Suggestion on fixing my powder coated rims

[Grit dog]

I definitely won’t use this shop again. My buddy had great things to say about them….until he picked up my wheels.

I won’t do silicon on them simply because I’ve dealt with silicon enough that I don’t think it will last on a wheel.

I am interested in white flexible seam filler. I’ve never used it but this seems like a decent option.

I know myself well enough to not try and dig it out because I will screw things up worse.

Ultimately, I still have my stock wheels. I can run the whites until I’m tired of it. I will refurbish my current wheels and run them when that time comes.

New center stickers coming from usa1 and I am going to try and polish the centers in the next week.

IMO silicone caulking, albeit completely wrong for this application is basically the devil in most applications. I may use it on the exterior of a house that I know I won’t have to deal with again, but otherwise hate the stuff for most any application that it is “designed for.”
2 reasons.
1. It rarely bonds as well as urethane products.
2. Even despite #1, good luck getting anything to stick to it again, even if it’s removed. That stuff leaves an indelible film.

Back to the wheels.
Chuck them into your lathe (the front hub). Find a suitable bit (screwdriver, box cutter etc). Get all the crap out of the seam and depending on how good of a job you do, either do nothing, touch up paint, or judiciously apply some white flexible seam sealer.

This assuming the shop won’t do anything for you.

 

[Sad Sack]

What color is the truck they are going on? You could get some fine pinstripe masking tape, circle both sides of the groove with it and paint the groove the color of choice since the tape will protect the rest of the wheel from shaky hands holding a brush.

 

[Rustisbest]

"It won't work"
"it won't hold up"
"It's not designed for that"

I was wrong earlier. Its only been 7 years of rain, snow and salt when we get it, temp fluctuations, etc. Not a garage ornament, not project sitting in the front yard or garage. A driver that gets parked under a carport when its not on the road. Its not perfect but worked for me until I swapped to the 10" on the rear.

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[CalSgt]

"It won't work"
"it won't hold up"
"It's not designed for that"

I was wrong earlier. Its only been 7 years of rain, snow and salt when we get it, temp fluctuations, etc. Not a garage ornament, not project sitting in the front yard or garage. A driver that gets parked under a carport when its not on the road. Its not perfect but worked for me until I swapped to the 10" on the rear.

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Although it seems to have served you well I’m gonna have to agree with @Grit dog on this one. A urethane product is much more suitable for this application.

 

[dec322]

"It won't work"
"it won't hold up"
"It's not designed for that"

I was wrong earlier. Its only been 7 years of rain, snow and salt when we get it, temp fluctuations, etc. Not a garage ornament, not project sitting in the front yard or garage. A driver that gets parked under a carport when its not on the road. Its not perfect but worked for me until I swapped to the 10" on the rear.

Well....that does still look pretty good. My issue is that my wheels are already painted....I know white silicon will be change colors and will be sticky.
Will I need to paint the urethane product?

The truck is blue and white.

 

[Sad Sack]

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There I fixed it for you.

 

[CalSgt]

Well....that does still look pretty good. My issue is that my wheels are already painted....I know white silicon will be change colors and will be sticky.
Will I need to paint the urethane product?

The truck is blue and white.

Urethane can sometimes be left unpainted depending on the specific product but getting the exact same shade of white will probably be difficult. I suspect getting an exact match with silicone would be just as tough.

The advantage of urethane is that it’s made for paint to stick to it. Most automotive paints are urethane based themselves.

 

[Hilllbilly]

https://www.powdercoatingforum.net/forum/powder-coating/91-steel-wheels

 

[Ricko1966]

All silicone are not the same,they do not all cure the same and some will promote rust and corrosion. Anyone who is going to use silicone on metal and for automotive purposes,do research first,make sure your product doesn't contain or release acetic acid. That's not the only concern,but it's the biggest one in my eyes.

 

[Keith Seymore]

Yeah don't do what I've actually done with some silver silicone on a set of refurb rally wheels that had steel shot embedded in the groove that wouldn't come out. It'll never work and won't last at least the 8 years or so I had em.

I did this as well (trailer wheels).

K

 

[Keith Seymore]

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There I fixed it for you.

AI to the rescue once again.

K

 

[Sad Sack]

AI to the rescue once again.

K

Actually Microsoft Paint, I go old school.

 

[Rustisbest]

https://www.powdercoatingforum.net/forum/powder-coating/91-steel-wheels

Good find JD, that username and profile pic change is really working out

 

[dec322]

There I fixed it for you.

Actually, I'm a fan.

But I'm not going to try it.

 

[Hilllbilly]

Yeah don't do what I've actually done with some silver silicone on a set of refurb rally wheels that had steel shot embedded in the groove that wouldn't come out. It'll never work and won't last at least the 8 years or so I had em.
Make it complicated and throw some more money at it lol

Sorry , didnt mean to hurt your feelings when I advised not to use silicone