VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 Wheel paint

Hey guys,
I need to paint the wheels and body on my '28 Coach before the Middle West Meet and pre-29 tour. Don't have much time to get it done. I need the modern paint color equivalent for Dunsmuir Gray (wheels) and Avenue Green (body). Can any of you help? Sent email to '28 tech advisor without reply as yet.

Chipper!,
try this link:
http://fp3.antelecom.net/herb/paint28R.htm

Thanks Mack! I'll go to the paint store tomorrow and look at the chips or have some mixed.

Hi Chipper,

The paint chart Mr Mack references above was adapted from a similar chart that paint Guru Art Davidson ie 'Old Chip' provided back in the eighties.
You can also use the original Ditz-lac Intermix System Paint Formulas for Dunsmuir Grey - IM-21 - and Avenue Green - IM-953 - to have mixed locally or buy the paint on-line. Click on
www.autocolorlibrary.com and select
chevrolet and 1928 to view the chips and read the information to purchase paint. I know of no one who has really done this but we all think you would be the perfect guinea pig. The color chips are quite murky looking but I expect the paint would be excellent.

Herb

Herb,
I found the equivalent color for the wheels as listed on the paint chart. It was mixed in DuPont acrylic lacquer (high gloss). I will see how it turns out. Since we did not have any luck finding the MG equivalent nor a formula in two computer systems, have not yet had Avenue Green mixed. I will try PPG website. Everytime I look at the color chips on that site I can not tell anything about the colors. My nose is beginning to twitch and have a craving for greens. Does that mean anything?

Hi again Chip,

Note that I have switched the above paint codes, Avenue Green is actually IM-953, sorry for the error. Looking at these paint chips just seems to make my eyes cross. I always thought that the MG Green was British Racing Green but the paint charts seems to show lots of greens. Maybe the race cars were just bottom of the barrel green !

Anyway my 28 Roadster ended up metallic 94 Olds Bravada Green just like the tow car and trailer so, you know what kind of a purist I am. See
fp3.antelecom.net/herb/herba.htm

Herb

Herb,
I noticed the correct number when I visited the PPG site. It surely can be British Racing Green. Haven't decided if I will buy the paint online or not. May just give it a try. My only problem is there are no PPG outlets close by and I am a bit queezie about using primer from one mfg and top coat from another. Guys here do it all the time most without problems.

Hey,

It looks like Chipper and myself are doing the same thing for the Pre-29 meet. I have a question on the lug nuts for a 28. Are they painted black or are the nickel? I’ve seen them both ways.

Bruce,
The wheel nuts, rim nuts, bolts, rims and disc wheel clamp ring are all black. Most that are cadmium plated or painted to look like cadmium are based on the assumption that the practice in '27 and earlier contined into '28. Actually beginning in '28 and all later rims, nuts, etc. were painted black. "The Boss's" '31 fire truck has plated rims and nuts which I now know are incorrect.

In researching the last answer I found that the '28 Coach had both Tartan Tan disc wheels with Black stripe and Dunsmuir Gray with Black stripe. Apparently the Tartan Tan wheels were early production. Interesting?

If you stated a reference for your finding of BLACK, I must have overlooked it.

Chip, never mind the reference, I'll take your word for it, seeeing that you are from.....TEX-[bleeped]! also I am really glad, I have a whole can of Rustoleum glossy black spray paint!

Chey Chip -

In another thread and again in this thread on Coach wheel colors, you made reference to the wheel rim bolts/nuts, rim clamps, and hub plate nuts as being Black for 1928 models. Can you share with us where you learned information?

The discussion you bring up has been around as long as I've been interested in 28's. I realize that most folks on this site take exception with pictures of restored vehicles in various publications and rightfully so, but in the first edition of a book called "Chevrolet Chronicle", pages 42 and 43, there are two original photographs of 1928 Chevrolet vehicles in a Dealership setting where the wheel rim bolts/nuts and rim clamps on the vehicles shown appear to be silver in color while the hub plate nuts appear to be black. One photo shows three vehicles in a Showroom setting (Coach-Roadster-Touring), circa 1928. The second photograph is in a service bay with a '28 Coach on a lift. In the same area as the original photographs, there is an artists rendering of a '28 Coach where all of the items noted above, plus the split rims, are colored Black. I tend to stay away from artists drawings of vehicles for obvious reasons but it's tough to argue with original photographs. Your comments please!

