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Painting Anodized car wheels -- can it be done

 

I have an 87 300ZX turbo that came with gray anodized wheels as a special edition for that year. The body shop "painted" them and now the paint is peeling off. Can these wheels be painted? If so, what is the correct process for doing it? If not, how do I get rid of the paint and clean the wheels up and restore them to their original condition?

Thank you,

Roger Stafford
- KC, Missouri, USA

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February 3, 2011

Anodized metals are not painted. Anodizing is a type of finishing along the same lines as electroplating; using electric current to adhere a thin film on the material. Proper anodization is also used as a primer for painting as paint will adhere to this better than bare metal.

You would need the wheels to be completely cleaned using methods found in metal finishing workshops ie.: blast cleaning, steel ball burnishing or similar to degrade the anodization of the wheel so that they can be finished again properly or painted as you wish. Hope this helps.

So to answer your question, yes you can paint your wheels, it will just take a little time to research a good quality metal shop local to you and a little patience.

Marc Palma
- Alpharetta, Georgia, USA