I currently have the aluminium wheels That are 16x8. But, I found an add for 4 steel wheels in perfect shape for 40$ with the hub caps. Obviously not as wide as mine, but I don't have gigantic tires, I only have 255-70-16. And won't go much bigger. I've wanted to get some nice black offroad wheels, but I think these would look nice painted black. I figured out, They will look just like Charger police wheels. (Minus their chrome hub cap, while these will be kept silver).

 

I found this link but it looks like crap. Maybe its the picture quality, maybe It's cuz the truck is black. Mines red. So Idk.
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/3rd-gen-dakota/202480-what-do-you-guys-think-about-the-wheels.html

 

Painted rims aren't difficult to re-paint, you'll just need to do a side at a time. The preparation of the old painted surface is by far the most important thing to do, otherwise you'll have the new paint peeling. For only 4 rims, I'd use spray cans, they're a lot easier to work with than using a sprayer. The first step would be to clean each rim completely starting with soap & water, then check for any rust. If there is any, it should first be pacified before going any further. Once that's done, use some wax/grease remover on each rim, scuff the paint with a fine paper or a tough cleaning pad (non-detergent - if it's a detergent pad, make sure you remove all the detergent before proceeding). Next, I'd spray the rims with self etching primer. When that's dry, fill any dings with either body fill or body putty (putty is OK for small chips or indentations). Sand it all smooth again (I'd use 280 to 320 wet sandpaper for any areas you filled and then 400 over everything). Because spray can layers are really thin, you'll probably go through on this sanding, so I'd put a final coat of primer on to make sure you have everything covered. Now you can start putting on the top coats (2 to 3 coats is good).

A simpler but more expensive approach is to use POR-15. Clean the rims with soap & water & then degrease them. Next, scuff them and now you can paint them with POR15 - if you use black, you'll need another paint overtop to keep the shine (Black POR is UV sensitive & will dull over time). Just follow the directions on the POR site and you'll have a bullet proof paint job. I'd apply the POR with a brush and then leave it to flow smooth, it does that quite well, and since you use 2 coats of POR, it will fill any chips, small indentations, and will also pacify any rust spots.

 

Alfons pretty much covered it.

If your new/old wheels haven't been abused or stored in the Sound, you can probably get by with out the POR15. If the paint is good but shiny just scuff the old paint with some 280 or 320 wet/dry sandpaper.

When you paint, I'd use engine enamel, wheels are subjected to some heat from braking, ya know. Or take 'em to Linex and have them coated with bed liner. Or go to O'Reilly's and get their cans of spray bedliner. Gives a pretty nice finish--and isn't so conspicuous.

Have fun with the project and post up some pics when you get 'er done.

Go Cougs, (Seahawks!) Dawgs drool!

 

Omg. I don't need to know how to paint. I only asked if the steel wheels would look good black. Hell, I don't even have em! I just wanted to know. I said I was interested in buying them. Please stay on topic.

 

Well, I for one, didn't read all that knowledge into your question so I gave you a quick overview of how it's done. Knowing how to paint should have answered your question on repainting.

By answering a question for anyone on a forum like this, it's hoped that others can learn from the answer, and gratitude is seldom asked for, but stomping on the giver is called "burning your brideges behind you" - occasionally you need to cross them again. Gratitude is also something that can be learned, and showing it can make your path in life a lot easier.

 

It's okay Alfons, we still loves ya! The other part of this forum is that insecure people post up "blue sky" ideas to see what others think, and get support for their "original" ideas. Black wheels aren't really too revolutionary, tho. I had a set on my 78 Toyota pickup. In 1982. . .

Obviously we hit a raw nerve with Jeremy. So, excuse us! And never mind.

An insincere "thanks" would have been classier.

 

You're right Brian, I guess I allowed my chain to get jerked, sorry about that. I just get annoyed when people who think they're giving a helping hand get the boot from those who asked for the help in the first place.

 

The open ended question of "Anybody ever painted the stock steel 16x7 wheels?" can bring all sorts of angles. If you simply wanted to know if steel wheels would look good black, you should have just asked that. Then you get everyone's opinions on if they do or do not like black wheels. Were you expecting yes or no responses? Your original post asks no where if black wheels would look good. Difficult to stay on your topic with a vague thread title. I, for one, believe every response was on topic with us not knowing your specific question until post #5.