MoparGuy68
Well-Known Member
You are hiding your wide, fat daddy, naked Rallye wheel in the shadows there.. How about showing it in all its Argent Silver glory so we can really check it out good!
Argent Silver Rallye Wheel Paint Options
- Thread starter MoparGuy68
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MoparGuy68
Well-Known Member
Update... Painted my test wheel, today, with Roger Gibson’s Rallye Wheel Argent Silver formula. This paint was worth the $60 (for one pint) price to me! Definite improvement over EVERYTHING I’ve sprayed thus far.
The following paint formulas DO NOT look like Vintage Mopar Rallye Wheel paint. I recommend not wasting your time with any of these paints:
PPG 8568 Silver Gray
PPG 3960 Silver Poly
PPG 33772 (rapid match formula, for the original Ditzler DX-8555 Argent Silver. This is NOT a match to what they used at the factory.)
If you want to spray your 1970-1971 Rallye Wheels with a spray gun, use Roger Gibson’s paint. If you want your Rallye Wheels to look WRONG on many levels, use any of the crappy formulas I’ve listed above.
Roger’s formula is made with PPG Shopline products and he spent a lot of time experimenting and developing it. It has two different FINE aluminums in the mix, not the Medium or Coarse Aluminum that you find in the other formulas I was using. It also has black, gold and white in it. The binder has been modified and there is no matting agent in it. He instructs you to use an unorthodox mixing ratio of 8 parts paint, 1 part hardener and 6 parts reducer. All of which resulted in a correct looking Mopar Argent Silver wheel paint, from my testing today.
After I repaint all my wheels tomorrow, I’ll get some photos and comment further on the results.
The following paint formulas DO NOT look like Vintage Mopar Rallye Wheel paint. I recommend not wasting your time with any of these paints:
PPG 8568 Silver Gray
PPG 3960 Silver Poly
PPG 33772 (rapid match formula, for the original Ditzler DX-8555 Argent Silver. This is NOT a match to what they used at the factory.)
If you want to spray your 1970-1971 Rallye Wheels with a spray gun, use Roger Gibson’s paint. If you want your Rallye Wheels to look WRONG on many levels, use any of the crappy formulas I’ve listed above.
Roger’s formula is made with PPG Shopline products and he spent a lot of time experimenting and developing it. It has two different FINE aluminums in the mix, not the Medium or Coarse Aluminum that you find in the other formulas I was using. It also has black, gold and white in it. The binder has been modified and there is no matting agent in it. He instructs you to use an unorthodox mixing ratio of 8 parts paint, 1 part hardener and 6 parts reducer. All of which resulted in a correct looking Mopar Argent Silver wheel paint, from my testing today.
After I repaint all my wheels tomorrow, I’ll get some photos and comment further on the results.
Last edited:
MoparGuy68
Well-Known Member
Let’s compare the way my wheels looked after spraying the PPG 8568 Non-Smudge Aluminum a.k.a. Silver Gray. After 2.5 weeks of looking at them, I decided that they were unacceptable. What is wrong this paint, you may ask?
Well, I’ll tell you.. The metallic particles are too large. The paint looks too gray. The paint looks too dull and lifeless, in any lighting other than direct sunlight. In direct, bright, sunlight it looks almost like metal flake paint. In certain lighting conditions the metallic particles take on the color of the blue sky making the wheels look powder blue instead of silver.
Here is 8568, in bright sunlight.
Well, I’ll tell you.. The metallic particles are too large. The paint looks too gray. The paint looks too dull and lifeless, in any lighting other than direct sunlight. In direct, bright, sunlight it looks almost like metal flake paint. In certain lighting conditions the metallic particles take on the color of the blue sky making the wheels look powder blue instead of silver.
Here is 8568, in bright sunlight.
MoparGuy68
Well-Known Member
Here is the Roger Gibson Rallye Wheel formula, shot on a test wheel that was NOT even cleaned, let alone media blasted before painting. This wheel was primed and painted with the 8568, and two other alternative mixes, starting with spraying the primer directly over rust and dirt.. Even starting with a rusty and dirty wheel, it still looks better than the 8568 which was sprayed on a blasted and cleaned wheel.
MoparGuy68
Well-Known Member
Next are comparisons of the unprepped rusty, dirty test wheel sprayed with the Roger Gibson formula on the left. And the media blasted and prepped wheel sprayed with 8568 on the right.
MoparGuy68
Well-Known Member
These two show how gray the 8568 wheel can look. Trust me, the 8568 looks even MORE gray in person than it does in photos. Like it’s more suitable for painting a U-Boat than a Rallye Wheel. Although it would fail at that, as well, because the huge metallic particles that are in it.