Dick

I have several pieces of '28 Chevrolet sales literature that show either light colored or black rims, wheel and lug nuts. All are artist drawings or colored photos. I too distrust the accuracy of the depictions. I also have a catalog from 1930 issued by a wheel distributor. It lists '27 rims, bolts, nuts are cadmium plated and '28 are black. I can't find it right now as it is not in the file folder. I will copy the page(s) when I find it again. I also contacted the '28 Tech advisor and asked about rim paint. Was told a semi-gloss type black was used similar to the frame paint. My '28 Coach has rims that have black as the second coat on them. The first layer is oxide primer. I know that this is not the final word on the subject and the primary reference is not Chevrolet but have not found a Chevrolet reference for the four cylinders that gives the finish for the '28 rims, nuts or bolts. Guess I need to take the time to look through more of my stuff. Am more certain that the '29-31 rims, bolts, nuts, clamps are black. Have more references to support that.

Didn't work for me either Chip, but the picture opened fine, just got the dreaded red x after I added it to my MSN photos, I'll try another website....

[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0XwDYAqIaA79OTn*ZnLiLpqQAmG1nsU8Fj1XKv!x!Ivdm2L7d5xM1ecUg59EZDNgf!dKJbF2FMyfttCmGFxzVjNEeBwtcYlkLGKW1lr9sD5r3bUgw2O!9aq6Gpe2WjbYLlyYnZs7wAl0/27-8-CHEV-JAXON-RIMS.JPG?dc=4675422498170988905[/img]
Wallah! Success at last!

Thanks to Mr Mack who posted (previous post) the picture scanned from the following catalog. Copied from “1930 OFFICIAL CATALOG of GENUINE WHEELS RIMS and PARTS for Passenger Cars and Trucks”, Jacob Mattern & Sons, Inc. 630 West 52nd St. 137 West 56th St. New York, N.Y. Catalog No. 5; page 31. Jacob Mattern was distributor for many of the wheel manufacturers of the period. This is the only printed reference that I have found so far on rim finish for 26-28 Chevrolet passenger cars. Other illustrations in same catalog list '29 & '30 rims as black also.

I have checked my factory photos for 1929 and 1930, and so far all of the photos that I have looked at also confirm that the rim finish for 1929 and 1930 is black as well. :cool2:

Chevy Chip,

I'm still having a problem with the 1928 demountable rim finish, Black paint vs Cadmium finish. Lets take your 130 vintage Jaxon Type 30 Demountable Rim chart one part number at a time. I have two Chevrolet reprint parts books. One rather thick unit dated February 1, 1928 and a second appreviated thinner book dated July 1, 1940.

Shown on the Chart Provided!

P/N 937979, Chevrolet Superior, Series V (closed) 1926 & 1927: and Capitol, Series AA 1927. Both of my parts books confirm this P/N as valid.

P/N 937689, Chevrolet Series R & X Truck (front) 1926 and 1927. That P/N is not listed in either of my parts books. The 1928 parts book lists P/N 343787 for the R series truck and P/N 937689 for the X Series Truck. The 1940 parts book lists P/N 346015 for both the R and X series.

P/N 938199 is not a Chevrolet usage item. My April 1, 1939, 1929 - 1939 Chevrolet parts book lists the 1929 Demountable rim P/N as 938239.

P/N 938143, Chevrolet National AB Series, 1928. This part number is not listed in either of my four cylinder parts books. Both four cylinder parts books list P/N 938149 as the usage for 1928 National AB series 30" x 3 1/2" demountable rims.

So, where do we go from here? Do we believe the Chevrolet Parts Book part numbers with no reference to rim finish or do we believe your 1930 vintage Jaxon Demountable Rim Chart with its own unique set of part numbers and finishes as listed? I would sure like to see something, published by Chevrolet, with the information we seek on it, one way or the other. My personal belief is that the rims were Cadmium in 1928 with the exception of the Sport Cabriolet Convertible Model, which I believe were Black, but currently I have no valid proof for either.

Chevy Chip,

One additional piece of information. I have a poor Xerox copy of the "Engineering Data for 1928." In the Tire and wheel section, note is made about the changing of wheel width for 1928 along with the statement that a new design Tire Valve was being used eliminating the dust cap for better valve accessibility. No mention of a rim finish change. Also in the back of the packet is a black and white Xerox copy of each body style (drivers side) where the split rims and wheel lug/bolts, and nuts all appear white in color. I would think that had those items been black at the time the photographs were taken, they would have shown up as black in the Xerox copy.

