Questions about wheels from the old days for a CJ

JEEPCJTJ

JEEPCJTJ

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I have an old CJ that I own again and am planning on rebuilding/restoring in some way, shape or form.

I will eventually make a (probably too long) post about (what I know about it's past) to try to get some ideas on what I should do to it. As of right now I'm not even sure what color it will end up. Probably some version of the yellow is is now.

My main goal is to get it drivable to find out what it's really going to need. It's currently on a set of Jackman wheels with tires that need replaced before I can do much of anything. I plan on leaving the Jackmans on even though they aren't what I had on it when I sold it. They were painted black some years ago and need something done before new tires are added..

I've heard that I can get them blasted and powder coated for about $75 each. Is that a crazy price?
Is powder coat considered tough enough as far as wheels go?

Since back in the 80's every 8 spoke wheel was white, could I get away with white if the CJ remains yellow?

Is there any point to having black wheels? They seem somewhat popular today but I don't know how well they'd look on any CJ.
 
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Nearly all CJ's from the late 40's through 1986 came from the factory with white steel wheels so no matter what anyone's color preference white will be period correct.

$75 is not out of line for sandblasting and powder coat, but whether it is a worthwhile expense depends upon whether you are doing a restoration or preserving your jeep's patina. I have a set of steel wheels on my '46 Bantam trailer that I had powder coated in 2004 as part of the trailer restoration. Fifteen years later they still look new.

The cheapest option is paint. I have had good success with the Duplicolor aerosol paint specifically formulated for wheels. It will be less expensive than powder coat but you will need to invest the time for proper preparation.
 
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No black wheels. Powder coat is not as good as quality paint. For colour, pick an original colour. Find an old original sales brochure. Pick a theme and run with it. EVERYONE modifies Jeeps. If enough is original, or period correct, as in Jackman wheels, just make it new.
 
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Mr. Bills said:
Nearly all CJ's from the late 40's through 1986 came from the factory with white steel wheels so no matter what anyone's color preference white will be period correct.

$75 is not out of line for sandblasting and powder coat, but whether it is a worthwhile expense depends upon whether you are doing a restoration or preserving your jeep's patina. I have a set of steel wheels on my '46 Bantam trailer that I had powder coated in 2004 as part of the trailer restoration. Fifteen years later they still look new.

The cheapest option is paint. I have had good success with the Duplicolor aerosol paint specifically formulated for wheels. It will be less expensive than powder coat but you will need to invest the time for proper preparation.
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I LOVE the look of those steel wheels. I searched long and hard to see if anyone made a set of alloy wheels like those for our TJs and came up empty.

78937
 
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Mr. Bills said:
Nearly all CJ's from the late 40's through 1986 came from the factory with white steel wheels so no matter what anyone's color preference white will be period correct.

$75 is not out of line for sandblasting and powder coat, but whether it is a worthwhile expense depends upon whether you are doing a restoration or preserving your jeep's patina. I have a set of steel wheels on my '46 Bantam trailer that I had powder coated in 2004 as part of the trailer restoration. Fifteen years later they still look new.

The cheapest option is paint. I have had good success with the Duplicolor aerosol paint specifically formulated for wheels. It will be less expensive than powder coat but you will need to invest the time for proper preparation.
Click to expand...
My 84 CJ laredo came with chrome wagon wheels factory, I still have them, so it depends on the options and CJ package. Tim
 
psrivats said:
I LOVE the look of those steel wheels. I searched long and hard to see if anyone made a set of alloy wheels like those for our TJs and came up empty.
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I agree, those steelies look great! I have an old set of these sitting in my barn that I would love to use as a winter set if the bolt pattern was correct (came off of an f150).
 
15" mopar wheels are steelies, they also had a 16" wheel that was available on the old dodge trucks from the late 60's but they all are only 6-7" wide. So you really dont want to use wide tires on those. Tim
I have a set of original chrome jeep wheels without the AMC 5 bolt center caps I would let go cheap.
 
I say "White" the CJ looks great with the white spoke wheels. In 1976 I bought a Yellow 1974 CJ-5 with white spoke wheels. I had it for 13 years.....it looked great.
 
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