MoparGuy68
Well-Known Member
The rusty, dirty test wheel, after being shot with the alternative mixes. Which were 3960 Silver Poly and the rapid match formula for the original DX-8555 Ditzler Argent Silver (listed in the original 1971 factory body service manual). These two mixes were on either side of the wheel with the 8568 masked off, running right down the center.
I couldn’t tell the difference between those two other mixes. Both of them were slightly lighter in overall tone than the 8568. They also had half the matting agent added. Other than that they weren’t much of an improvement and I still disliked them.
I couldn’t tell the difference between those two other mixes. Both of them were slightly lighter in overall tone than the 8568. They also had half the matting agent added. Other than that they weren’t much of an improvement and I still disliked them.
MoparGuy68
Well-Known Member
One of my 8568 wheels, 7 hours after painting with the Roger Gibson formula. Low light this was taken around 7 PM.
Before the repainting, I prepped them by rubbing them down well with a gray Scotch-Brite pad. I also did some light sanding in some rough areas with 220, followed by 400 grit sandpaper. The rough areas were the result of poor instruction provided by the guy at the paint shop who claimed to have 20 years painting experience. The technique Roger taught me eliminated those rough areas.
Lastly, the wheels were blasted with compressed air and cleaned with a tack rag.
Before the repainting, I prepped them by rubbing them down well with a gray Scotch-Brite pad. I also did some light sanding in some rough areas with 220, followed by 400 grit sandpaper. The rough areas were the result of poor instruction provided by the guy at the paint shop who claimed to have 20 years painting experience. The technique Roger taught me eliminated those rough areas.
Lastly, the wheels were blasted with compressed air and cleaned with a tack rag.
MoparGuy68
Well-Known Member
Group shots of all 4 wheels after applying 3 coats of the Roger Gibson formula. Regardless of the lighting conditions, now when I look at my wheels they always look silver to me, and not so damn gray.
MoparGuy68
Well-Known Member
Darker exposure..
MoparGuy68
Well-Known Member
And lastly, close-ups inside the garage at night with a flash. After I get the tires mounted back on the wheels, I’ll be putting them on the car this weekend.
I’m happy with Roger’s formula. It was worth getting it and going through the trouble of re-spraying them to get rid of that awful looking 8568. If I ever end up getting a set of 15 x 7 Rallye, I’ll be sure to use Roger’s formula on them.
I’m happy with Roger’s formula. It was worth getting it and going through the trouble of re-spraying them to get rid of that awful looking 8568. If I ever end up getting a set of 15 x 7 Rallye, I’ll be sure to use Roger’s formula on them.
6PKRTSE
Well-Known Member
I just use Krylon dull silver with a clear coat as others have mentioned. Came out great on my Rallye's probably going on 25 years old and my Chrysler Road Wheel centers of rims probably 10 years old now.
MoparGuy68
Well-Known Member
I don’t know if you were asking me this question.. But if you were, no, I have not bought or tested the Mopar Performance Rallye wheel paint. I started this project with PPG paint and a gun, so I wanted to stay with that. The rattle can paint will not be as durable or chip resistant. You really have to compare paint in person versus looking at photos.
Some of you probably think I was being overly finicky or ridiculous from just looking at the photos. But, there really was a very noticeable improvement with the Roger Gibson paint. Again more noticeable when looking at the wheels in person.
I don’t think you were crazy about it, I like it right. So I’ll do what I can to make it the best I can! I appreciate you sharing your info because we do pay attention, also you could have saved someone some time and money! Thanks!
MG68,
What color was the base coat that you used? I believe originally the entire wheel was painted semi gloss black and then the front got the Argent treatment without any masking of the openings. This left some overspray on the back side. All about speed back then.
What color was the base coat that you used? I believe originally the entire wheel was painted semi gloss black and then the front got the Argent treatment without any masking of the openings. This left some overspray on the back side. All about speed back then.
MoparGuy68
Well-Known Member
I think I showed this in the thread. I started with black primer (I had asked for gray and the paint shop gave me black, which I didn’t realize until I opened the can to use it). Because of the comments on here about primer color affecting the shade of the silver I then shot them with gray primer.
I then masked off all holes from the front side of wheel and sprayed black paint on the inside and where the tire mounts. Then with no masking I sprayed the front face silver.
Roger Gibson said the factory painted the entire wheel either black or black primer first (I can’t remember which he said). Then they shot the silver over that onto the front face. No masking for the silver, so there could be some overspray on the backside and where the tire mounts.
He also said if your base paint color is affecting your silver tonality, you are not getting opaque coverage with your silver. He said if you mix his paint and spray it as instructed, you WILL get opaque coverage and your base color will NOT affect the tone of the silver. If I had known that when I was at the priming stage, I would’ve just shot the black primer only and not shot gray primer over top of it.
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