MTFCA Forum

I want to paint my 1927 Coupe's wire wheels the straw color. Does anyone have a paint formula for that color?

You might want to investigate powder coating. You will get excellent coverage and an extremely durable finish (far more durable than paint) which will hold up better to tire mounting than paint.

If you don't care for that option, then you should consider mounting your new tires onto the wheels while they are in primer, mask them appropriately, and paint...and then cry when you get your first flat.

Allow me to second Scott’s powder coating advice. This is a picture of my ‘straw’ powder coated wheels on my ‘26 Tudor. Not only is powder coating much more durable than paint; years from now they’ll stay ‘shiny’ while paint fades.

In the MTFCA Forum search box, do a search for “wire wheel color code”. A lot of threads for 5his Model color will come up from which you can select the one that is the most helpful. Jim Patrick

I'm not sure how close it is to the model A color discussed here.
http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/11 ... 1292020911 "The old Ditzler DAR (acrylic enamel) number for Straw is 82302"
Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Monday, December 21, 2015 - 10:37 pm:
"For other years, the encyclopedia has the scoop." And from the MTFCA Encyclopedia (last resort )

Notify the painter to try not to paint the inside of the wheel. They put so much paint on mine that the wheel would not go on the hub. I had to clean that part off. You should probably mask it off.

The inside of the bare steel hub should be protected by at least a coat of red oxide primer which you can apply. Once applied, you can mount the tires then mask it off as per Scott’s advice above, before taking them to the painter. If left bare, rust streaks and blisters will eventually appear around the rim working its’ way under your new paint job. If you have the rims painted before mounting the tires, you will mess up the paint job when you get the rims back and attempt to mount the tires. Jim Patrick

I am going to stray from the group and relay my experience with powder coating on many Model A wheels.

First thing to know is that there are different levels of quality with powder just like paint. It is anybody's guess what each individual company uses. Second off is that I can tell right off the bat the difference between painted and powder coated wheels. The shine is usually a little less depending on how good of a sprayer you are. And my experience is that it is powder coating not paint that dulls over the years (assuming you are using modern day urethane paints and not archaic lacquer). Third, powdercoating makes body work more difficult as you can't use just any filler because of the heat and you can't go through the sanding process with several coats of primer to level it out. This is usually where there is a big difference between paint and powder.

It is harder to paint them but the result is better and will last longer as long as you use quality materials like epoxy primer and a good urethane paint (not rustoleum or lacquer!).

As a side note, my tyre dealer has a modern machine to mount tyres and it will take 22" rims, so T 21" wire wheels are easy. The best part is the rim is held by just three "grabbers". On these he puts a little electrical tape so they don't damage the paintwork. The rolling on device is set so that it too, never contacts the rim. One bead rolled on, fit the tube, roll on the second bead, with never any tool contact with the paintwork. Easy peasy.

I prefer to paint wheels with oil based enamel. I can do it at home. It keeps it's gloss well. It is easy to touch up. It doesn't interfere with the fit of the wheels on the hub. It doesn't chip and break away at the stud holes or valve stem hole. Unlike broken powder coat, rust does not let creep along under it.

Allan from down under.

Several years ago I requested the Ditzler archives people to provide a modern cross reference for the straw wheat color. This is what they recommended:
The important code is the Toyota color code. There could be a problem getting a current formula, since this color is for a 1974 to 1978 Toyota. The Toyota paint code is 528.

http://paintref.com/cgi-bin/colorcodedi ... 2&rows=200

If you go with powder coating make sure to get some of the powder used. You can mix it with acetone to make touch up paint if the powder coating chips. Works great!

The 82302 paint code referred to in the encyclopedia is for a 1977 to 1980 Fiat

http://paintref.com/cgi-bin/colorcodedi ... 02&rows=50

I went to the local rural king farm store, and bought yellow and white implement paint plus hardener for it. The wheels were sandblasted and primed. I mixed two parts yellow to one part white, plus the hardener, and they came out very well. The hardener makes it take a lot longer to dry hard, but they were bug free fairly quickly. The hardener makes the paint shine more, and very resistant to chips. 4-5 days to fully harden. When you can no longer smell the solvents of the paint, is a good clue, plus check with a fingernail in a hidden spot for softness. Be patient!