Lee Exline Posted April 19, 2009 Report Posted April 19, 2009 I had the opportunity to purchase 5 of the 48 spoke 15X5 Chrysler painted wire wheels in very nice shape and for a very good price. Now I have some questions! They sure did not offer them in Australia so they would not be "correct" for my UTE but I always liked the style. And being able to paint them body color or a contrasting color is even better than chrome in my book. 1. has anyone had experience stripping the original paint for repaint? what method worked best. Chemical, soda blast, media blast? Don't want to damage them now. 2. Who has the best price on the center caps? Mine are pitted. 3. What size tire are you running on them? I would prefer radials Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted April 19, 2009 Report Posted April 19, 2009 Lee..is 15 on 5 correct for your utes..would have thought that they were 4.5 bolt circle.. as for stripping..a hot lye tank may do you wonders..that is how I stripped my Spitfire wires long back..they get cleaned very well that way..and then just prior to priming them..a quick run though a low pressure blast cabinet with light grit will make give the paint the bite it needs stay in place and last... Quote
Lee Exline Posted April 19, 2009 Author Report Posted April 19, 2009 Lee..is 15 on 5 correct for your utes..would have thought that they were 4.5 bolt circle.. Yes they are 4.5 bolt circle! I was wondering if hot tank dipping would loosen the spokes by removing paint between the spokes and the rim? My old spitfire did not have wire wheels so I have never dealt with wire before Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted April 19, 2009 Report Posted April 19, 2009 Lee...visit some little british car sites as about all these cars were available with wire wheels...I know lots of these folks do use the lye tank method. finding a set of five was definitely a feather in your hat that day... Quote
Reg Evans Posted April 19, 2009 Report Posted April 19, 2009 Are the spokes on these wheels adjustable ? Maybe they should be checked out for trueness before the new finish is applied. My guess is that any method of stripping would be fine because they were bare metal when constructed. Quote
BobT-47P15 Posted April 19, 2009 Report Posted April 19, 2009 I bought a set of those painted wires back in the 1970s......they were silver. Left them that color. Used them on my P15 coupe, then also on the convert. Ran some 215 x 15 radials on them with no problems. Were in very good condition, so they did not bear any cleaning up. Eventually sold them....a dumb move, but oh well. Now I have another set that came off the 54 Plymouth, appeared to be white originally. They sat outside on the car for several years, so need to be cleaned up. Not sure which approach to take.....thought about taking them to a local sand blasting company. Or just work with them myself using the wire wheel on the drill. Plan to use them on the P15 coupe. Quote
Andydodge Posted April 19, 2009 Report Posted April 19, 2009 Lee, unfortunately I have some bad news.........as you wish to put them on your Oz ute, you will have to have them aclimatised to the correct stress's that Oz ute has endured..........therefore you must place them in a large box and send them to me here in Australia.........I will ensure that they get the correct aclimatisation process by installing them on my car........purely to assist their eventual installation on your car.........oh, and you'd better get some new hubcaps and send them as well..........we certainly wouldn't want those old pitted ones on show now would we.......especially here in Oz........anyway I trust this will assist you in your wire wheel endeavours........lol..........your friend.....lol...........andyd ........gee I'm such a great guy for offering to help Lee......lol.........andyd Quote
Frank Elder Posted April 19, 2009 Report Posted April 19, 2009 Andy you are horrible for telling stories like that! Everyone knows there is an Omaha cooling down period for rims sent from the down under, after they have been on my coupe for a suitable period then Lee can have them....lol! Quote
grey beard Posted April 19, 2009 Report Posted April 19, 2009 Lee, My brother, Paul, commits the sin of being a (gulp) street rodder. He found a pair of those Chysler wires and had them acid dipped at a radiator shop, then they were blasted and powder coated Ford creme yellor. They look veddy nice on his '35 Ford with the appropriate hub caps. Lug pattern was the same, and they look totally stock, but are, of course, quite a bit wider. Likely you could skip the acid bath if the blaster is very good at etching that chrome enough to get a tooth for the paint to adhere. AND use a good primer unnerneath, JMHO. Good Luck Quote
Lee Exline Posted April 20, 2009 Author Report Posted April 20, 2009 Andy It's bad enough that I am driving this car down the wrong side of the road over here but by sending the wheels to you to "break them in" would just confuse them even more when they came back. Sorry I need them dependable not confused! Frankie How did you feel the first time you got your hand up a girls shirt and she pushed your hand away before you had time to figure out what you were doing? How do you think your car will feel if you take them away just when it is begining to enjoy them? That would not be fair and it would probably suffer a breakdown! Grey beard Luckily these have never been chrome plated (only the center cap) so they should be a lot easier to strip. Plus they are almost completely rust free. These are not as wide as the set your brother has. They are a 5 inch wide were your brothers are 5.5 or 6. They also have a slightly different offset note were the outermost spokes enter the rim. I have had a set of the chrome ones back before they were reproducing them and the cost to replate them scared me so I sold them. I have been looking for a set of the painted style for a few years and this is the best set I have seen plus there is a spare. Now here is the part that will kill you! http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260386965043 The guy did a bad job of describing them so not many people found the auction and I was the only bidder. I got them for less than $200 with delivery included so I can afford to sit on them until I need them. I am thinking along the lines of painting them a contrasting color to the UTE and putting a set of radials with the fronts being just a little smaller to give it a mild dropped front and I can use those tires cruising around town and going to the good guys events to give a stocker that insta rod look. But when it is time for real car shows the original 600X16 steel wheels with the export only Desoto dog dish hubcaps get bolted on. Quote
