Duetto rim color

**Peter** · #1 (**permalink**) 11-05-2003, 07:40 AM

Fellow Alfisti
I want to repaint my '67 Duetto rims. Who knows what color code I need to use, or whcih color comes close to original?
Peter

**Alex Csank** · #2 (**permalink**) 11-05-2003, 08:53 AM

I don't know, but if you go to www.veloce.nu, they have a bunch of paint codes and some advice.

Cheers,

**papajam** · #3 (**permalink**) 11-05-2003, 09:54 AM

BMW Polaris Silver code #060 is an almost perfect match.

ossodiseppia · #4 (**permalink**) 11-08-2003, 07:34 AM

After you remove the tires, you should see some pretty nice original paint on the inside. Paint shops should be able to match that.

**Racer X** · #5 (**permalink**) 11-08-2003, 04:01 PM

I just had my wheels powder coated. I had them match the color on the inside of the wheel, just like ossodiseppia suggested. They look pretty good, but I am still not sure that they are 'correct'.

You see, all of the wheels that I have look like they were painted gray on the face while the inside and back are metallic silver. It may be that dealers or previous owners added the gray or maybe the factory did it. I raised the issue on the digest, yet I don't think anyone had a definitive answer.

At the recent France and Italy show I had the opportunity to look at nearly a hundred Alfas. With thirty years of aging, it was impossible to know which cars had properly restored wheels and which were wrong.

There was a GTV with custom 15" steel wheels which looked like factory, but upon close inspection were not. But they looked great!

When I had mine done, I just took them to my local powder coater, he burned the old paint off, sandblasted them, and painted them to match the inside color. I had one small dent that I should have straightened first. Oh well.

ossodiseppia · #6 (**permalink**) 11-08-2003, 04:18 PM

I've seen what you are talking about. I think I may even have a set like that. I think that grey color is a result of faded paint.

**67GTV** · #7 (**permalink**) 11-09-2003, 02:25 AM

I recently acquired a set of 14x5.5 Alfa steel rims. I'd like to get them powder coated like the one in this picture. How much did you pay Racer X? I had one shop quote me $60 per rim.

Is the color of the rim in this picture similar to the color that papajam mentioned?

**Racer X** · #8 (**permalink**) 11-09-2003, 10:25 AM

Kai,

All four wheels were powder coated for $100 and can be done in any of about 40 different silvers or any other color for that matter.

Contact me directly if you want me to hook you up.

**papajam** · #9 (**permalink**) 11-09-2003, 10:40 AM

I found out that Grigio Chiaro, code AR727/737, is also a very close match to the original AR003 steel wheel paint. AR727 is from the same time frame as well having been introduced in 1967.

**67GTV** · #10 (**permalink**) 11-10-2003, 02:19 AM

I have a question on the lug nuts and hub caps on the type of rim pictured above. On the rims I just picked up, there's about a 1/2" gap between the hub cap and the rim at the lug nut holes. Do the lug nuts pull the hub cap down to the rim when tightened? Or how does one account for this gap?

Another question, do these type of lug nuts come right hand threaded? Or is it left hand threaded? In any case, the lugs on my driver's side are the opposite of lefty-loosey, righty-tighty. Am I making sense?

ossodiseppia · #11 (**permalink**) 11-10-2003, 06:30 AM

Back in the "olden days" (up to 1969 I think) the drivers side lugs were righty loosey and lefty tighty. My 69 Roundtail still had that type. I've not seen the lugs pictured in anything other than "normal" thread. That doesn' t mean they don't exist. The righty loosey and lefty tighty lugs that were on my car were brass. If you look closely at the lugs in the picture, you'll see a little lip at the base. This is what holds the caps on.

**papajam** · #12 (**permalink**) 11-10-2003, 06:15 PM

A color code question in another BB thread resulted in my 're-discovering' the source where I first read about steel wheel paint code AR003 and BMW Polaris Silver. The site is here.

**67GTV** · #13 (**permalink**) 11-11-2003, 03:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ossodiseppia
Back in the "olden days" (up to 1969 I think) the drivers side lugs were righty loosey and lefty tighty. My 69 Roundtail still had that type. I've not seen the lugs pictured in anything other than "normal" thread. That doesn' t mean they don't exist. The righty loosey and lefty tighty lugs that were on my car were brass. If you look closely at the lugs in the picture, you'll see a little lip at the base. This is what holds the caps on.

ossodiseppia · #14 (**permalink**) 11-11-2003, 06:29 AM

The lugs are on the front brake rotors. Those usually get thrown out with the rotor when the rotor wears out. Perhaps you can find someone with a set of old rotors that would give you a set of lugs. The rear lugs, unfortunately, are a pain in the #$%. They aren't on the rotors, they are on the hubs. You'll have to pull the axle.