What kind of paint do I use for the center hub caps?

White Lincoln

White Lincoln

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1994 Mercury Cougar XR7, 3.8L, all stock
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I painted my wheels and hub caps back in 2019 and the hub caps have darkened but the wheels are staying the same. I want to paint the hub caps again, but I don't want them to darken or fade or change color from what the wheel color is.

The pain I used was:

VHT Ford Argent Silver Wheel Paint 11oz​

I sanded down both the tire and hub caps, used primer on the wheels, but I think I just sprayed the hub caps with he Ford silver paint.

What did I do wrong that the caps are darkening?

As you can see in the pic, the front is darkened, the one in the rear is not because I just pulled it out of my extra junk when I busted one putting it on the wheel.
 

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Did you use any clearcoat and if so what type?

To me the color match of VHT argent is pretty dead on. If they’re darkening I suspect it’s either heat or brake dust related. I think the color coat is less suspect than the clear(or lack thereof). Id stick with the VHT argent but try a can of spraymax 2K clear as the topcoat.
 
Just curious, are those caps metal or plastic?

You said you didn't use primer on the caps but you did on the wheels. Could that affect durability of the color coat? Especially if it's plastic, you'd need some sort of adhesion promoter or paint which is formulated for plastic.

I agree that clear coat is crucial on any exterior part for protection.
 
XR7-4.6 said:
Did you use any clearcoat and if so what type?

To me the color match of VHT argent is pretty dead on. If they’re darkening I suspect it’s either heat or brake dust related. I think the color coat is less suspect than the clear(or lack thereof). Id stick with the VHT argent but try a can of spraymax 2K clear as the topcoat.
Click to expand...
Yes, I used clear coat as well on both wheel and cap for extra protection. I believe it was either Dupli color or Rustolleum (however you spell it).

1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
Just curious, are those caps metal or plastic?

You said you didn't use primer on the caps but you did on the wheels. Could that affect durability of the color coat? Especially if it's plastic, you'd need some sort of adhesion promoter or paint which is formulated for plastic.

I agree that clear coat is crucial on any exterior part for protection.
Click to expand...
Plastic...
And as far as effecting the color if I did not use a primer? Frack if I know! I just wanted to spray my hub caps and did not believe the diff between aluminum wheels and plastic hubcaps would be a big deal when they hit the sun. The paint itself should have protected the plastic. And my car is not in the sun that much to begin with! Heck, I left my fog lights on accidently the other day and melted my plastic covers, think I am wondering how that happened? Heck no, I know I was an idiot to not buy the clear hard plastic ones that you can use with the lights on! (shaking my head in shame)

On the wheels, I had to sand those down to get the scratch's and nicks out and the crappy rusted paint on the back side sanded down too. Then i put layers of grey primer on the front and back, painted the fronts the Ford silver with several coats and the rears with a base grey, then silver cause it just looked funky. The paint has held up from the Costco guys pulling the wheels and checking the balance and putting them back on. The inside paint did not fair so well when I tried putting the wheels back on and found out I was not as strong as I once was a few years ago. wheel studs can be devastating to many things...
 

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The more I thought about this, I am going to take the caps, sand them lightly and try to get any chips and stuff taken care of and then spray with a good outdoor primer than the Ford Silver along with an outside clear coat. Then see in a few years if they crap out again.

Thanks!
 
Sounds like a good plan. If they weren’t primed/sealed, plastic can suck up the paint over time. I would suggest getting a 2-part catalyzed primer, since once cured it will fully seal the plastic and prevent any future discoloration.
Something like this would work best. It is expensive, but worth it to only have to do it once.
 
Nice looking Cougar!
Shortly after I bought mine I bought new replacement center caps. They are in better shape than the wheels, and because of that a color shade or two off.
Been thinking of getting new tires and going back to the stock 7 spokes. Maybe refinish the wheels and add another project to the list
:unsure:
 
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