The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Wheel paint

I have 4 wheels for my 49 that need painting. Question: is there any special paint I should use? Will it hold up to road conditions?...Can I use rattlecans?

in my opinion if you don't have a "show truck" a nice rattle can job can look pretty good and the upside is you can always touch it up, or repaint with minimum expensive. I've done it many times. Heck, back in the early days we painted the red rims with a brush!

Thats right. If you want to go with a more durable and longer lasting finish, there are two methods that produce similar results. Powdercoating is one. Its pretty much an easy way because you just take the rims to them, and its done when you pick it up.

The way I went, of course the hard way, was sandblasting to bare metal, epoxy primer, high build urethane primer to smooth to perfection, epoxy sealer to keep everything stable, then a good one stage Urethane topcoat. LOTS of work, but the result was amazing. Although honestly, powdercoating would be much easier for a very similar result.

http://devestechnet.com/Images/Restorations/1950B/D50b00668lg.jpg

I agree with Deve with one exception.
"powdercoating would be much easier for a very similar LOOKING result"...
The Epoxy primer route has less tendency to develop a crack and allow water in than the powder coat.

And....I'd agree with you CASO, on that powder coat. I've
ridden behind to many semi's on the freeway that had that
lousy powder coat blistering off the back ends of their
trailers in sheets.

As usual, Deve over did his paint job, not that there is
anything wrong with that. Now,,, it's obvious that his
project is shaping up to be a trailer queen. With all the
effort he's put into the finish on everything there ain't
no way his gonna drive it on the street.
But....I did like him, 'cept not so particular, after stripping
the old original paint off, I applied a light coat of
PPG DP90 primer to emulate the E-coat:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/117149904/original
And went right over that with black Delstar enamel:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/117149814/large
No sanding and no sealers in between, heck.....it's a wheel
not a hood and that's all they did at the factory. Besides, I
do want to see the tooling marks and stamped numbers thru the
paint just like the day those wheels rolled off the production line.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

This is a great site for many reasons. One of them is that people with different skill sets can converge to discuss their projects and learn from each other. ANOTHER, is that people can discuss different pickiness levels (yes that is a thing) and can come together to cajole and mess with each other over their OCD.

Denny knows that everything I do is over the top. My shop, everything about the projects I do, its ALL the very best quality I am capable of. I work really hard to be REALLY capable. This does not mean that I am breeding a new Trailer Queen. It means that everything I do goes along with what my Dad used to say before he died of Alzhiemers a few years ago. Since a young boy, it was "any job worth doing at all, is worth doing RIGHT" (not left! LOL). So, my project may look Queeny, but its going on the road the minute I can get it there. How else can I check the new dual MC, Front disc brakes, Overdrive, 3 speed FLOOR shift, Hitch system, HEI, PCV, the list goes on and on. Who would put that in a trailer? If they had one. Just giving Denny a good natured hard time.

Thing is, I cannot be responsible for GM taking the cheap route on their processes. If I can do it better in my little shop, then SHAME on them for not providing just a step up in quality. BLASPHEMOUS!

Trust Denny though.. He knows his stuff. Caso and Achip too. You are in good hands. The list of names here on the Stovebolt goes on and on. You found the right place!

Thanks guys, mine is a drive around town truck (Georgia town of 1600), so I think I will try rattle cans. I will post photos when done.

Glad you saw through the fog and that I was indeed pokin' some fun at 'cha Deve.
You are quite correct as to the different ways people approach
the 'restoration' of an antique, vintage or classic vehicle,
which ever you want to call it. As many do, you strive to
make your truck better than the GM factory could produce,
at a price they could market and still profit from.
I try my damnedest to return what I can to what the factory
or at least the dealer handed the customer or the way it was
just a few years after the customer owned the vehicle.
Some want to have all the convenience of a modern vehicle but
retain the image of a weather worn field find. And some want
never to drive them. They're aim is to own a status symbol and
are satisfied to simply put their gem up on a pedestal so people
can comment on the outstanding level of perfection that was
achieved by throwing their excess cash at the vehicle.

Albeit minor, I've got waves, orange peel, and some slump in
the paint from repairs that she suffered over the years. Some
new dings from my parking lot neighbor, a few fresh paint
chips from the gravel road I went down and from the June bugs
I took out at 55mph. She's got mud and grease on her under
belly cuz I haven't given her a bath for 8,000 miles. Those
scars on the running boards are from my boots scrapping on
the gloss black enamel cuz I dint like the way the Bowtie step
plates looked, or maybe it was that I couldn't afford them.
That new black paint on those wheels has been chipped up a bit
from popping the hubcaps off and on over the past 16,000
miles that we've spent together.
Now, I don't look at all of that as abuse or neglect, it's
just the way my 1950 would have appeared along about 1958
when I first got my drivers licence and couldn't afford a
new truck. See, I would have been driving one of those $200
beaters back then and since the fate of an old man is to
revert back to a baby in the end, I'm just sliding back down
though that period in time, in which I would have been trying
to make my old used ride as presentable as a youth of
sixteen was capable of.
All of this over some painted wheels, wonder what Sparky
would have to say 'bout this one????
But.......that's my way, I leave the rest of you to your own
devices.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Now Denny, here I was just a sitin back enjoying a good read and ya just had to poke at me. FWIW, I have come to think a guy or gal buys iron in whatever shape, condition or state their pocketbook will allow and for whatever dream they have to do with it along the way. If it makes them happy to restore or leave as is or lower, chop and drop a 500 HP gas burner it so be it. It's their dime and their time and if I don't like it I don't have to look at it.

