What's up with the silver paint vs original color on the rear wheels of otherwise nicely restored Ford tractors? Collectors, please weigh in.

[RustyShackleford]

I'm curious to get the opinion of serious tractor collectors on the subject or silver paint vs the original color on rear tractor rims. I keep seeing nicely restored Ford tractors with silver rims where everything else is nicely restored and pained in the correct original colors. I've even read posts where people think it is a nice contrast to paint their rims silver. Is this the new normal? Are tractor rims exempt from the same scrutiny applied to everything else in the world of vintage restoration? I've been seeing a lot of top dollar Jubilee's and Hundred series tractors sell with silver rims where the restorer would have certainly painted them the correct color if it mattered. If this is the case, it sure makes it easy to swap rims/tires between my vintage fords which are not all the same color of grey, and I could even swap rims between the Fords and International 424. Please let me know your thoughts.

This was from the Paint section of NAA Dan’s
Vintage Ford Tractor Resource

“The rear rims were originally zinc plated during manufacture. Archival assembly-line photographs usually show the rear rims painted gray. Whether to paint the rims gray or silver (to simulate the zinc) is completely up to the restorer. As a general rule, tractors restored for utility purposes (work) feature gray-painted rear rims and tractors restored for show feature silver-painted rear rims. ”

 

[Phill Tibbetts]

Who gives a rats ars?

 

[showcrop]

Who gives a rats ars?

You can see what this is about from the title. Why even read it????????????

 

[rrlund]

I'm curious to get the opinion of serious tractor collectors on the subject or silver paint vs the original color on rear tractor rims. I keep seeing nicely restored Ford tractors with silver rims where everything else is nicely restored and pained in the correct original colors. I've even read posts where people think it is a nice contrast to paint their rims silver. Is this the new normal? Are tractor rims exempt from the same scrutiny applied to everything else in the world of vintage restoration? I've been seeing a lot of top dollar Jubilee's and Hundred series tractors sell with silver rims where the restorer would have certainly painted them the correct color if it mattered. If this is the case, it sure makes it easy to swap rims/tires between my vintage fords which are not all the same color of grey, and I could even swap rims between the Fords and International 424. Please let me know your thoughts.

Seems to me like power adjust wheels were more likely to be silver.

 

[Destroked 450]

All rims pre 65 were zinc or cad plated giving them a sliver appearance, 64/later non power adjust rims were painted light gray which is similar to off white

 

[buickanddeere]

I'm curious to get the opinion of serious tractor collectors on the subject or silver paint vs the original color on rear tractor rims. I keep seeing nicely restored Ford tractors with silver rims where everything else is nicely restored and pained in the correct original colors. I've even read posts where people think it is a nice contrast to paint their rims silver. Is this the new normal? Are tractor rims exempt from the same scrutiny applied to everything else in the world of vintage restoration? I've been seeing a lot of top dollar Jubilee's and Hundred series tractors sell with silver rims where the restorer would have certainly painted them the correct color if it mattered. If this is the case, it sure makes it easy to swap rims/tires between my vintage fords which are not all the same color of grey, and I could even swap rims between the Fords and International 424. Please let me know your thoughts.

Some spin-out adjustable rear rims were painted silver .

 

[Rbellucci]

The silver/gray rims are often technically correct, especially on the early Hundred series (like the 600 or 800) and later models, depending on the plant and year. It's not a new trend, it's just a common choice that breaks up the mass of blue/red. Many collectors prefer the silver simply because it makes tire changes easier and hides the inevitable damage better than a glossy color match.

 

[showcrop]

The silver/gray rims are often technically correct, especially on the early Hundred series (like the 600 or 800) and later models, depending on the plant and year. It's not a new trend, it's just a common choice that breaks up the mass of blue/red. Many collectors prefer the silver simply because it makes tire changes easier and hides the inevitable damage better than a glossy color match.

How does silver make tire changes easier? How is damage harder to see on silver than "glossy color Match" what is "glossy color Match"?

 

[miner09]

Ferguson used Silver Mist on rear rims. Not aluminum or as some say silver. Silver Mist is different from aluminum.

 

[showcrop]

Ferguson used Silver Mist on rear rims. Not aluminum or as some say silver. Silver Mist is different from aluminum.

I'll bet that "silver mist" is the same as "argent" (french for silver). Back when truck bumpers were painted silver, Fords name for it was argent. Recently a poster on a Ford Facebook page has been putting up links to some '50s Ford advertising videos which show the silver rims in the bright sunlight.

 

[Dogsix]

I just got my NAA. Hoping mine will look as nice as yours someday! Great work.

 

[buickanddeere]

I'm curious to get the opinion of serious tractor collectors on the subject or silver paint vs the original color on rear tractor rims. I keep seeing nicely restored Ford tractors with silver rims where everything else is nicely restored and pained in the correct original colors. I've even read posts where people think it is a nice contrast to paint their rims silver. Is this the new normal? Are tractor rims exempt from the same scrutiny applied to everything else in the world of vintage restoration? I've been seeing a lot of top dollar Jubilee's and Hundred series tractors sell with silver rims where the restorer would have certainly painted them the correct color if it mattered. If this is the case, it sure makes it easy to swap rims/tires between my vintage fords which are not all the same color of grey, and I could even swap rims between the Fords and International 424. Please let me know your thoughts.

Silver/gloss Grey colour was factory issue on spin out rims. Particularly during the era of two cylinder Deere's.

 

[Dingo3]

Silver/gloss Grey colour was factory issue on spin out rims. Particularly during the era of two cylinder Deere's.

He hasn’t been here in 5 months and only posted in this thread.

 

[techjeff]

I'm still here. I wake up most mornings saying this will be the day I tackle the job of sanding the the gloss off both sets of wheels and painting them silver yet they sit in the barn untouched at the end of each day. I just dread sanding wheels. It's all hand work. Meanwhile the Jubilee is still wearing that set of gray 16.9x30's and the 851 shamefully also sports a set of gray's. I've been using the Jub to grade the road this spring. She really moves in high gear. It sure is a joy to run one of these old fords without a loader. All my others have had loaders on them and none with power steering. I've been embarrassed to post pictures until I get the new wheels and tires on but perhaps I'll snap a couple of pics today. Maybe some will get a chuckle.

 

[techjeff]

 

[techjeff]

Those big wheels have been on there for so long now they look normal to me. If enough people chew me out, I'll get busy and paint the correct ones. I know... I still need to find an original seat assembly. Anybody got one?

 

[docmirror]

If the target is period correct and judgeable, would not cad or zinc plating be the correct process? Your rim has the stamping code for plating, not paint.

 

[showcrop]

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Thanks for painting it original gray instead of white gray as seems to be the norm now.

 

[techjeff]

Thanks for painting it original gray instead of white gray as seems to be the norm now.

I had a lot of good original paint on the underside of the sheet metal to use as a guide for mixing the correct gray. I was surprised to see the pallet of toners it takes to make the correct color of gray. It's no wonder there are no over-the-counter grays that even come close. You certainly can't get there mixing just black and white.

 

[techjeff]

If the target is period correct and judgeable, would not cad or zinc plating be the correct process? Your rim has the stamping code for plating, not paint.

Yes indeed, I've learned from this thread and extensive research that the period correct judgeable finish would be cadmium or zinc plating. While having mine plated is tempting, a judgeable restoration was never my target. The reason I started this thread was to find out what was considered generally acceptable among tractor enthusiasts. I thought the original wheels were painted gray and wondered why all the silver wheels, and, if tractor enthusiasts considered it okay to veer from original. My conclusion at this point is that even though they were originally zinc or cadmium, silver is acceptable to most. If I ever set out to do a show quality restoration I'll definitely have to get a set of rims plated. My tractors are all just reasonably good looking tractors that live outdoors and get used as tractors, so silver painted wheels will have to do for now. I live in southern California where nobody gives a damn about tractors. Hence, restoring these tractors is my own little private muse. Chances are, nobody will ever see or appreciate them except me.