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I like the wheels too, not every C4 has them like the A-mold or GS replicas which are too far played out and quite frankly looking a bit like yesterday's news these days.......
Those wheels will stand the test of time; but yes the bare metal looks good but won't after a short time; they will oxidize with humidity, etc. even if the car is driven in perfect conditions.
I like the wheels too, not every C4 has them like the A-mold or GS replicas which are too far played out and quite frankly looking a bit like yesterday's news these days.......
Those wheels will stand the test of time; but yes the bare metal looks good but won't after a short time; they will oxidize with humidity, etc. even if the car is driven in perfect conditions.
Good catch and great work, great thread!
Thanks, Brother
I have decided to leave them bare/no paint and clear them
I call the finish on mine raw aluminum. Took me a few weeks of tinkering with differnt grits , patterns and steel wool and polish to get what I wanted. I did the sides of my spokes a different finish to get the look I wanted from the wheel.
While I like polished better than chrome, I prefer silver much better than both. Why? Polished and chrome reflects and half the time it's reflecting dark things and the spokes get hidden or dissapear. With silver or a non reflective finish the spokes never dissapear. The wheels will look bigger in almost all light conditions which imo is the purpose of larger wheels no? My finish is like silver but it's raw aluminum. Not brushed and not polished but a raw silver finish. I like it because under light and the sun they appear more white which I like. Most people will never notice but I don't usually care to share the little details. And imo it's the little details that make the difference
As for the fitment.. Many wheels can be reverse mounted, sandwich mounted and mounted on the outside. If the face is flat on both sides and 'fits' (usually there's a ring that centers the face inside the lip/barrel) in either position it can be done. Some bbs wheels are like that. I'm not sure about the Shelby but they may be like that ? It allows slight variation in offset and a different look.
Definitely clear Powdercoat the face afterwards. Mike the powdercoater is a good guy to use but any local pc can do it. Leave a bolt in a hole and they can hang the faces and pc properly. I left 3 bolts in at 12, 4 and 8 and asked to rotate the face and spray the pc evenly on all sides. Also taped off the backpad so when bolted to the rotor hub the pc wouldn't chip or peel from ring torqued down. I also taped the bolt area as to ensure the straightness of the wheel on reassembly.
I call the finish on mine raw aluminum. Took me a few weeks of tinkering with differnt grits , patterns and steel wool and polish to get what I wanted. I did the sides of my spokes a different finish to get the look I wanted from the wheel.
While I like polished better than chrome, I prefer silver much better than both. Why? Polished and chrome reflects and half the time it's reflecting dark things and the spokes get hidden or dissapear. With silver or a non reflective finish the spokes never dissapear. The wheels will look bigger in almost all light conditions which imo is the purpose of larger wheels no? My finish is like silver but it's raw aluminum. Not brushed and not polished but a raw silver finish. I like it because under light and the sun they appear more white which I like. Most people will never notice but I don't usually care to share the little details. And imo it's the little details that make the difference
As for the fitment.. Many wheels can be reverse mounted, sandwich mounted and mounted on the outside. If the face is flat on both sides and 'fits' (usually there's a ring that centers the face inside the lip/barrel) in either position it can be done. Some bbs wheels are like that. I'm not sure about the Shelby but they may be like that ? It allows slight variation in offset and a different look.
Definitely clear Powdercoat the face afterwards. Mike the powdercoater is a good guy to use but any local pc can do it. Leave a bolt in a hole and they can hang the faces and pc properly. I left 3 bolts in at 12, 4 and 8 and asked to rotate the face and spray the pc evenly on all sides. Also taped off the backpad so when bolted to the rotor hub the pc wouldn't chip or peel from ring torqued down. I also taped the bolt area as to ensure the straightness of the wheel on reassembly.
I had a little special extra added to the clear
Thanks for the tip. If my wheels look half as good as yours I will be very happy.
I was going to clear coat the wheels myself but it turns out my clear has expired.I talked with the powdercoaters today. They want $90 per wheel center and said they would need to sandblast . I don't think that sand blasting the wheels would accomplish the look I want, so back to the drawing board.
looks like a gunmetal or charcoal or is that just the photo
I think its just the photo, it has a semi-polished look right now. Duplicolor makes a black chrome kit. I wonder what it would look like on aluminum? I may try it on one wheel.
Hmm does look a little grey/dark although it might just be the exposure .
Here's a shot of my 540 rims I did for my m3.. I did it by hand and I honestly can't recall what grit this was but it was a rougher grit maybe 4-800 Id have to dig back over photos. The scratching made it bright which is what I was after.
Try a few pieces of sand paper .. Remenber to spray brake clean or water and wipe as the residue will darken the aluminum after sanding .
Few pics
For the faces I used a finer grit and then fine steel wool.
Pic after clear coat
Side by side shot of my 93 iforged wheels which are brushed /clear vs mine which are sand paper /clear. No polish used at all.
Experiment with some grits you can always sand down back to where you have them !
Hmm does look a little grey/dark although it might just be the exposure .
Here's a shot of my 540 rims I did for my m3.. I did it by hand and I honestly can't recall what grit this was but it was a rougher grit maybe 4-800 Id have to dig back over photos. The scratching made it bright which is what I was after.
Try a few pieces of sand paper .. Remenber to spray brake clean or water and wipe as the residue will darken the aluminum after sanding .
Few pics
For the faces I used a finer grit and then fine steel wool.
Pic after clear coat
Side by side shot of my 93 iforged wheels which are brushed /clear vs mine which are sand paper /clear. No polish used at all.
Experiment with some grits you can always sand down back to where you have them !
This is the look I pictured in my head. Did you sand in one direction?
Do you really like the look of the black chrome? I think in the long run you would be much happier with the "brushed" look.
I'm with 5abivt on this. The 1500 is too fine. Try 800. You can always go in steps with something a little rougher until you get the look you want. Take your time. You only want to do this once.
This is the look I pictured in my head. Did you sand in one direction?
Yes on that part I went with the shape of the rim. The multispoke a are a major pita :/ my 5 spokes took me less than 1/4 the time. Try a rough grit and just go in a circular pattern. At one point I debated on bolting the face to my car and leaving it in drive and just holding a fine wife brush or sandpaper in place lol.
Not a fan of anything dark imo . Personal preference but anything dark will just look smaller to the eye and is the opposite of what big wheels are trying to achieve in the aesthetics department.
I have 2 of the wheel centers painted. I think they came out great. They look a little darker in the picture. In person they look black crome. The wheel in the center is for comparison.
I decided to polish them up so I stated with 1000 and worked my way up to 2500. I did this so i could use a product designed for chrome.
I have 2 of the wheel centers painted. I think they came out great. They look a little darker in the picture. In person they look black chrome. The wheel in the center is for comparison.
I like the wheel in the center personally. As good as dark colors look up close. They look smaller when you assemble it. The you add a tire and they look even smaller. Then you stand back to admire them and from 10 feet away you can't even see them. A forged piece of aluminum in my opinion should be seen. Again sorry but it's just my opinion not a fan of dark wheels.
Here's a photo of my friend Kevins car I modded for him. Compare it to this car in black wheels. It's a specific angle and light and an extreme example of course but it shows what I mean about black wheels....
You may get your wish. A little disappointed to say the least. I got the wheels out in the sunlight and they had a green tint to them and looked splotchy out in the sun. Back to the drawing board.
12-21-2014, 07:34 AM
5abivt's wheels look great and that finish would be perfect for your wheels as well.
