Painted Daytons

I'm considering going with painted Dayton wire wheels versus the Chrome to keep the original vibe of the car. Does anyone have photos of what the painted Daytons look like installed? Or in natural light?

Thanks

I don't have any input on your question. But my experience with Dayton customer service was not good. They seem to be far from concerned with service after a sale.. I needed two replacement spokes for a Dayton wheel and they flat refused to sell them to me. The stated I had to send them the wheel and they would replace the spokes. That would be my paying for shipping each way, pay for dismounting the tire then pay for remounting the tire and pay for rebalancing.. not the mention what Dayton would charge for replacing the spokes... I ended up getting the spokes from Hendrix wire wheel http://www.hendrixwirewheel.com/index.shtml with no problem.. He even droped them in the mail to me and said to pay him when I recived them..

I like the bling of chrome.

Ask an you shall receive.

I go back and forth on this all the time. I've decided in my mind anyway, that painted is the way to go on most colors. I'm considering painting my 66 black and I think chrome would really pop on black. Mine wires will be painted but maybe a brighter silver than the original color. Probably a lot of clear coat as well. I wonder if anybody has tried the chrome rattle can paint, Krylon or Rustoleum I think. I've used it on other types of projects and like the way it looks.

That's it Raymond! Beautiful. Thanks for posting them.

I really want to keep the original, understated look of the car. Your photos are a huge help in deciding. When I e-mailed 'Doc' about prices, he said 99% of his customers go with chromed (partially because it adds less than $200 overall). I did a little cut and paste to imagine my car with chromes and it's a bit much. Maybe because it's an RB car.

Anyhow, I'll post what I end up with. I'm not quite ready for the $1500+ throwdown just yet.

razoredge34,

Check out my threads that I started on this subject.

Just installed the Moss Wire Wheel Conversion Kit

Moss Wire Wheel Conversion Kit

knockoff spinner tool by SR manufacturing

knockoff spinner tool by SR manufacturin

SR manufacturing

I see the kit was from Moss, does that mean the wheels are Dunlops? Whatever they are, that's the look I want.

I replaced my original painted wires with "Dunlop" chrome wires in the early 90s. They rusted out and snapped spokes. I replaced them with Dayton chrome wires in 2000. They, too, have started to rust, and while cleaning them one day, I discovered 2 broken spokes. When I called Dayton to order 2 spokes, they said that I had to send them the wheel. I worked in a motorcycle shop at the time and replacing spokes was like any other job I had to do. No big deal. After telling the customer service rep this, he said that they would have to make the spokes up as a custom job and that they didn't have any spares. The next day, I spoke with one of his superiors and, lo and behold, they had them by the hundreds. They sent me 2 spokes and nipples at no charge. This doesn't excuse their bad customer relations, nor the fact that their chroming process is not all that it is cracked up to be. If I were doing it over, I would go with the painted wheels. You just can't get chrome that lasts anymore. RAY

in the past I was shopping for new wires. The Dayton's are wonderful and I have heard only good about them.

I live in Dayton, however the local outfit that sells their products was well f#$@%^& crazy. Their plant that was 10 blocks from my house is closed.

However, I have seen the Dunlaps on sale for less than $800 from several vendors during sales. Also the
European vendors sell them much cheaper. i do not know what shipping would be.

I took mine and several others from discount sales and had my tire guy select the 5 best. Somehow he turned them and checked for roundness.
I brush blasted and painted them for $25.

My tire guy knew how to balance them. i reused 5 of the old rubber bands and some duct tape.

I have almost 45 years old wheels and new tires for $470.

Not perfect, but look good at 5-10 feet and are round to 90+ which is where I chicken out.

I should have done the same. Chrome is lovely, but the upkeep is a bear. RAY

I thought the Dayton chrome wire wheels used stainless steel spokes? if so, the spokes would not rust or crack, and would be much stronger than carbon steel.

I like the originality of the painted wires on my Mk.1 B (although I believe that chrome was always available as an option, at least from the dealer.)

I do get sick of all the chrome wired cars winning the car shows.

Painted, tubeless Daytons on a '69 GT. I like them. Chrome wouldn't work as well on a light-coloured car, imho. Black, yes indeed.

Closeup shot:

Chrome is actually much easier to keep clean than painted wheels. The problem is that they are susceptible to corrosion in places where the roads or air are salty. Many chrome wire wheels today come with stainless spokes to lessen this problem.

Indeed, my chrome Daytons have stainless steel spokes, but the hub and rim are not stainless but merely chrome plated. I have a BMC dealer's parts book from the mid 60s and it lists the chrome wheels as an option for the MGB. It also says that the early GTs came with them as standard, though I've never seen one. There was a posting, not that long ago, that someone had contacted Borranni in Italy ablut making wires in alloy for the B, but the cost was prohibitive. RAY

I agree with those that think painted wheels look great on cars painted in certain colors and I think chrome looks good with just about any color. I agree with Steve when he said paint is harder to keep clean, that's very true. Chrome is harder to take care of to make it last due to the poor quality of chroming, it's major pit fall. Amazing, but it seems like no one copper plates anything anymore before chroming it. Chrome with copper under it will last a very long time. On having antique car parts re-chromed or nickel coated, I specify that all parts get a copper bath first, costs more, but when it's done, it's done! Has anyone had anything re-chromed lately? Your in for a shock when you hear the price. The cost of chroming has tripled around here. PJ