Wheels / Tires: 1964 Lark Type Wheel Color Front and Rear of Wheel

[bjackameit]

O.K. this should not be hard to answer but I don't know the answer --

I have two 1964 Lark types both have had one repaint including I believe the wheels in both cases.

One (Wagonaire) has all white wheels both on the front and the back of the wheel. The other (Daytona Sedan) is white on the front face of the wheel and the rest of the wheel is black.

The white is the same on both cars and I believe is the correct white.

But which is correct? Was the whole wheel painted white at the factory -- or just the outside face of the wheel?

Thanks -- I'm looking at replacing the factory wheels on the '64 Daytona with 6" wide Ford or Chrysler wheels either used or maybe with new ones from from Wheel Vintiques for radial tires and if I do that I would like to paint them as original.

Bill Jackameit

[jts359]

When we restored our 64 Daytona 30 years ago I took pictures of the wheels , Because believe it or not there was a debate about colors then , Just not on the internet , Anyway they were white on the outside and light gray inside , This is a very late So. Bend Daytona convertible , Ed

[studegary]

I believe that the back side of the wheel is however it came from the vendor (black, gray) and the front side was painted by Studebaker (not really white, more ivory - I can't think of the correct name just now.).

[jts359]

Ermine white, Ed

[Studebakercenteroforegon]

Not really ermine - I use the “Almond” from most any general purpose spray paint and it matches the off white towards ivory very well. Me being the Lark lover, I have painted countless wheels using Almond.

[bezhawk]

Not in 64 and later they were white. Much brighter than the ivory almond colors of the 62 and 63 wheels.

[jts359]

Yea Ermine white like I said , Ed

[StudeRich]

Then there is the FACT, that not all wheels came from the Original Vendor, Budd Corp.

ONLY the Wheels with the extra "Hump" in the center used on only SOME Disc. Brake Cars, were from Kelsey Hayes and would not be a perfect color match for other '64's with the off White, not Almond Paint.

And then to confuse us even MORE, the Late '64's started coming from Canada with Canadian Budd Wheels on "Some".

[bjackameit]

Best Choice

So there appears to be no definitive answer to the question -- or there could be more than one correct answer -- but since my 1964 Daytona is late (December 1963) South Bend production Ermine White on the outside only is the best choice?

Bill J.

[jts359]

That's what I would do , Ed

[Dwight FitzSimons]

I have a few original 1963-64 Avanti rims and the color is a kind of dirty (or grayish) white. I looked at Lowe's, Advance Auto, etc. and, after wasting some money, never found an off white that was close enough for me. So, I ordered spray cans from Studebaker Int'l and their color is close to the original.
-Dwight

[StudeRich]

I have a few original 1963-64 Avanti rims and the color is a kind of dirty (or grayish) white. I looked at Lowe's, Advance Auto, etc. and, after wasting some money, never found an off white that was close enough for me. So, I ordered spray cans from Studebaker Int'l and their color is close to the original.
-Dwight

Dwight, that sounds like a PERFECT Match to the '64 Astra White (a Gray White) NOT the slightly Yellow Ermine White, and should be RIGHT ON!

I am sure though, that if you looked up the Engineering Color Document, they would have called it something else.