The wheels on our truck were in pretty rough shape when we got it.  I’m guessing the previous owner might have had nicer wheels on the truck, then picked up some cheap ones from a junk yard before trading it in.

After removing the wheels from the truck, washing them, using sandpaper and a wire brush for my cordless drill, I cut a piece of cardboard to keep spray paint from touching the tire and carefully taped around the edge of the wheel.

I started with primer, then did two light coats of spray paint, followed by one thicker coat.  I finished things off with a clear coat.  For this project, I used special paint designed for wheels (it can take the heat from the brakes).  I picked it up after a recommendation from a guy at Auto Zone.  We went with black, just because.  I think this whole project cost roughly $20.

My main goal of this paint project was simply to keep the wheels from developing any more rust than they already had.  Nothing too fancy, but it certainly looks better now.  And it kind of resembles the wheels you see on some police cruisers!  In the future, I would like to get some bigger tires, because the current ones just look small compared to the rest of the truck.  Here is a before and after look: