SubyPAL: WRC gold rims DIY

Before WRC gold rim paint

After WRC gold rim paint

Painting stock rims of the Subaru Impreza WRX or STi is almost like joining a cult. Subaru owners that are hardcore fans of WRC will more than likely choose Grimmspeed BBS gold replicolor over other colors. The Grimmspeed BBS gold replicolor over a dark based primer produces a color that is identical to the gold powder coat used on WRC rims. Powder coating isn't always possible, but is better than paint as it will resist the elements much better. However if you still want that custom paint on your stock rims, it's best to follow these procedures.

Materials

Above from left to right

3 cans of Grimmspeed BBS Gold
1 can of Dupli-Color High Performance Wheel Coating "Clear"
2 cans of Bright Touch General Purpose Primer

Preparation
Start by removing debris and impurities from the wheel by using a media blaster. Sure sand paper works, but you will never get all the cracks and crevices like you will with a media blaster. I chose to use sand, because I live in Florida and sand is everywhere. If you want to use the local sand you will need to sift out the larger aggregate by using a screen. Any screen will work, you just need to get the chunks of crap out of your media. Once you have it filtered, you can start sandblasting. Sandblasting is dirty, so make sure you do this outside away from anything you don't want sand to get into. I wore a welding mask with the shade flipped up so I could look through the clear window and see everything with out getting sand all in my face. I also wore a hooded sweatshirt with the hood tucked into the mask to help keep it from getting down the back of my shirt and in my hair. Gloves are also suggested, otherwise you may sandblast your fingers raw from debris bouncing off the surface. Start sandblasting the corners and crevices first, and make sure you get all the tar and debris off the wheel. Then move on to the flat surface, making sure you have as close to an even blast as possible. When you think your done, use an air blast to clean the rim and inspect your work. If it looks good, wash the rim down with soap water to remove all the dust from sandblasting. It's very important you clean the wheel! After the wheel is clean, let it sit out and dry completely. Any water on the wheel will not let the primer bond with the bare metal. If you don't plan on changing tires or removing tires, it's a good idea to use index cards wedged in between the tire and rim to prevent over spray. I'm replacing my tires, but I used them anyway. See picture below for example of index cards.

Primer
When using primer, to get the WRC gold color I chose to go with a dark based primer. If you want a lighter shade of your selected color, choose the lighter shade primer. It might only make a very small difference, but the difference is there. Start out by spraying a very light tack coat on the wheel. A consistent 50% coverage is good for a tack coat (see picture below). You should still be able to see your wheel surface after completing a tack coat. Let the tack coat setup for 15 minutes, and then spray another coat similar to the tack coat, but slightly heavier. This will keep the primer from puddling up in the corners of the wheels. After your second coat has setup for 15 minutes, move on to the third and final thick coat. You should completely cover the rim with primer, and no wheel surface should be showing through. Let the three coats of primer set for at least an hour. It should be dry to touch before proceeding on to the actual painting process.
Note: Be careful not to over spray and puddle the primer. If it puddles, be prepared for those areas to look like crap or you will have to start over. To start over, let the primer dry and then sand blast the areas that puddled. Repeat steps of primer!

Painting
When painting your wheels, it's a good idea to follow the two and two process. Two tack coats, two heavy coats. This will give your rim the solid paint coverage you are looking to achieve. If you spray too much on the first time before applying an appropriate tack coat, you will puddle the paint. Spray two tack coats on the wheel, starting out with about 50% coverage and then the second tack coat about 80% (see picture below). Allowing 15 minutes between coats, apply the third and fourth coat liberally. The third coat should be thick enough to where you don't see any more primer, but not so thick that it puddles. Use the fourth coat to finish up any areas that might seem thin. Spray in a nice even, short burst motion. Make sure to get all the cracks and angles of your rim. It's best to move around the rim as you paint, spraying from different angles to get the best coverage. After you have applied the third and fourth coats, allow the paint to dry for at least an hour before applying the clear coat. I chose to order three cans even though Grimmspeed only calls for two. Two is plenty, but I use my Subaru off road so I will need that extra can for off road "mishaps".

Protection
Because you have painted the surface of the rim and not actually changed the color of the material, the rims are now subject to chipping, scratching, and chemical attacks. To prevent this from happening, you want to first choose the best type of paint. Grimmspeed's BBS gold replicolor is high strength, and literally the most resilient paint out there. Adding a high strength clear coat protectant to this paint will give you the best resilience out there. I chose to go with Dupont clear coat wheel paint. It features a polymer like protection and gives the wheels a great shine. You can pick it up at Advance or Autozone! Applying the clear coat is the same as the primer and paint. Start out with a 50% tack coat, apply a second 80% tack coat, and then use the third and fourth coatings for liberal protection. A good thick coating of this stuff will appear almost plastic like, and give your wheel the best protection out there. It may appear to be dry in an hour or so, but it doesn't actually cure for 7 days. It's best to let the wheels sit during this period to avoid unnecessary chipping and scratching.

Example of primer tack coat coverage