Rallye Wheel Redo

Here's what we started with.... 

   

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Here's what we started with. Not much to look at, are they? These were on Project Road Kill, but anyone who's ever spent time walking through a junkyard knows these wheels can be found for next to nothing on the tire pile. If you obtain a set at a swap meet, ensure that the rims aren't bashed, and try to get a set of trim rings and centers to refurbish.

There are a lot of great things about the Chrysler Rallye wheel, but if we had to narrow it down to one thing we like about them, it would be this: we have a set. Why are we so proud of having a lowly set of 14-inch Rallye wheels? That’s simple—they just look good to us, and they look “right” on just about any Mopar. Also, if we have them, we have some options. For starters, we don’t have to buy wheels for the next vehicle we drag home. That’s a big bonus. Also, if we decide we don’t need them in the future, we can barter with someone who does for something more useful to us.

These particular wheels were on the Project Road Kill we hauled home a couple of months ago. Other than being straight, there’s not much else you could say about them. The trim rings were long gone, two center caps were missing, and the other two were wasted. The wheels were rusty, and someone decided that two of them would look great painted Rattle Can Black. But with some industrial cleanup and paint, trim rings from The Paddock, and new centers from Specialty Wheels, we got the wheels to look perfect again.

These are the '72-'74 wheel... 

   

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These are the '72-'74 wheel centers that came on two of our wheels. One has a chunk missing from it, and the other is pitted. Once the metal starts to pit, you ought to chuck the piece.

Mopar Rallye wheels are about as rare as the flu. Everybody has a set in their garage (or “out back”) that just take up space. What makes Rallye wheels such a great thing for the do-it-yourselfer is that not only do they look good on your car, but the wheels can be made to look great in your driveway for a modest outlay of green. If you don’t have any, and want a set, swap meets are a great place to start.

Restoration usually involves elbow grease, paint, and new trim rings and center caps, instead of expensive rechroming (at which point you’re better off buying reproduction wheels). If you’re lucky, you already have a set of usable centers and/or trim rings. We had neither, which raises the cost of this little endeavor, by going with strictly brand-new pieces. As with other projects, the more you start with, the less the finished product will cost you. If you have a set of good—but worn—trim rings or centers, some time on the buffing wheel and the appropriate paint will reduce your price considerably.

