MTFCA Forum

Anyone have the colour code on the wood wheel rims 1926 model?
Preferably in RAL code. They're supposed to be silver coloured aren't they?

The demountable wheel rims are cadmium plated, not painted silver. If painting is your only option, any silver paint will do.

The silver color is from galvanized finish on demoutable rims in the T age. Cadmium plating was developed much later in the 1930’s

A good substitute is spray can finish using ‘cold galvanize’ paint popular for touch up on piers, docks, and chain link fences and posts.

Thanks guys.

I forgot to say that it was 21" demountable rims.

They have to be sandblasted and painted, så then it's probably good old RAL 9006 then. I'll check with the workshop that's doing the job.

Acording to the Les Henry Model T Restoration Handbook, 1919-25 demountable rims were zinc plated, 1925-27 split rims were cadmium plated.

As far as I know, the rims were neither cadmium plated or galvanised. They were electro-plated zinc. It has smooth finish, unlike hot dip galvanising, but it is not as durable as galvanising. The finish quite quickly turned a darker grey. Fresh electro plated zinc colour can be closely replicated with brush on aluminised paint. 'Silva-frost' is the brand I use, even on previously plated rims, to bring older examples back to matching newly plated rims.

Allan from down under.

A good substitute is spray can finish using ‘cold galvanize’ paint popular for touch up on piers, docks, and chain link fences and posts.

That's what I use. Works and lasts.

Thanks guys.

I'll check with the paint shop to what would resemble cadmium plated surface.

Cars that I did in the 80’s were done in ‘aluminum’ silver and it always made the tires seem bigger...

Over the years as I’d buy up rims I’d take some originals, rub them out with mineral oil...and decided that the color was a gray base, and not a silver base color.

Fast forward over a bunch of years now decades long with many rims on more than a few cars, and I did a set in 2018 and decided to go 2 coats of Rustoleum Smoke and was very pleased with the results.

The closest RAL equivalent to that would be 7040 or 7042.

Every time this subject comes up, confusion walks upon the scene. Consulting the dictionary: galvanize coat (iron or steel) with a protective layer of zinc : an old galvanized bucket.

There are two methods of galvanizing, electroplate and hot dip. The hot dip method is preferable because it applies a thicker coat of zinc. That's why I buy old hot dipped nails at auctions. New electroplated nails you now get at the hardware store are so thinly electroplated that they turn to rust spots in a few years.

Rims galvanized with the hot dip method.

The Model T Encyclopedia says demountable rims were zinc plated (galvanized). It says nothing of cadmium, which came into use for plating on an industrial scale in the thirties and forties.

As the picture shows, I have my rims galvanized. If I were painting them I'd use silver (aluminum) Rustoleum, also known as Oklahoma chrome.