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1920s Disc Wheel Pin Striping


JRA

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Hello Guys, I have to paint the wheels of my 1926 Sudebaker Big Six, sport roadster, but I am not finding any reference about disc wheels paint and pin stripping. My car has true disc wheels. Body color will be red, black fenders and black mouldings, yellow pinstrippe. Suggestions or examples to share?
Any pictures will be very much appreciated.

Thanks

JRA

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8327D817-C03A-4B58-8174-D56F677B14D9.jpeg

Edited by JRA (see edit history)
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Paint the wheels black and pin stripe the same color as on the body. If you introduce a 3rd color beyond black or red that you have already chosen it will go beyond looking like a period correct car for that era. The choice of black or whitewalls will also affect the visual impact of the car . Wheels are a sphere and act as a bulls eye /target image to anyone who views it. The way they are treated /painted can "make or break" how you get an appearance that isn't "over the top". A deep maroon on the wheels would also compliment the red on the body if the red isn't of the "fire engine" level.

Edited by Walt G (see edit history)
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I have already bought blackwall tires, they are my choice for this 1926 Studebaker Big Six. And the locking rings, what color, or plating?

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2 hours ago, Walt G said:

. A deep maroon on the wheels would also compliment the red on the body if the red isn't of the "fire engine" level.

What's wrong with the "fire engine level" ?

 

Jim

1931 Bickle-Chevrolet fire engie.jpg

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Were the lock rings plated when the car was new? Most lock rings I know /have seen were chrome plated but that was after chrome plating had replaced nickel as the more durable finish ( starting in the 1927/28/29 time period)- in 1926 I am guessing that lock rings were painted. You would/may  not want to plate the lock rings in chrome with nickel plating on the rest of the bright work...................

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Just now, J.H.Boland said:

What's wrong with the "fire engine level" ?

 

Jim

1931 Bickle-Chevrolet fire engie.jpg

Absolutely nothing wrong if you are restoring a fire engine!!!!  Just like taxi cab yellow is great for taxicabs...........

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4 hours ago, JRA said:

I have already bought blackwall tires, they are my choice for this 1926 Studebaker Big Six. And the locking rings, what color, or plating?

Depends on if the lock rings were originally plated or not.  Here is a Disteel Wheel ad from the period and you can see they were black on the inner part, main part painted to match the car, and then the lock ring painted black again. This design is how the Cole in the first picture I shared is done.   Some cars had the lock ring plated to really pop.  s-l1000.jpg

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Less is more. Year appropriate colors make the car have better eyeball. There is a lot of Stude info out there, including factory photos. Take your time and research it. Too much bling and bolt on do dads make the car look busy..........

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1926.jpg.993cbc7b622660e97053a244f783012c.jpg

 

1937437296_1926bigsix.jpg.900b53d14cfed28e61674e9307a2b391.jpg

 

The Big Six would have been different than the Dictator.

 

My educated guess is two pinstripes looks like 1/4" and a 1" center stripe, wheels look body color, black 1/4" stripes

 

Looking at your wheels, I would paint the wheels and lock rings body color, pinstripe the wheel lock ring on the wheel center the black (easy to touch up for chips) paint a bright stripe just inside that ring approximately 1 inch wide followed by a second inside stripe the same width as the locking ring.  A good stripe painter should be able to help you out.  Most Harley shops will know someone who still pinstripes. 

 

I would try hand sanding the spare tire wheel to see if you can find any original paint/striping

 

Wheel.jpg.05ff4ff609661c380186982d93c6f6ff.jpg

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On 10/3/2021 at 1:38 PM, Walt G said:

Paint the wheels black and pin stripe the same color as on the body. If you introduce a 3rd color beyond black or red that you have already chosen it will go beyond looking like a period correct car for that era. The choice of black or whitewalls will also affect the visual impact of the car . Wheels are a sphere and act as a bulls eye /target image to anyone who views it. The way they are treated /painted can "make or break" how you get an appearance that isn't "over the top". A deep maroon on the wheels would also compliment the red on the body if the red isn't of the "fire engine" level.

 

Pin striping needs to be studied, I don't like the stuff that stands out a half block away, I'd rather see it come into view at 10-15 feet. It is one of the make or brake features on a car, good work costs money. Enjoy the time with the artist if he is happy to have you chat and watch while he works. 

 

Bob 

Edited by 1937hd45 (see edit history)
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7 hours ago, Graham Man said:

1926.jpg.993cbc7b622660e97053a244f783012c.jpg

 

1937437296_1926bigsix.jpg.900b53d14cfed28e61674e9307a2b391.jpg

 

The Big Six would have been different than the Dictator.

 

My educated guess is two pinstripes looks like 1/4" and a 1" center stripe, wheels look body color, black 1/4" stripes

 

Looking at your wheels, I would paint the wheels and lock rings body color, pinstripe the wheel lock ring on the wheel center the black (easy to touch up for chips) paint a bright stripe just inside that ring approximately 1 inch wide followed by a second inside stripe the same width as the locking ring.  A good stripe painter should be able to help you out.  Most Harley shops will know someone who still pinstripes. 

 

I would try hand sanding the spare tire wheel to see if you can find any original paint/striping

 

Wheel.jpg.05ff4ff609661c380186982d93c6f6ff.jpg

Thanks for sharing this ad and factory picture, Graham Man. The wheels in the photo seems to be a perfect approach to me. My car will be red with black fenders. There is a moulding dividind upper and botton section of the body, and it will be also black, but with a thin yellow pinstrippe. The picture below is not perfect but shows the moulding in the rear section of the car.