BobT-47P15 Posted April 20, 2009 Report Posted April 20, 2009 These people sell new center caps, as well as wheels. Their ebay ad.....http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chrysler-Wire-Wheels-40s-60s-Chrysler-Dodge-Plymouth_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ34209QQihZ001QQitemZ110294158077QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW Quote
Lee Exline Posted April 20, 2009 Author Report Posted April 20, 2009 These people sell new center caps, as well as wheels. I emailed them to get the price of just he caps and they want $75 per cap plus shipping and Kanter has them for $47.00 http://www.kanter.com//catalog/productdetail.aspx?Tg=624513&Mak=Chrysler&Yr=56&Dv=1&Dpt=1000&Sb=0&Vdr=&Itm=&MDv=1&MDpt=0&MSb=0&Cat=9&Prc=114 Of course then you wonder what is wrong with the Kanter units? Has anyone ever used the kanter caps? Quote
knuckleharley Posted April 20, 2009 Report Posted April 20, 2009 I had the opportunity to purchase 5 of the 48 spoke 15X5 Chrysler painted wire wheels in very nice shape and for a very good price. Now I have some questions! They sure did not offer them in Australia so they would not be "correct" for my UTE but I always liked the style. And being able to paint them body color or a contrasting color is even better than chrome in my book. 1. has anyone had experience stripping the original paint for repaint? what method worked best. Chemical, soda blast, media blast? Don't want to damage them now. You can't go wrong with a plastic tub filled with white vinegar. Let each wheel soak for a day or two,scrub with hot soapy water to make sure all the vinegar is gone,and then immediately prime it. When you are through you can use the old vinegar to kill weeds,or just put it in a closed bucket and use it to strip rust off small parts and bolts. Quote
BobT-47P15 Posted April 20, 2009 Report Posted April 20, 2009 Lee, the ebay ad says this is who makes their center caps...... "Steel center caps from Bornstein of California" Have no idea what the difference would be in quality or fit. My white wires really need new caps also. You might ask Kanter if they can say who makes theirs. Quote
Andydodge Posted April 20, 2009 Report Posted April 20, 2009 Lee........I promise not to confuse them........lol.......$125.00 the set!!!!!!!.........did you pull wings off butterflies as a kid?.........lol........and heres me offering to help you with your Ute..........hrumph!!.......lol........now if I was a cynical sod I'd swear that you didn't think my offer was genuine.......lol..........did you check whether the seller had a brother with another set of wheels?.....lol........andyd Quote
John Mulders Posted April 20, 2009 Report Posted April 20, 2009 read it quickly and may have missed it , but do you consider powder coating? John Quote
Lee Exline Posted April 20, 2009 Author Report Posted April 20, 2009 read it quickly and may have missed it , but do you consider powder coating?John I am considering it. There is a powder coating place right here in town and another couple more within 20 miles. But I have a blast cabinet compressor and paint gun so I will probably just paint them here. However if I can find a way of chemically stripping them instead and then just rough them up for paint I would prefer that to get into the tight spots better. I just have a concern about any neative effect chemical stripping might have on the wheels/steel? Quote
RobertKB Posted April 21, 2009 Report Posted April 21, 2009 Try vinegar as mentioned earlier. I used it on lots of parts when I did my '38 Chrysler and it works well. Quote
Andydodge Posted April 21, 2009 Report Posted April 21, 2009 If you can get Molasses, it makes a great rust and paint remover, tho' its not recommended using the old molasses on a piece of toast.........lol.........andyd Quote
Lee Exline Posted April 21, 2009 Author Report Posted April 21, 2009 If you can get Molasses, it makes a great rust and paint remover, tho' its not recommended using the old molasses on a piece of toast.........lol.........andyd I have heard about the molasses method and was surprised how well it worked on rust but had heard conflicting reports on the paint. some say that it takes off paint and others say it would not? yes I can get molasses at the local feed store. Virigar I had not heard about Quote
BobT-47P15 Posted April 21, 2009 Report Posted April 21, 2009 How many gallons of molasses does it take to clean a wheel??? Do ya immerse the item in the stuff, or just brush or pour it on. Guess it would stick. Quote
Lee Exline Posted April 21, 2009 Author Report Posted April 21, 2009 7:1 mix ratio with water and leave to soak a couple weeks. Check this thread for more information. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=142435 I figure since I have five wheels I can try it on one an check the results first before putting the rest in? I can get 5 gallons of Molasses from burget mill in Altoona for $14 I just need to bring my own container. Check with your local mill that mixes feed for livestock. I am looking for a plastic barrel/drum that they use for chemicals nowadays to give this a try. These barrels hold 44 gallons less the displacement of the wheels 5 gallons should more than cover it? I have also been directed to furnature refinishers to have them dip stripped in a hot tank ? Quote
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