I have a 2003 Dodge Dakota SXT with the factory wheels. I was wanting to paint them black. I bought brake caliper paint and I am confident the paint itself will be great. My question is, does anyone out there know if these wheels have a clear coat on them, and if so, would I need to strip/sand the wheels before I painted them. I just worry about the paint adhering to the wheels. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

if you want any kind of paint to stick in high-war situations, I would sand and prime before painting. You don't need to completely strip them, you just need to sand them enough to make the primer adhere.

I thought sanding would be a good idea. Scratch the surface a little so it's rougher so the paint sticks better. The paint I bought is VHT brake drum/rotor/caliper paint. It's says it's super resistant to heat (up to 900 degrees F), chemicals, road salt, corrosion and brake dust. It also says it's self priming. As far as the sanding goes, would a light sanding do, just enought to scratch up the wheel a little, or should I sand it completly?

don't have to do it completely, just enough to where you would when priming it.

Sounds good, thanks a lot.

I'd say to use some 150 grit sandpaper, then scuff it up real good, or mabey some 220 grit.

From my experience, I have a friend who does rim painting at an auto yard, he said that they sandblasted rims before painting them, especially shiny rims, they have a clear coat that makes it difficult for paint to bond. For the sanding part, I'd say sand em good; you could always put a couple of layers of paint to make them nice and smooth =)!

no use a brillo pad or something or a higher grit because if u use 150/220 your sanding will become scratches that u can see thru tha paint

What about steel wool? That would clean and scratch.

can you use a spray can or does it need to be painted with a paint gun?

steel whool very good
i am sry for not replyin earlier

[\I was wanting to paint them black.

hey before you paint -- you should call this company called... umm, ill have to find the name-- but they sell black rims. not painted ones- the chrome is black without paint. i saw them online when i was searching for red rims for my red G35- i think its like MFXWheels.com or something- but double check that address, i could be wrong. Good luck!

No problem on the late reply. I have to wait until I have a weekend to do this anyway. I'm going to shoot for next weekend.

hey sorry ---ive been out of townfor a while...did you ever check out that MFX site? sorry for the late reply!!! Let me know!