Paint or Powder Coat your wire wheels ?

[FLYER15015]

O.K. Guys, here we go............

I am getting the '31 Chrysler Imperial ready for the summer driving season and I have noticed that the wire wheels really need some TLC.

So my question is, do I tear them all down and start from scratch with blasting, etching and powder coat, or paint.

OR to I wash them up real good, mask the tires and spray paint them. If you have done this, please explain your technique, and products used.

Keep in mind there are SIX to do.

Let the discussion begin.

 

PS I will not be going for AACA badges. She is a NICE driver.

 

Mike in Colorado

Edited March 4, 2019 by FLYER15015 (see edit history)

[keiser31]

My 1931 Dodge Brothers wire wheels were powder coated by the previous owner. He worked for a powder coating company, so he did a lot of parts that way. I DO see a little rusty residue around a few of the spoke bases after years of running them, but I think that is coming from the rim under the inner tube band. I had to do one thing to keep from getting flats. Apparently, the previous owner hung the wheels from a wire that was wrapped around the innermost area of the outer rim where the inner tube band is. When he pulled the wire off of the wheel, it created sharp ridges that protruded into the inner tube band. It took me three flat tires in a week to figure out what he had done. I had to go to each wheel and grind down those nasty sharp edges.

[Matt Harwood]

You already know the right way to do it.

 

But that's also expensive and if those tires have been on there for a while (never mind the tubes) then their survival isn't guaranteed if you peel them off. With that in mind, I might just clean the wheels as well as possible with some acetone and spray them and see what you get. If it doesn't work, then you cross the bridge and tear them down for sandblasting and paint/powder. I personally prefer powder but there are others who will advocate for the easier blemish repair of paint (although I'll argue that it's unlikely such wheels will get blemished in normal use). Powder will outlast the tires and most of us here on this board before it starts to show signs of age.

 

I would recommend running your masking line under the trim ring rather than at the rim, or if you go to the rim, deflate the tires and break the bead away from the rim so you can get full coverage. Aim for a color that's as close to what's on there as possible so if you have coverage issues or a chip, it won't be as evident. Take your time and make sure it's clean, that's really the most important part. I bet a local auto paint shop can mix up a few cans of aerosol paint in an automotive-grade finish that will be durable, maybe even add a little flex additive for the spokes. You'll pay a good bit for it, but the better quality paint will make a difference in the finished result.

 

Love the Imperials--that's a big, handsome car!

[Gunsmoke]

Removing the tires and tubes is a breeze with the snap/lock rings, not hard on tires/tubes at all. The advantage of powder coating is the finish is much harder and thicker and resistant to scratching etc. This is important if dealing with snap rings that need to be carefully pried to "snap onto" the rims after tire/tubes are in place. I had this set (from 1930 Marmon) powder coated 2 years ago in anticipation of using them on my Chrysler CD8 Roadster project. I've since found a correct set for the car. Since I was doing a driver car, I got the snap rings powder coat chrome. The rings had been pretty rusty, and I should have de-mounted them ahead of time and spent a few hours smoothing them, but did not. If your rings chrome is decent, then just powder coat the wheels, I'm sure you will be pleased with the results. PC for my wheels cost $300Can (about $225USD) for set of 4, and another $125Can for the rings. 

[FLYER15015]

I know Matt is right, and powder is really the way to go.

Since these are 'break down" wheels and the rings are real chrome, several of which could stand rechroming, I would also have that done.

My concern is that she is wearing a rather old set of Denman tires that I don't want to lose.

My local tire guy is very good though and I think I will take one in and see how gentle he can be.

 

I will also stop in Denver and chat with Steve @ Bert's Model A to see who they use for blasting and powder coating.

 

Nobody ever said this was a cheap hobby, but I'm hoping it will pay off in the long run.

Seeing all the top level cars in Ocala has given me inspiration.

 

Mike in Colorado

[Rusty_OToole]

Under the circumstances I think I would do a quick paint job with the tires on the rims, with the idea that when new tire time comes around it will be time to have them stripped or sandblasted and powder coated.

[Spinneyhill]

Put a zinc undercoat under the powder coat. This will stop the rust appearing around the spoke ends, particularly at the hub. Wire wheels must "work" = deform to mobilise their strength, so the paint will be worn through eventually. This will also stop rapid rusting under the coat if you get a chip.

[cdb]

be careful with galvanic zinc coating. better hot dip them in zinc. galvanic will cause hydrogen brittleness and that is a bad idea for spokes. problem can be prevented if you do a heat treatment after the galvanic plating.

 

 

 

 

[Spinneyhill]

Yes. But after a hot dip (galvanising) you will have a lot of sharp bits to file off. I think my powder coater put on a zinc-rich powder undercoat. When I first bought the car it had some kind of organic zinc undercoat under the paint.

[Matt Harwood]

Let's not go crazy over-thinking this simple process and paralyzing him into inaction. For a car that will be driven sparingly, gently, and almost exclusively in warm, dry weather, there's just no need to protect the metal on the wheels down to the molecular level. Sandblast it, treat it to neutralize micro-rust, then powder it (or prime/paint it). The spokes will flex and yes, eventually there will be a crack at the spoke/hub junction. Perhaps some day in the very distant future, maybe a bit of rust will be visible at the base of a few of the spokes. If you leave that rust untreated, maybe another 100 years after that you might have a critical issue that you need to address with the wheels. Or not. But I bet any job will outlast anyone currently reading this message.

 

Just strip/prep/powder or paint it and go enjoy the car. A good job either way will last many, many years and you won't have to find someone who can do a hot galvanzing dip or worry about making the spokes brittle or all the other academic esoterica that is bound to come up during that particular discussion.

 

Please, let's stop over-thinking these basic jobs. It just doesn't help anyone. I know the intentions are good, but there's just no need to go overboard with this stuff on today's toy cars.

[Spinneyhill]

Indeed. When I took the tires off my powder coated wheels, there was rust in places under the tire bead and the coating was just sitting over it. Poor job? Tire moving? Rust not cleaned off first? Water and detergent used to fit tire? Probably all of those things in places.

[John_Mereness]

Really beautiful Imperial !  

 

I agree with Matt via his March 8th post.  Have the wheels sandblasted and powder coated (or prime and paint) and being cream or any other color that is not the color of "rust or close to the color of "rust" (that is why you usually see me with wheels painted maroons or reds, and not a fan of browns but that solves the problem too) you are going to get rust around the spokes over time (or from around lock rings) - a nature of the beast kind of problem.

 

Sidenote:  I made a mistake taking fairly beautiful wheels with rust around the spokes and a few other blemishes and having them sandblasted to find that the prior owner had filled pitting = I basically created a very expensive time consuming project for myself - if I had paid better attention I would have just hand sanded problem spots and gun sprayed the wheels. 

Edited March 16, 2019 by John_Mereness (see edit history)