All
I have a copy of the GMA (General Motors Aust) specifications which states that all rims, rim bolts, fellows, hubs and rim clamps are black

I should immagine that this spec came from US and can't imagine GMA changing such things, especially when black was cheaper than cad plating, and after all, the Chev was marketed as a cheap car

My 28 coach that came from Minnesota and hasn't been repainted since it was new, has black rims.

Most people here cad plate their rims, because of ignorance or the fact that the black gets damaged when removing rims

A mate visited a museum in US where all this information was available, he spent many hours there and confirmed one thing that I'd been told, and that is that 28's didn't come with a spare tire, only a rim, the tire was optional

I'll try and find out where the museum was

Chris

Well, I found out about this source of info, it wasn't a museum but a library owned by one of your members, Bob Hensel? (not sure of spelling) who took it to an Anniversary rally and set it up in a room where people could access it

So it's now back to you guys for follow up

Chris

The old codger Is just 'a-sittin' , 'a-rockin' and 'a-shakin' a Can of Eastwood almost original Cad paint in one hand and a can of Rustoleum Black semi-gloss in the other hand, says " I think I will go ahead and powder coat the rims nuts and bolts as soon as I decide which I will use" Gosh I hope I can find some almost original Cad. colored powder. That is right after I wear out the fine ALLSTATE SAFETY Nylon cord tires with the original air and red rubber tubes that came from Illinois on Klinkerbelle.

I like Oldie have some doubts about this debate I have a lot of 28 sales books and demonstration booklets and the cars in those original photos have plated wheel rims and from the sales brochures that I have collected the convertable cabriolet is the only car with black rims on the brochures all the other body styles had plated ,and the reference that Oldie gave earlier on the book chev chronicle clearly shows that there are two different colors on various body styles. I think we should all agree to disagree.

I also have several conflicting pieces of Chevrolet literature. Most are artist colored photos or illustrations and totally unreliable. A couple show black rims but most show lighter rims which I assume are meant to be zinc plated. Now for the book "Chevrolet Chronicle" by Arch Brown, et al. On page 42 is a photo of a Coach in the lower left corner. It clearly has black rims as does the artist colored illustration in the ad at the top right. The same for the Coach at the top left of the next page. The photo of the 5,000,000th Chevrolet is again a Coach with black rims. The photo of the show room on part of page 42 and bottom of page 43 shows three models with lighter rims. The photos on the next two pages are of "restored" Chevrolets one clearly with correct black rim color. The other two have lighter (plated) rims. The roadster in the center of page 44 is again likely artist retouched (the ligher rims show wheels better particularly in black and white photos or illustrations). It is also likely that some early cars might have had plated rims and more likely that pre-production did also.

Jim, You are correct that we will agree to disagree but not to have an open mind and accept that common knowledge is just that! I am a guilty as anyone of that. Now you should be willing to consider that the rims were painted black as some of the photos illustrate.

Sorry Oldie, I have not had time to go through my books to see if any of the other part numbers match.

Oldie,
I have looked in a few parts books and find:

The July 1, 1927 parts book shows 937979 as: Sup., C (Series V)
Aug. 1, 1929 shows 937979 also (Feb. 1, 1930) (Feb. 1, 1931) (Aug. 1, 1932

The July 1, 1927 parts book shows 937689 as: Sup., (Series X)
Aug 1, 1929 shows: 938077 for: (Series X, LM, LO, LP) also (Feb. 1, 1930)
Feb. 1, 1931 shows 938075 for (Series X, LM, LO, LP) also (Aug. 1, 1932)

Jan 1, 1929, shows 938239 for (Series AC) 938077 for (Series LQ)
Feb 1, 1930 shows 938239 for (Series AC) 938379 for (Series AD) 938077 for (Series LQ, LR)
Feb 1, 1931 shows 938239 for (Series AC) 938379 for (Series AD, AE) 938075 (Series LQ, LR, LS, LT)
Canadian Parts book May 1st, 1931 shows 938239 for (Series AC) 938379 for (Series AD, AE), 938075 for (Series LQ, LR, LT)

The AB series (30”x4.5”) (Series AB) P/N 938149 ( Aug. 1, 1929) (Feb 1, 1930) (Feb. 1, 1931) (Aug. 1, 1932)

What does all this mean? Duh guess for some numbers validation for others ??????