Topic: 1968 Reflective Group and Wheel Color

[tweetbb]

Hi All, I'm hoping someone out there can clear up some confusion.  I have a 68 GT 390 Fastback that is an early build date.  Unfortunately, I do not have a build sheet.  Going by the date codes on the wheels it appears that the Styled Steel Wheels are original to the car.  Also, the wheels are painted black and were not repainted.

My confusion starts when I go to the Marti report.  Two of the options on the report are (1) Reflective Group and (2) Chrome Styled Steel Wheels.  Then, from the Dealer Brochure, it indicates that the wheels should have a reflective coating.  And lastly, looking at the Master Parts and Accessory Catalog, the only reflective option is Silver (Argent).  I realize that none of these sources is definitive, so here are my questions to this community of experts -

1) Does the Reflective Group option override the Chrome SS Wheel Option?
2) Is there such a thing as a black reflective wheel?
3) Is there any other way to determine the correct wheel for my car?

Right now, I'm thinking that a reflective black wheel is what I should use, but I am not seeing any evidence that a black reflective wheel was ever actually on a 68 GT.

Thanks for your input.

[stangfan]

A friend of mine has a 68 GT Fastback.  He says it originally had the reflective group, which included the side stripe and the black painted wheels.  I believe there was a discussion a while back on here about the reflective black paint and how to reproduce it.

[tweetbb]

Thanks, Stangfan.  That's something I was looking for.  In searching the internet, I have been unable to find any photos or mention of Black reflective SS wheels.

[J_Speegle]

Early related threads found using the words "Reflective Group" Some were started with the idea of focusing on the side stripes and touched on the wheels

https://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=24107.msg150203#msg150203

https://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=5966.msg150397#msg150397

[ruppstang]

Hi All, I'm hoping someone out there can clear up some confusion.  I have a 68 GT 390 Fastback that is an early build date.  Unfortunately, I do not have a build sheet.  Going by the date codes on the wheels it appears that the Styled Steel Wheels are original to the car.  Also, the wheels are painted black and were not repainted.

My confusion starts when I go to the Marti report.  Two of the options on the report are (1) Reflective Group and (2) Chrome Styled Steel Wheels.  Then, from the Dealer Brochure, it indicates that the wheels should have a reflective coating.  And lastly, looking at the Master Parts and Accessory Catalog, the only reflective option is Silver (Argent).  I realize that none of these sources is definitive, so here are my questions to this community of experts -

1) Does the Reflective Group option override the Chrome SS Wheel Option?
2) Is there such a thing as a black reflective wheel?
3) Is there any other way to determine the correct wheel for my car?

Right now, I'm thinking that a reflective black wheel is what I should use, but I am not seeing any evidence that a black reflective wheel was ever actually on a 68 GT.
Thanks for your input.

I think your car would have had a reflective stripe and chrome wheels according to the Marti report. I have never seen any reflective color than silver. Can you see any reflective color left on your wheels?

[tweetbb]

Hi Ruppstang - I don't think there's any question that the stripes should be reflective.  There was nothing obvious that the wheels were reflective, and unfortunately, the wheels have been blasted in preparation for painting. 

At this point, I think I have to believe that the Marti report is incorrect regarding the chrome wheels.  All four of the wheels I have are identical date codes that agree with the car build date (August 67).  Also, the four wheels did not appear to have been refinished in any manner.  So, if I am correct, the big question is should they have a reflective coating?  In scouring multiple other forums and articles, I have never been able to find anything definitive regarding whether black wheels had a reflective coating.  I have attached a pic of the wheels as they looked when they came off the car for reference. 

[ruppstang]

Interesting picture, I think it tells the story. INMHO appears to me that they were at one point painted with argent reflective paint, then at some point someone spray bombed the black. Note there is no black spray in the wheel centers. Typically, the standard argent styled steel wheel center is completely argent and the rim is black semigloss black. If the black was factory the centers would be black. I also do not believe that the reflective paint held up well causing the repaint.

Good luck on your restoration.

[DTruitt]

I have never heard of the reflective paint being black on the 68 cars.  I concur with Marty, that likely the wheels were re-painted black later in the cars life.  The reflective paint has long been discontinued, and my searches have come up empty. I will make this suggestion to you. Re-paint the wheels using the currently available argent paint, and while the wheel paint is still wet sprinkle clean glass beads into the paint.  The glass beads will reflect light.

I was able to buy two pints of reflective paint (3M) many years ago, the person whom I got it from said the paint was used in signs and the highway departments used it for road stripes.  I have noticed in recent years highway departments throwing glass beads on wet road paint. I have never tried it, but it may be worth a shot! Maybe a salt shaker filled with glass beads will give you some control of spreading the glass beads.

Danny