1913 touring wheel and rim color

[MMorse]

I'm rebuilding the wheels on my 1913 touring due to loose spokes and felloes, as well as large cracks, etc. This caused me to wonder about the color of the wheels and the rims. Are the wheels the same as body color? Were the rims cadmium plated or galv, or were they also originally wheel or body color? I don't find anything about this in Bruce's book, but maybe I missed something. If you know the answer to these questions, I sure would be appreciative knowing.

Thanks,
Mike

[DHarmon]

Mike,
Wheels (Rims/Hub/Spokes) were painted body color. When I restored my '13 Roadster I asked the same question on this forum and Larry Smith sent me a bunch of photos of original cars that validated that they were painted body color.

Dave

[MMorse]

Excellent, Dave. Thank you very much! This makes painting the wheels much simpler. I appreciate your help.

Mike

[KWTownsend]

And correct body color for 1913 would be midnight blue.

[rickd]

A little more info from Larrys' article about the 1913 car; He indicates the wheels were blue with a V stripe on each spoke and a single stripe on the felloe. Just in case you want to add more detail to your wheels.

[Allan]

I believe the rims were not plated , cadmium or zinc. They were painted when the assembled wheel was painted.

Allan from down under.

[MMorse]

Thanks guys! I appreciate your help. I don't know that I'll add pinstriping for now, but perhaps someday. I have no plans to restore it to original, but if I do someday when I retire, it will be the dark midnight blue.

I bought the car several years ago and it's an older restoration- body color is green with cream/yellowish wheels. For the non-Model T people out there, half think that it's all original because of the condition. The other half think that it's wrong due to the presumed Henry Ford statement about all T's being black. I think the upholstery is original since it is leather and in very poor condition, but that's probably it. Fun car to own.

Thanks,
Mike

[KWTownsend]

Mike,
I love the green over black! Even if it is a color that did not come from the factory.

For Model Ts, I've never been a fan of cream colored wheels. Although many other early marquis had cream colored undercarriages and wheels, when they get dirty, they look terrible!

If it were my car, I'd paint the wheels green to match the body. Matching the color pinstripe would really set it off.
Otherwise, I'd paint the wheels black.

I see you have a Prest-O-Lite tank on the running board. Do your headlamps operate with acetylene? If they do, it kicks the cool factor up a couple of notches and you earn bonus points in my unimportant opinion...

: ^ )

Keith

[Original Smith]

My latest restoration is a 1913 runabout. I painted it with Chris Craft Blue, which is a dark blue, but probably not midnight.

[Original Smith]

Here are some recent photos.

[Art Ebeling]

On a car with blue wheels what color is the rear brake drum? Where they painted blue with the wheels or black? Art

[MMorse]

Keith, I agree completely about the cream colored wheels. Some guys like them, but I don't really. They are quite dirty. When I get the rebuilt wheels back, I plan to paint them black, but if I restore someday and paint it the original dark blue, then I'll repaint the wheels that color. Prest-O-Lite tank is not connected and I don't have a regulator. Something that I'll work on someday in the future once wheels are done and running well, and after I somehow repair one of the steel top bow pieces that's bad (and maybe after I replace the coilbox with the correct version or else a look-alike that takes later coils, rebuild the speedometer and get the parts to hook that up, and...

Larry, that is a beautiful looking car and the best looking blue for a '13 that I've seen. I've seen much lighter blue than that and it's not really my preference. I'll make a note of that blue in case I ever decide to restore this car.

The green on my car looks okay and it really looks quite well used and weathered, so don't be fooled by the picture I attached that makes it look nicer than it is. I really like that look though and it is in good shape. Other people seem to really like the somewhat 'original' look as well. I completely restored my '24 tudor to look shiny new and I'm not really ready to do that to the '13. The upholstery is really bad with much horsehair showing and the top is really ratty with incorrect rear window, and that might ultimately force me to restore the car fully to shiny new if I replace them. The inside of the top still looks like it had hosted 100 or more mice for a winter slumber party- yuck- despite a heavy cleaning I did last summer. A lot of people love that look though. The engine and transmission are now rebuilt as well as the rear end and driveshaft. Plus a new radiator. Once wheels are rebuilt I feel that it should be a pretty safe and hopefully reliable car to drive.

Thanks again for your responses!
Mike