msupc

I have found some N73 Magnesium wheels for sale locally, but they would need to be refinished. I have read through may threads on the forum debating whether or not these wheels can be powder coated. The consensus seems that it is possible, but there is a certain process one should follow. Thoughts?

There are many shops local to the Knoxville, TN area that I have reached out to regarding this. I have received word back from two, one gave a price of $125/wheel while the other said to expect $500/wheel.

My question is this - has anyone determined a powder coat color that matches the OEM N73 Magnesium wheel color?

I have read that the paint code from GM for these wheels was WA163D Bronze Metallic. I have also seen where Light Sand Drift Duplicolor 483 was suggested.

66dts-v

Unless you want an exact match, I would just find a color you are happy with. 98% of the folks out there wouldn't know it wasn't OE and you will be happy with the color because you picked it. My $.02

Vetteman Jack

, just make sure there will not be any damage to those wheels from the powder coating process.

c5vetteguy

Why the hangup on matching the OEM color? IMHO, that color was too dark for most body colors. I had mine powder coated a light champagne color, which complimented my light oak interior and convertible top nicely. Once powder coated, they are no longer "original" so why not go with a color that compliments your car better?
Also, make sure your powder coater realizes that these wheels will have to be stripped of the paint AND the primer, which is a very hard, almost ceramic-like, coating which takes a lot longer to remove than paint.
I would also recommend having the wheels tested for trueness before coating them. These wheels can be prone to denting/warping and even cracking if they were subject to an abusive lifestyle.
Good luck with your decision. These are great wheels, probably the best stock option wheels for the C5.

oh1vette

In for the color match...I happen to like the darker oem color (on mag red)....

OP, keep us (me) posted on your outcome...

Thanks....

msupc

This is what I will likely end up doing if I can not find a color match.


Both shops I spoke with have experience powder coating magnesium. One shop (the more expensive of the two) suggested against powder coating magnesium due to its porosity, the other noted that this was a concern but the solution was to heat the wheel to evacuate air, lay down a primer layer, and then powder coat the wheel while warm.

As far as the color is concerned, I like the look of the bronze OEM color. I would like for the wheels to retain their OEM value, but just with a powder coated finish instead of paint. I do like the color of your wheels on your car, but it is not my cup of tea!

You got it boss!

msupc

I don't know why I haven't considered this yet, but does anyone have an opinion on painting the wheels instead of powder coating? This way the OEM color could be matched and the wheels would essentially be OEM with the exception of the yellow magnesium lettering.

feeder82

powder coat won't chip easy like painted wheels will

c5vetteguy

The second time around I had mine painted a color "halfway" between the champagne and original bronze, a GM color called Sandalwood metallic, I believe. Yes, you will have more flexibility in color selection, but as mentioned, paint won't be as resilient as powder coating. If you go with paint, you may be able to retain the original sealing primer, as stripping it is quite time consuming, and hence, costly.

oh1vette

A while back I found the yellow magnesium stickers on ebay....

msupc

Thank you all for your help thus far. This forum is a great resource for us enthusiasts.

After exhausting all resources and coming up torn as to what move to make to acquire a nice set of magnesium wheels I decided to reflect on what my end goal truly was. I decided that what I was really trying to accomplish was to restore the car to it's original condition.

To me this required an original set of magnesium wheels in excellent condition, which is what I purchased yesterday. They are currently being shipped via UPS and will arrive Friday. The wheels are from a 2004 and still have the original Goodyear Eagle F1 EMT tires. The seller says that the wheels do not have TPM sensors.

Is there a way to determine this other than pulling the tires off of the wheels?

Are these tires unsafe to run because of their age despite having plenty of tread left?

msupc

UPDATE:

So I received the Magnesium wheels that I purchased from Corvette Mike in Burr Ridge, IL. Shout out to Bill & Larry for taking care of me and the wheels through the entire process. Quick shipping and a great deal on the wheels.

The tires are a no-go. Certainly seem to be too old and hard to use. The wheels however look fantastic.









I am having them mounted and balanced at Tire Barn here in Knoxville, TN. There are older posts on this forum about their (Tire Barn) excellent work and customer service. I spoke with them extensively regarding the delicate nature of the magnesium wheels and they assured me they would have their most skilled technician work on the wheels, and that they deal with delicate wheels very often.

I asked about road force balancing and they said that it likely is not necessary.

Here is a preview of the car with the wheels installed:

Before:



After:

66dts-v

Unless they are doing something I wasn't when I was doing custom powder, there is nothing in the process that would alter the wheel to cause failure.

The only thing I would think they could be doing it removing material while removing old finish that would weaken the wheel, or prolonged high heat exposure. Powder usually bakes at 350 to 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. You need to go above 650 degrees to soften aluminum.

sh!tty wheels are sh!tty, no matter if they are powdercoated or not. So unless they know something I obviously don't...

I powdercoated a lot of wheels, but more thanthat I did a lot of aluminum mountain bike frames and not one of them ever failed due to powder.

66dts-v

I had a small setup to do powdercoating and had a shop that could blend custom colors for me (metal flakes, candy, UV resistant). I would have to do some more research but nothing I have learned to date would lead me to believe heating a wheel to 450 for powder weakened the wheel.

You can also do IR powder and not heat the metal at all if this is a real concern. But none of the wheels I ever coated failed and this is the first time I've ever heard someone say this.

msupc

FYI Folks - I picked up some Dupli Color 482 "Light Drift Sand Metallic" yesterday. I used it last night to touch up some small spots on the wheels. Matches pretty well, but I wouldn't say exactly. I am pretty **** about these types of things though, so your mileage may vary.

oh1vette

If I'm not mistaken I think Dr Colorchip has the correct paint code- haven't checked in a while though.....

msupc

Wow... I wish I had known about Dr ColorChip sooner! They seem to have the best touch up kits after looking at their website. I definitely will be going to them for any future touch up needs.

QCVette

On my '99 wheels, I tried the code N73 WA163D touch up paint from GM and the Duplicolor 482. Neither was an exact match, but the duplicolor was a little closer.

I use a small (micro) tip foam brush to apply it by spraying the Duplicolor into the cap and using that to dip the brush into. After a few times doing this there is a build up of paint in the cap and it seems a little thicker. The reason I bring it up like this is that when it was a little thicker, it seemed like a little better color match. I don't know why.

Also be very careful when they mount the wheels. I have seen a lot of damage from mounting these wheels. They chip easily.

Good luck.

msupc

Thanks for the tip! I have touched up most of the imperfections, and only to my highly critical eye (too critical according to my wife ) can the imperfections be seen.

I already communicated the fragility of the wheels to the shop when I arranged the appointment. I am going to review this in detail with them in person and state that I expect absolutely no damage to the wheels.

Is there any type CYA I can put into practice here in case they do damage a wheel?

msupc

Thought I would report back and close the loop on this thread.

The wheels are now mounted and balanced on my car and they look great. Tire Barn in Knoxville, TN on 8522 Kingston Pike did absolutely incredible work. Dave and Brandon there are top-notch!











Also - I found a lot of opinions and numbers being tossed around in terms of the weights of the different wheels. I measured them myself and these are my findings:

1. OEM Polished Aluminum Wheel:
Front: 18 lbs
Rear: 20 lbs



2. OEM Magnesium Wheel:
Front: 17 lb
Rear: 18 lb
(See pictures above)

3. OEM Goodyear Eagle F1 EMT (with about ~50% tread life remaining and 16 years olf)
Front: 27 lbs
Rear: 32 lbs

Thanks for all of the help folks!