I'm restoring a set of 20 Hole Teardrop Alloy Jaguar Wheels for my '88 VDP and am asking if anyone knows the silver paint code for these rims? If I can't get a code I'll have to do a color match but not so sure if they can get it close enough. Here's a pic of what style wheel it is.....used from 88-92.

 

Hi 95Leaper,

I don't know if Jaguar ever published a color code for the wheels, but on our '88 with teardrops I repainted the center caps with a commonly-available product like Rust-Oleum or Wurth metallic silver wheel paint and the match with the wheels was surprisingly good. If you're going to paint the wheels too, it would be a cheap experiment to buy a can of Rust-Oleum metallic silver wheel paint at your local home or hardware store and paint a test piece to see what you think.

None of the stores in our area stock Wurth so I had to order it, but their metallic silver wheel paint was a perfect match for the wheels on our BMW (and probably very similar to the Rust-Oleum but I never compared them side-by-side).

I've had good results using the acrylic lacquer clearcoat from Automotive Touchup over the Rust-Oleum and Wurth wheel paints. I learned that for a factory appearance it was best to let the silver metallic paint dry completely before applying the clearcoat. If I applied the clear too soon, it would lift some of the metal flakes and create a 3D effect that was modern and attractive, but more "custom" or "hot rod" than O.E.

I haven't tried it yet, but Automotive Touchup now offers a 2K urethane clearcoat that should be even better for wheels.

Cheers,

Don