Hot Rods Mexican chrome wheels (no offense intended please)

Do any of you run what we used to call"Mexican chrome" wheels? I had them on my 1953 Ford Mainliner in the early "60's. Painted with aluminum paint. I just remembered them this morning and may run them on my 1939 Ford Deluxe coupe. Like I said, it was not meant to be a bad term then or now.

 

Are you talking just a steel wheel painted with aluminum/silver paint? Or are these a different type of wheel?

 

I remember this style used on stock cars racing on the local dirt track but not so much on any street cars back in that time frame.


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I have run wheels painted with aluminum paint before, and I am not offended by your comment thats what they called them in a barrio when I was a kid and I did spend a lot of time there.

 

Here in the Sunny South when I was a kid we called them rattle can chrome,I used it on several sets of rims back in the day.

A real Chrome wheel was about 15 bucks and a rattle car was less than a buck. HRP

 

Have in the past, very short term results in that it fades soon. Perhaps newer paints or clear coat would last longer, but everything I have now is chromed. I would do it now if I wanted to test the look on a roller or something.

 

even when I was young, I didn't like the look of "fake chrome" on anything. I'd paint steel wheels white or black, but never silver ("aluminum").

 

We always referred to it as Alabama chrome.

 

Back around '55, while in High School, I painted my wheels red. It was the color of choice by most.

 

I had some on this last summer, silver base with silver metalflake and clear. Needed come bullet caps or something but I did end up finding some real bling that's going on next summer.

 

"Real" gloss black will look better than "fake" chrome.

 

Hey! I'm offended!

Not really. I am way to old to get offended by anything.

 

I'm with Squirrel. We'd always rather paint our wheels black... never cared for silver painted wheels.

 

My thought exactly Don. HRP

 

For me its more like, "Uh, did I just say that out loud?"

 

and my wife ussually quips , um yes you did ...

as for the Krylon Chrome is what we called it . we used it in the 80's when I was a teen . we found if you used dark primer ( black ) they looked more metallic than if you used grey primer . and also to set the wheels in sun or under a heat lamp for a hour before painting them so the metallics would stay to the top and not settle out an look like a dull aluminum . but since powdercoating came out I have had a few O/t pick up truck rims powdered chrome with excellent results , not see yourself shiney but better than aluminum or the silver they used . and holds up better in rain .

 

Instead of the rattlecan Tijuana chrome (that's the local colloquialism here) maybe go with Argent Silver. A little darker and not fake chrome looking? Then again I prefer gloss black.

 

We always called it Mexichrome,never meant anything by it.. Ran a couple sets, but they lost the gloss too fast to look good. I use Nickel color paint now, or the aluminum header paint for a silver that holds it color. Chrome or aluminum just looks best as the real deal.

 

It was not a "fad" that lasted very long. I soon painted my '53 Ford stock steel wheels black, with white walss, in 1962. could not afford real chrome wheels.

 

Black wheels & WW were a staple were I grew up in the early '60s. I agree that silver painted wheels were never much embraced. Real chrome or black for the guys that 'got it'. As a side, I did find a 'dull aluminum' once that was pretty convincing for the look I was after. Damned if I can remember the brand (rattle can).

 

In the early 60's I actually saw more customs with red painted rims than hot rods. HRP

 

How 'bout the car Falfa rolled in A.G.

 

My coupe has early 90s factory painted silver wheels on the front. Yep, they look like **** as well!. Some day they will be repainted, just not sure what color. The silver sort of matches the theme. Gene

 

Nobody had 15 bucks back then, black was the norm here in the Midwest.

 

I still think that if you are going to paint your wheels red that the only true traditional red wheel is Rustoleum red and brushed on. Back when everyone thinks it was the craze all over the civilized world and even in parts of California that was what was most readily available and achievable on a grocery sacking salary at the local hardware store.

 

Good point about the Falfa '55 having them. I have seen some really decent looking silver-sprayed steel rims. Sometimes, for some reason, that look really just works...kinda like sometimes a cheap frozen pizza tastes better than the real thing...or a Busch Light beats a Guinness.

and I have always heard them referred to as Mexican Chrome too.

 

We used to call it Polish Chrome. I would say in a rattle can, try the Duplicolor chrome paint for best results.

 

On a side note, it looks way better on wheels then on bumpers unless you are shooting for the Thunder Bolt look.

 

slopok
being from the area , you couldn't find a chrome wheel without rust for under $15 bucks around here .. the salt would always kill them

 

Now that you mention that, I remember the rich guys that did have Mags or Chrome reverse would take them off and run black rims with dog dish hubcaps with snow tires for the winter season and wipe their bumpers with axel grease to protect the chrome from rust. The guys who were really well to do would just buy a beater for the winter.