Now back on topic: I chose to powder coat the wheels on my '37 some years back. So far so good as far as wear and tear. I will add that I was cautioned about the effects of long term sunlight exposure. I keep the truck garaged most of the time and with a good coat of car wax. I haven't decided what to do yet with the '46 wheels. The existing factory paint looks fairly decent, so just a good cleaning and otherwise leaving them alone is an option.

I have seen powder-coated wheels that have not faded (perhaps you have to specify exterior UV stable powders)?

One set that I have was done several years ago by Stockton Wheel Service Inc..

I have six 20" 3-piece wheels out for powder-coating by a local firm (who powder-coats for all sorts of exterior surfaces/uses, including colorful exterior art-work/sculptures).

If available and you can afford or want I vote powder coat. Most paints will not survive tire changes, spoons or curb rash.....
Dan

That would depend on who's doing the tire change. if you can get someone competent at using the equipment, the tires should be able to be changed out without damaging the finish.

The crapshoot there is getting the tech that day that is competent and gives a hoot. Around here the odds would be against the customer.

I called around to three places before getting the 5 tires done after painting. Two of them just said "Not Interested". I was very surprised by this. Businesses that do not want your business unless they can screw up your stuff? I am a small business owner so this is very offensive to me.

The one that agreed allowed me to watch the entire process. They used plastic covers over everything and did a very competent job. I can't find a single scratch on anything. The moral of the story is, our country is in real trouble, but aside from the obvious, shop around and accept nothing but absolute perfection from the businesses in your local area. When they fail, write to Letters to the Editor of your local newspaper and embarrass those who just dont give a (crap). I think the sentiment is this way all over the country. If you dont stand up for what is right, you are condoning this ridiculous behaviour.

In the case of the shop I used to work at (closed from corporate stupidity, rather than poor business/workmanship), if someone came in with wheels/tires that needed special care, either they had me do it, or if I wasn't there that day, set up an appointment for them for when I would be there. Not so much because the tire tech and other mechanics there were incompetent, but rather they knew I was the best at it, especially dealing with tube type tires.

I'm in the middle of the "wheel" stage right now on my restoration of a 1951 Chevy Fire Engine. I don't know if this sounds ridiculous or not, but I had my mechanic make up a rig for our engine stand so I could spin the wheels as I painted them. In my mind, it makes sense to be able to hold the paint gun in one place, moving it very gradually from outer edge in, as I spin the wheel with the other hand.

It makes painting the wheel very simple, and so far, seems to give good results. It does require painting in 2 steps, of course. I did paint the front of one wheel sitting flat on a table - didn't turn out so good. I suppose putting a wheel flat on a spinning dolly, like a lazy suzan (sp?) would also be an improvement, but I'm not a huge fan of spraying down toward the ground, with a rattle can or a paint gun, but especially with a paint gun.

I wonder how the factory painted the wheels? Probably hanging from big hooks on a conveyor? Or maybe electrostatically?

-Michael

http://devestechnet.com/Home/SuperJigPlans at the bottom. It uses a 6 inch Lazy Susan bearing assembly for each one so they spin effortlessly. I have been unable to find a better way to paint all 5 wheels at once. By doing it in two steps there are no bare areas to contend with. Until they bring Mag-Lev technology to the restorer, this is really the best I can think of. I do the inside of the rim first, then the outside.

http://devestechnet.com/Images/Restorations/1950B/D50b00668lg.jpg

I think you have something there!

Barn find original wheels on a daily driver only vehicle 24/7/365. Actually that's a lie cause I don't drive her every day. An old truck club friend gave me these beauties, I've touched them up, but how could you paint these original pin stripes? Notice the width of the stripes.

How wide are the pin-stripes, Cosmo? They sure are nice looking.

I've seen stripes from 1/8" to a little wider than 1/4". I guess it depended on the mood of the painters (hand painted).

Also hard to duplicate. I want to do that on mine, but know better than to try it myself with one of those Eastwood rim dealies.

Totally agree on your last statement. I'd say a heavy 3/8"!

I gave my painter a knuckle/spindle with a drum/bearings on it. He mounted and spun each wheel - touching the applicator to the spinning wheel. He cursed at me because my tires were already mounted (the air-filler stem got it his way).

1/8" on my 1954 Suburban wheels (to match the original 1/8" stripe on the cab "belt").

Well, when I restored mine, I stripped the old paint, rattle can prime and finished with hammertone spray. After being garaged for about four years, it is starting to rust around the edges. Maybe when I get back to it I will try your method Denny. Steve

I ran a 10' piece of 2" conduit between my bench vice and a roller stand (for catching boards off a table saw or the like) and was able to spray all four wheels inside and out, spinning when needed as well as positioning for room to move.

It made 3 coats or epoxy primer and 2 coats of SS easy peasy.
And the conduit is still hiding above my garage door waiting for another project.