"D" wheel refurbishing

[7T1240]

Thought I'd post some pictures of my recent wheel refurbishment. I bought the aerosol wheel paint from Les Cannaday - www.classicdatsun.com

For the black centercap area, I used an SEM product - "Colorcoat Flexible Coating" - Landau Black #15013. I sprayed small amounts of this color into a clean 8 oz. cup and brushed it onto the centercap with a #4 hobby paint brush. The centercap color match was spot on to my eye.

First photo is a before picture, with spokes somewhat faded and center black area flecked off in places

Second photo is of refurbished wheel.

Third photo is the SEM Landau Black product.

Gary S.

[AZ-240z]

Gary,

Nice job with the paint job. Does the aerosol paint you got from Les have the same texture, kind of a rough or match scratch surface, as was original to these wheels? I'm restoring a set of these and need to get some paint on them. Thanks.

Dan

[7T1240]

Gary,

Nice job with the paint job. Does the aerosol paint you got from Les have the same texture, kind of a rough or match scratch surface, as was original to these wheels? I'm restoring a set of these and need to get some paint on them. Thanks.

Dan

Dan, hello.

I wouldn't describe it in those terms. It's a fairly smooth texture. I went with what Les sells because of his involvement in the Z restoration program. I wonder, was the texture rougher as new from the factory, or simply as a result of aging?

Gary S.

[e_racer1999]

looks good! are you planning on doing a clearcoat over it to help in preventing wear?

[7T1240]

e_racer,

hello. Good question, I did consider it. However, I asked Les about clearcoat when I ordered the paint, and he said originally the wheels were painted with just the color coat, no clearcoat. In the interest of attempting to maintain originality, I went with his input.

Gary S.

[AZ-240z]

Dan, hello.

I wouldn't describe it in those terms. It's a fairly smooth texture. I went with what Les sells because of his involvement in the Z restoration program. I wonder, was the texture rougher as new from the factory, or simply as a result of aging?

Gary S.

Gary, when these were new, the paint texture has been described as a match scratch surface. If you ran your finger over the scratch surface of a box of matches, that is pretty much the texture of the original finish. As a result, one had to be very careful not to get wax or any other contaminates on the paint as it was nearly impossible to clean up. The front grill and the taillight surrounds were painted with the identical paint. I am sure that if Les handles this, it is a pretty close match.

Dan

[e_racer1999]

e_racer,

hello. Good question, I did consider it. However, I asked Les about clearcoat when I ordered the paint, and he said originally the wheels were painted with just the color coat, no clearcoat. In the interest of attempting to maintain originality, I went with his input.

Gary S.

makes sense. it'd be a tough call for me

[bobc]

Gary,

Nice work! I've got a set I need to restore too. I've got to have them re-chromed first. Would you mind telling me how you painted the wheel covers? Did you tape around the outside or use something circular to maintain the line between the paint and the chrome on the outside of the wheel?

Thanks

Bob

[Zak's Z]

Hey, nice job. I love when people post pics of a part theyve restored. Those look good.

Zak

[7T1240]

Gary,

Nice work! I've got a set I need to restore too. I've got to have them re-chromed first. Would you mind telling me how you painted the wheel covers? Did you tape around the outside or use something circular to maintain the line between the paint and the chrome on the outside of the wheel?

Thanks

Bob

Hi Bob. Your first guess is correct, I taped them off. For the outer chrome rim, I used 1/4" easy release painters tape (3M green) to section off the chrome from the painted area, then used a 2" roll of the same type tape around the outer rim, finally folding it over to meet the 1/4" strip and covering all exposed chrome.

For the black center cap area, I again started with 1/4" tape where the chrome ring meets the paint, and then wrapped and fixed the 2" tape to the first 1/4" of tape, folding the excess into the middle to cover the center.

As seems to be the case with most painting projects, the prep and taping takes as much or more time than the actual painting. Prep in this case involved thoroughly washing the hubcaps, drying them, lightly scuffing the surface to be painted with a 3M scotchbrite pad, wiping the hubcaps clean again with an isopropyl based cleaner/degreaser, then the taping an painting.

Hey' date=' nice job. I love when people post pics of a part theyve restored. Those look good.

Zak[/quote']

Thanks Zak.

Gary S.

[26th-Z]

The matchbook texture you describe, Dan, is the result of lacquer paint.

[kenz240z]

Gary, the refinished caps look great. Thanks for the info and photos.

The original finish on the "D" caps I have is rough like a matchbook strip. I'm guessing the original paint was sprayed on dry, or a texturizing agent was used. Old GM autos had a similar finish on the metal dashboards. Easy to duplicate with the right additives in the paint.

From the process you described, it sounds like you left the center "D" ornament on the cap when you refinished it. Another option would be to remove it from the cap. Completely cover the chrome "D" with masking tape, then use an exacto knife to trim around the outside and inside of the "D" so only the chrome is covered. Then spray on the black.

The center ornament can easily be removed by using a small screwdriver, awl or pick to bend up the tabs on the clips that hold the ornament in place. Replacement clips can be found at a hardware store or auto parts store. Or reuse the original clips if they weren't broken or damaged during removal. I had good luck removing the center ornaments from a set of "Z" caps that I refinished for my '73.

Clearcoating the refinished caps is debatable with respect to originality. But then a refinished cap is no longer "original" anyways - not that anyone has to know. Done right with precision and attention to detail it would be hard to tell an original cap from a refinished cap, especially when on the car, as you would have to get on your hands and knees to get a really good look at it!

If the car is going to be driven a clearcoat would be helpful in preventing damage to the paint. A satin clear, or clear coat with a little flattening agent should maintain a non-shiny look and it would be hard to tell that it was there.