i got gold GTA wheels for my firebird. I was wondering how i go about gettin them black. i know i need to paint them....but how do i do that.

 

This is JUST A GUESS, so take it for what it's worth...

The rims may have a coating on them to protect them from oxidation. I know the polished aluminum rims do, but I don't know if that applies to the painted rims.

If not, then what u would need to do is VERY CAREFULLY and THOROUGHLY mask off the chrome part of the rim. Then sandblast the painted center section to remove the paint -- but make sure the chrome part is very well protected during the sandblasting.

The painting should be a simple spray on deal, but make sure u use heat resistant paint. The paint might even have to be baked on. Or, caliper paint might be a good idea if u can figure out how to apply it evenly w/ a brush.

Sounds like quite a project to me... good luck!

 

There is no chrome on the GTA wheels, just clear coated aluminum. I would just clean the gold well, degrease and then prime and paint. Wheels shouldnt get too hot durning "normal" driving so I wouldnt worry too much about buying high temp paint. While you are at it I would strip the clear off the aluminum and polish, looks real nice

 

You could have them blasted if the original finish is a bit scabby, the ideal finish is have them lightly sand blasted, then either get a paint-shop to spray and maybe laquer them. There are firms who will even do the whole job [not the cheapest way] Or get them blasted and spray them yourself using aerosols.
At the end of the day diy is cheapest, they will look as good as the effort you put in.

 

Looks like chrome to me... and I can't imagine that the new paint would stick very well to the smooth surface of the gold paint. I certainly wouldn't recommend stripping the clear coat off -- I have polished alumunim rims on my Grand Prix and they've corroded where ever the clear has been scratched. That looks bad enough... I can't imagine how bad it would look if the whole rim was like that! Maybe the clear coat isn't as necessary if the rims never see salt, but GM wouldn't spend the $$ to put it on there if it didn't do anything.

As for the high temp paint... well I've had a few "spirited" driving sessions and afterwards my front rims were too hot to touch. I guess high temp paint isn't really necessary, but it's better to be safe than sorry... I wouldn't wanna find myself in a situation where I'm driving hard and worrying about ruining the paint job on my rims. But maybe it's not a problem if u don't drive like a syc0path

Oh yeah, the caliper paint will also be much more resistant to brake dust and much ezr to clean.