EA53D0EB-49C2-41C4-9DC6-9D7B3969D664.jpeg

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Pin stripers use one Shot Sign Lettering enamel - if you have an upscale art store near by they will have a rack of the colors as well as color charts, see if you can't get a color chart and when you have the new color on your wheel hold it near the chart and see what works. A thin stripe works best and that is what was there when new - probably 1/8 inch at the most. I may be hyper critical on this point but have studied automotive history since the mid 1960s and collected period material on that of pre WWII era vehicles. This includes color chips, books, etc as my career was in teaching art for 40+ years ( most years 6 days a week) . As has been mentioned here and on other topics - TAKE YOUR TIME , do the research, do the homework and look at color in natural light not under fluorescent light bulbs- that will totally change the color of what you are looking at.

No more comments from here until after Hershey , have to complete packing !!

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I could not find color references for the 1926 Studebaker Big Six roadster on these charts. The manuals I have are not covering the 1926 model (EP series). There are details from 1927 only. Any suggestions? Oswego Red or Parisian Red seem to be possible colors, but I cannot identify them.

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41 minutes ago, JRA said:

I could not find color references for the 1926 Studebaker Big Six roadster on these charts. The manuals I have are not covering the 1926 model (EP series). There are details from 1927 only. Any suggestions? Oswego Red or Parisian Red seem to be possible colors, but I cannot identify them.

Perhaps Richard Quinn will chime in with a color chart or two.

 

Craig

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I believe Studebaker used Ditzler paint in 1926 rather DuPont. There is a clear reference in the Service Bulletins of 1926 about the advantages of Ditzler paint. The charts above are for years Duco was used in Studebaker, so they do not cover 1926. 

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I have to admit the 1926 Studebaker Big Six wheel striping is unique, but I like unique, maybe it is just me?  They are correct most cars in 1926 had demure colors, lots of blacks and blues

 

1937437296_1926bigsix.jpg.900b53d14cfed28e61674e9307a2b391.jpg

 

I like the Absinthe Green, just type the color name in google, you will be shocked how most colors have not changed name.

 

1918863349_Absinthegreen.jpg.a5d422c0cbe85ddf5f66bc9aef42d083.jpg

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8 hours ago, Graham Man said:

I have to admit the 1926 Studebaker Big Six wheel striping is unique, but I like unique, maybe it is just me?  They are correct most cars in 1926 had demure colors, lots of blacks and blues

 

 

 

I like the Absinthe Green, just type the color name in google, you will be shocked how most colors have not changed name.

 

1918863349_Absinthegreen.jpg.a5d422c0cbe85ddf5f66bc9aef42d083.jpg

Several years ago, a common Fleet color combination was Thornton Orange/Peking Red/Crofton Ivory, very often seen on transit buses, trucks, taxis, etc.  And the color chips are ahown in the 'Commercial Colors' section of a 1967 Ditzler paint book I have.  Google it, and not a lot comes up.    Of course, the familiar Federal Standard Color 595C/595 was seen on a lot of GSA fleet vehicles:  https://www.federalstandardcolor.com/   Most of them never had a name, just an official paint code number from that chart.  For example, a fleet of Studebaker trucks for the US Navy state #16187 on the Production Order for the paint code: https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/general-studebaker-specific-discussion/89938-studebaker-navy-trucks/page2?87811-Studebaker-NAVY-Trucks=

 

Today, the trend for generic colors that are open to all manufacturing is the 'RAL' color standard, which is supposed to be an international color code for vehicles, industrial equipment, and consumer products.   https://www.ralcolor.com/

 

Craig

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This article about car colors is very interesting. Unfortunately I could not find the original doctoral thesis of Gundula Tutt, from Germany, “History, development, materials and application of automobile coatings in the first half of the 20th century".

For sure bright colors were common in sports cars in 1920s.

 

https://www.consumerreports.org/consumerist/a-brief-history-of-car-colors-and-why-are-we-so-boring-now/

 

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  • JRA changed the title to 1920s Disc Wheel Pin Striping

I have already removed 2 wheels and sandblasted them. Now they are ready for the paint oprions. Based on the different comments here I could identify some proper alternatives to use in my car, regarding to color and pin striping. Soon I will share the results with you.

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This at be a dumb question but after you choose the color how do you paint a perfect circle?  Do they sell pin stripe tape in circles or is it easy to make a curve with the tape?  The only auto painting I have ever done was with a four inch brush on a

57 DeSoto back when I was 17 !  
dave s 

Edited by SC38DLS (see edit history)
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19 minutes ago, SC38DLS said:

This at be a dumb question but after you choose the color how do you paint a perfect circle? 

Very easy and fast!  Raise the rear wheels put it in gear, then SLOWLY make contact with your thin paintbrush.   Then switch the fronts to the rears and repeat!

 

If I was still working at a gas station, I'd use the modern electric balancer!!

 

Craig

Edited by 8E45E (see edit history)
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If you can mount the wheel to a hub, you can spin the wheel and maintain a fixed brush position to paint a perfect circle.

Here's a YouTube video showing how to stripe wheels with a Beugler pinstriping tool:

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Some painting tests of two options of red. The car body will be painted red, fenders will be black, the pinstriping will be yellow.

The red colors were the best alternatives I found to match oswego red and parisian red.

The pinstriping and wheel painting schemes are based on the original factory pictures I saw (some above, others from Studebaker books). 
Opinions and suggestions are welcome.

Many thanks!!

 

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FDAD160E-5700-4590-A461-8508E2C4B91F.jpeg

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The one with the black hub center and not prominent yellow wider band looks so much more "period" . With a bright red car you don't need more attention to anything. Will you be fitting black or white wall tires? that makes a big difference and the less attention on the wheel color ( like the yellow band mentioned) the less the wheels viewed  in profile will become a 'bullseye' to keep your eye focused on that then the style/lines of the car itself.

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