enough to remove by hand.
If not, use a lug wrench or impact to get them off. , Once the lugs are removed, you can simply pull the wheel away from the car.
Follow this same procedure for each of the four wheels.
Move the wheels to a suitable workspace. , It's very difficult to do this safely without specialized equipment, so it's best to have this done by a mechanic or tire shop.
While not strictly necessary, removing your tires reduces the time taken to mask off the rim, and eliminates the chance of overspray on your tires.
Removing the tires will also help ensure that you can paint all the way to the edge of the rim with no interference. , This step, like removing the tires, is optional.
Removing the valve stem from your rims allows you to paint without masking it off.
It also eliminates the difficulty of trying to paint at different angles to avoid missing parts of the rim that may be slightly blocked by the valve stem.
This allows a more natural spraying motion and can result in a better overall paint job.
About the Author
Natalie Burns
Enthusiastic about teaching DIY projects techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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