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MG MGA - Steel Wheel Color

Any suggestions on a paint code for steel wheels? I thought there was a Ford code number that was generic and easy to find in a rattle can, thanks in advance...
S Ohanessian

I took my wheels to a powder coating company and matched the original finish to their color samples. The powder coat looks much better and will last much longer. Unless concours finish is your goal I chose powdercoat.
R J Brown

Rustoleum makes a Satin Silver color that I think is a perfect match. Unfortunately, the can says Metallic and they make several shades of Metallic Silver so you need the right code. I don't recall what it is. I will have to look it up tonight when I get home.
Cheers,
GTF
G T Foster

Pick a colour that goes with the body colour.
Personal choice, I took off wire wheels to fit these,I just like the look.

Ross

R W McIntosh

Hi, I posted the following message and image about a year ago. I used the Duplicolor WP101 and I'm happy with the way the wheels turned out; hope it helps....Dennis


I saw in the archives that Duplicolor WP101 was close to our rim color. I took a rim in the store and Rust-oleum 248927 looked like a better match from the can top. I did a comparison test in the image below masking off the original paint. I think its original since I've had this rim in the my basement(s) since the mid-60's.

In all of the pictures, Duplicolor is on the left and Rust-oleum on the right. In person, the Duplicolor is the best match, but both are more metallic than the original.

NOTE: Differences in photo color is because I was using different settings on the camera.



Dennis Suski

A couple years ago, I thought I would like the rims the same color as the car, but I ended up hating the look as compared to the silver.

Dennis Suski

OK, checked the Rust-Oleum can. The code on the sticker says "7277 Matte Nickle". The front of the can says Metallic Brilliant Metal Finish. Trust me, this is the right color. Ask your hardware store for this color code.
Cheers.
GTF
G T Foster

Hi VHT have a spraycan called -
polyurethene Wheel Paint---aluminium
fantastic alloy colour-- spray it on really lightly-just sort of dust it on -otherwise it runs easy or gets dark patches--you'll need a few coats to get it to cover nicely- dries as hard as a rock and looks magic- Cheers Willy
WilliamRevit

I would like to second RJ's suggestion to powder coat the wheels. I did my wire wheels for $50 each (been a while) in Mercedes silver. Very close, hard to see the difference unless you see the original and M. silver side by side. One thing about powder coating, you'll only have to do it once and your wheels will look like new for a long time.

Randy
'59 roadster
Randy Myers

Yeah, body colour wheels can look pretty jarring. I saw one Alamo Beige car that tried this and with a basically pink car with pink wheels, it looked like a giant....well, maybe I won't say on a family forum.

There are quite a few silvers that are good, including Moss. I tend not to powder coat as the spray is so easy to touch up. The counter agrument of course is that the powder coating doesn't chip (EVERYTHING chips!)
Bill Spohn

I powder coated a set of wheels on my 89 Toyota 4X4 pick up in 93. My brother uses it today as his backup vehicle. The wheels still look amazingly good after over 200,000 miles. The original wheels were starting to look bad after 4 years. The only downside I know of is the powder coat can be chipped when wheels are balanced if you are not careful.
On my Red car I painted the wheels black and use trim rings. On that car I like the look.
Below is a picture of a powder coated wheel on my coupe.

R J Brown

Here is a picture of the red car with black wheels, stock hubcap and trim rings. Black may not be stock but I like the look.

R J Brown

I used a duplicolor paint from NAPA not sure of the part # but I have alot extra. Can this be shipped thru the regular postal service? (US Mail) I will be glad to send you a can.

M Gannon


Powder coat WILL chip. I have the chipped deck furniture to prove it.
JM Morris

Very few people have any idea of what the "original" colour actually was, because it darkens over time and with exposure to light and the real world. C 1970, when we still could find OE wheels new, that had been stored in boxes, or wire wheels with the Dunlop rim bands still in place, we took some to our paint supplier. They matched it to R&M fine metallic base, which is what all metallics started with. In other words, there is no tint whatsoever. R&M became ICI and I don't know what they might be now.

I use Masterseries MCU silver primer, which is equally "white", and then clearcoat it, which greys it a bit and looks much like a normally aged clean wheel. The Masterseries is near indestructible and also has galvanic protection qualities, so a good choice. The Masterseries is designed as a primer, and has "tooth", so the clear is a necessity if you want to clean the wheels. How much the clear greys it is a function of what clear you use and how much you put on.

FRM
Fletcher R Millmore

http://www.levineautoparts.com/dupwheelpain.html

I found this at a local parts store (not at the store in the link) for my dad's mercedes rims, and it was very tough stuff.

I used the silver, which was not too bright - so maybe a good choice.

JIM in NH
AJ Mail

Mark Gannon- Thanks for your kind offer, I will let you know and thanks to all for your suggestions.
S Ohanessian

>Powder coat WILL chip. I have the chipped deck
>furniture to prove it.

Just like any paint, powdercoat WILL chip if the preparation is shoddy, the product is poor, or if you hit it hard enough. The success of any coating is entirely dependent on the material, surface preparation, and application technique. I'm sure that the maker of your mass produced deck furniture spared no expense on getting the powdercoat right...
Del Rawlins

Del--apparently, they spared just enough expense to get it out the door! :) But it sure looked good at the time. Question: Once it chips, THEN what? That's why I liked Bill Spohn's response.
JM Morris

Once it chips, you repair it with paint. That doesn't invalidate the advantages of a well-applied powder coat.
Del Rawlins

Meticulouis preparation is the key to a lasting paint job. I have painted my wires with Rustoleum silver, followed with several coats of Rustoleum Clear. The clear gives a bit more protection and depth. I repainted the wheels on the GMC Yukon last spring with silver followed by several coats of clear ,the original paint fell/rubbed off within two years, the Rustoleum has a few chips but still looks good after about 60,000 miles. (The GMC is our courier van and goes about 60,000 miles per year, about 260 trips from Auburn, California, over the Donner Summit, including snow and road grit, into central Nevada and back)! I have also painted with grey with clear coat. Looks very good, not quite so sparkley.
Russ
Russ Carnes

Thanks to all for your input. I did the wheels with the Rust-Oleum 7277 Matt Nickel and they look great!I installed new radial tires replacing the old biasply and what a world of difference they made!!! In the 40 years I have driven my A it has never driven so good.
S Ohanessian

This thread was discussed between 24/03/2010 and 06/04/2010

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