i painted my wheels with the tires on them. not to hard just tape off the tires. I used a wire wheel. then a wheel that removes rust. i don't remember the name but it looks like a hard sponge on a wheel. My wheels had a ton of rust scale. I then primed and painted the wheels with 2 coats of primer, color, and clear. But i did take my wheels of the truck and put them on some saw horses one at a time.
I also got some 50's or 60's pontiac wheel covers that cover the whole wheel for car shows. they don't stay on worth a damn.