(mods please don't move this thead as it pertains strickly to C5 Zo6 wheels)

Has anyone machined the face of their stock speedline wheels and left the rest with the original argent color?
I'm not into the black wheels thing so I don't see this as being an option for me.
I spoke to a shop about getting my damaged wheels redone. I really want to do a polished look but they said that their machine could only get to the flat surfaces, the rest of the wheel would have to be done by hand. And then there will be the issue of trying to match the center cap to the rest of the wheel.
I don't want to buy repro's due to the weight issues, finishing these back to original or selling them as is seems to be a waste of $$$ to me as what I really want is a set of CCW's in a 505a or SP500.
Right now I don't have the $$ for the CCW's but I want more bling than just the stock look.
I have 1 wheel the drivers left that looks pretty bad (at least to me) but it is still in very useable condition, so I was thinking on just getting the face's machined on all 4 for a better look and leaving the rest alone to avoid any matching issues on the center cap.
I'm suposed to finaly get my car back on Monday (provided it meets my approval) it will have a brand new paint job and hope fully be looking great......except this: (front left)
[IMG][/IMG]

And this: (right rear)
[IMG][/IMG]

The right rear has been that way for a little while and really wasn't any more noticable than the rock chips on my hood.
The front wheel doesnt look quite as bad when the tire is back in place.
But it just seems too shameful now that I will have a pristein paint job to leave it this way for any length of time.

If anyone has pics of stock Z wheels with machined face could you share please..........also any other ideas about resolving my dilema would be appreciated.

 

I was looking into getting the lips polished and then the rest powder coated in black. The entire original coating would then need to be cleared.

I think the original color would look good with a polished lip as well if they could get a straight edge on the machine. I would think the wheels would still need to be cleared so that it doesn't chip later. Just a thought.

I like the idea . You don't have much to lose if you plan on other wheels in the near future.

Speed

 

I have sent 3 sets of wheels to Panther Precision Machine in Surrey (Vancouver) Canada. They always come back looking like fine Jewelry.
They can definitely fix the rash on those wheels no problem (they can fix a chunk missing so rash is nothing to them)

This is what they look like when you get them back...



I strongly recommend them...

MD

 

Thank you for the pic Much appreciated.
It looks like they were machined all the way down into the center cap area. Did you use the argent color center cap?
Do you hapen to have a pic with them on a car?
Also what was the cost?

 

This is a pic of them on my previous Z06:



This is how they look on my current Z06:



Yes, Panther machines all the way into the "bowl" area.

They can't machine parts of the wheels that you can't get to with a lathe, so they paint the wheel a light metallic silver color. The cool part about it is that the silver paint matches the machined part so well, that in person at 5 feet away, you can't tell which part is machined and which part is painted.

I use the standard factory 02-04 center caps that come with the standard non-Z06, polished aluminum, 5 spoke wheels. They look a tiny bit shinier than the machined part, but definitely not like chrome. They are an almost perfect match.

Another detail that puts the icing on the cake is to go to any parts store and get standard chrome lugs.

Panther charges about 150 US dollars a wheel last time I checked.

MD

 

I have my OEM 03 stock wheels just like you. They have 300 miles on them and not a dimple. I'll make you a deal PM me an offer within reason and I donate the money to St. Judes. I'd rate the wheels 9.999 as they are not new but as close as your going to get.

If I don't like your offer i'll just put them up for Auction as I'm one of the fund raisers for a great cause.

 

Thank you for the offer, but I'm not really wanting to spend money on stock wheels, but yet I don't want to leave mine in less than great condition. If I have to spend "some" money on stock wheels then I would wrather it be to dress mine up so that they look nice while I'm using them and have some reasonable value when I am able to get some CCW's.

 

Mine are from "Panther" 01 stock machined but inside and center black. Quality work from the boys at the Surrey,B.C. shop.

 

Here is another pic from a distance "Panther" Dyno---mite!

 

Wow, now I know what kind of wheels I want!

 

Sent you a PM. The wheels look fantastic. I'm not much of a fan of chrome wheels on dark cars, but I really like the polished look.

 

Those actually look pretty sweet!! Thanks for the pic
I didn't realize they could machine down into the bowl area.
I may go this route only with a center cap for a polished wheel.
As my car is Black this may look preety nice.
I would still like to see a pic of a wheel with the argent color instead of black, to compare.

 

Just get them machined and the repainted to original color
performance wheels did my CCW's he's great top notch shop

 

That looks like a handsome option to aftermarket repros! I wonder if any one closer to my home does such high quality work?

 

Can you give contact info to Panther, which is new to me? Any issues with them being in Canada? And without trying to pry, can you give an idea of cost to polish as shown in the box?

Your help is appreciated.

 

http://www.pantherwheels.com/

 

These pics belong to member "JACOB".

I have been saving pics of Panther machined wheels for some time.

You might like the polished lip with the argent center.

Toque

 

As was posted previously by someone else... http://www.pantherwheels.com/

No issues with Canada. The first set I sent in 2002 had to go through customs and there was some paperwork involved. Now they get around that by having you ship your wheels to a UPS station just on the US side of the border. Panther then goes to pick them up. So now it's just like sending any other package to anywhere in the US.

Cost has been creeping up, but last set I had done about a year ago was about $150 bucks per wheel. If they have to straighten them (very common) or fix damage it's a few bucks extra...

MD

 

You guys are not making my decision any easier

Thanks for all the pics..........I just can't decide what to do

Still looking for pics of the entire face machined and argent left everywhere else......

 

Have you checked around St. Louis for someone local to repair or
machine your wheels? I'll ask around an see if I can come up with a
few answers for you.

Rob