We sent the wheels to be sandblasted....        read full caption We sent the wheels to be sandblasted. If they were original, date-coded pieces for a concours car, we would have had them chemically stripped. But they aren't, so we didn't. Anybody who doesn't have a sandblaster can find a shop in town that does it. The one we went to charged $25 for all four wheels, and that wasn't a good guy/magazine price. This may seem obvious, but before you blast them, make sure you remove the balance weights from the rim. Otherwise, you'll have a spot that needs cleaning when the wheels are returned. The easiest way we found to remove the wheels is to whack the weight with a chisel (resist the urge to use a screwdriver).	The wheels are back from the...        read full caption The wheels are back from the sandblaster, and look a whole lot better.	Use compressed air to remove...        read full caption Use compressed air to remove any loose sand particles, or a large shop vac (if you don't have a compressor). Just make sure you get every grain of sand out of the corners and recesses, because as soon as the paint hits any grains, they'll jump out. Here, you can see the residual sand.
Next, use a good degreaser...        read full caption Next, use a good degreaser and a lint-free rag. We used Eastwood's PRE painting prep. We've used it before, and we like it a lot. If you don't have any, some denatured alcohol or acetone will work, too. Always use gloves with the acetone.	We didn't want to encounter...        read full caption We didn't want to encounter any black overspray on the front of the wheel, so we covered the holes with masking tape. Don't forget the valve stem hole.	We started painting the backside...        read full caption We started painting the backside of the wheels. For high-heat areas on driver projects, we prefer to prime the surface first with ordinary barbecue and stove enamel. This way, even if the top layer of finish paint burns or flakes off, the spot won't be bare and prone to rust--at least not as quickly. The paint is advertised to be heat resistant to 1,300 degrees. We use it on the back of wheels, brake drums, etc. It also makes a good primer for parts such as master cylinders. Remember, any primer has to be as heat resistant as the topcoat, or else they'll both burn and peel off. We only primed the back of the wheel with the high-temp stuff because that environment is harsher, and not as well-cared for as the front. Our main reason for using primer in spots such as this is to protect against rust when we scratch the topcoat (like when you put a wheel back on the car, and line up the wheel studs by feel).
After allowing the high-temp...        read full caption After allowing the high-temp primer to dry (about 30 minutes), we applied semi-flat black Krylon to the back and insides of the wheels. If you are restoring a car for show, call Roger Gibson Restoration (804/743-0570) or Totally Auto (215/322-CARS). These guys have spent considerable time and effort matching paints, and their stuff is right-on. But on a set of wheels for a driver, the Krylon from the hardware store (which was on sale) suited our needs just fine.	It's important to apply at...        read full caption It's important to apply at least two coats of paint, both applied in opposite directions. The two nicks shown here aren't in the paint, but rather are two small gouges in the wheel that didn't get covered with the first coat of paint. If we applied the second coat in the same direction, these spots still wouldn't get covered, and would rust.	After the back of the wheels...        read full caption After the back of the wheels have dried, turn them over and paint the face. Remove the tape that covered the holes, and hit the area with the cleaner again to remove any tape glue, fingerprints, etc. The use of rubber gloves, when handling the face of the wheel, wouldn't be too extreme--but we didn't have any on hand. They aren't a bad thing to keep around the shop, though. Since then, we've bought some gloves.
We used Krylon gray primer...        read full caption We used Krylon gray primer for the front of the wheels. Here, we aren't worried about overspray through the holes, or on the middle of the rim inside the tire. If you're concerned, go ahead and mask the holes from behind.	Let the front primer dry completely...        read full caption Let the front primer dry completely (overnight would be sufficient), then knock down the roughness of the primer. Wet sanding works best. However, in your driveway, wet sanding is going to leave a big mess, so you may just want to go with 1000 grit paper, or something comparable. We used an extra-fine Scotch-Brite(TM) pad. If you use the pad, set it on the garage floor and stomp on it, grinding it into the concrete. This will break all the rough edges of the pad material, so there won't be any deep scratches in your paint. This really works!	Blow the sanding dust off...        read full caption Blow the sanding dust off the wheel, or use a cheesecloth, old diaper (clean!), or something comparable. Lay the wheel flat, and spray the topcoat of Argent we acquired from The Paddock. Begin by hitting all the spots you would miss with a standard side-to-side motion--the wheel lip, the edge of the wheel center, etc. Then use a side-to-side motion and cover the rest of the wheel. Allow the paint to dry 15 to 20 minutes, then give it a second coat, this time at a 90-degree angle to the first coat. This will ensure adequate, uniform coverage.
These are our options with...        read full caption These are our options with the centers, and all are available from many sources, including Chrysler. Shop around for the best price. These came from Specialty Wheels. The top one is from late 1972 and up, the bottom left is pre-1972, and the bottom right is 1972. The main differences between the early and late '72 caps are the center "button" on the late '72.	We ordered the trim rings...        read full caption We ordered the trim rings and paint from The Paddock. We pulled one out to photograph. As pretty as they are, they will scratch and dent easily, similar to the originals. Resist the urge to play with them too much. After this shot was taken, all the rings were put back in the box they arrived in, and set on the shelf until we were ready to put them on a car.	Here are the finished wheels,...        read full caption Here are the finished wheels, ready to have tires mounted. Another tip--when you have the tires mounted, have the wheel weights installed on the backside of the rim so they aren't visible from the front. Not only does it look much cleaner, but you reduce the risk of having paint scrapes in plain sight. We'd be proud to put these wheels on any of our Mopars.