can the stock wheels on an 89 convert be restored. there seems to be some kind of coating on wheels. also can they be chromed? existing wheels starting to look pretty rough. :auto:

 

I think they can, I used this guys for my bent 96 rim, might be one in your area or ship it to them: http://www.hubcap-wheelstore.com/

Cost about $104 to restore a rim(shippig extra if you need to), they did a great job! :thumbs:
Made me want to get the other 3 done.

 

I know of a place down in Florida that had a really good price for restoring the wheels (strip, polish, take care of curb rash, recoat). It was just posted on the forum a couple of days ago in this section under something like JUST SENT MY WHEELS OFF TO .... Also you can strip them your self like I'm doing right now by going up to an auto zone and buying Aircraft remover. It's jsut a chemical stripper that works really well on the clear coat. I then started with a 150 grit and progressed to a 600 grit. After that I used two different levels of buffing compound. I haven't clearcoated them yet but i purchased a clear coat from the people at POR. I don't know if I will like it right now because they look great just polished. I also know a place in Santa Anna, CA that will chrome your aluminum wheels for I think $90. Hope this helps.
Good luck! :thumbs:

 

Yeah, they can be refinished - in fact any wheel can be.

I've been through the process twice now - first with my original '89 wheels and recently with my "spare" set of '90 wheels.

The one thing I will say - find a place that uses the newest automated (ie. CNC) equipment. My '89 wheels where done by hand by an old guy who had been refinishing wheels for years. I asked for a stock finish (not polished or chrome-plated) and they turned out absolutely AMAZING but because they were done by hand they cost me over $300 each AND took like 5 months! In comparison, these wheels new where like $425 each but GM had just discontinued them at the time :mad . My '90 wheels, on the other hand, where done by a different shop (also stock finish) using full CNC equipment. The finish is VERY comparible to my '89 wheels and they only cost me $100 each AND I got them back in 48 hours! Big difference in cost with little difference in product.

If you're interested, the shop that did my '90 wheels is Carcone's Auto Recycling in Aurora, Ontario Canada. Their site is: http://www.carcone.com/ check them out. Their price is $100CDN per wheel for refinishing (as long as the wheels are straight and not warped) and that includes a powder-painted clear coat. At that price it may actually be worth it for you to ship them here to Canada and have them done.

Good luck.


[Modified by TheCorvetteKid, 6:01 PM 3/21/2003]

 

wheelcollision.com


[Modified by C44ever, 1:50 PM 3/21/2003]