Powdercoating Wheels

I think you'd have to sandblast the chrome off for the powder coating to stick long term.  Not only do those Vintage 190 alloys look great but they reduce the unsprung weight (10# per wheel!) for better handling.  I bet with sandblasting and powder coating your current wheels you're looking at $80/wheel.

I had the same issue with wanting to have my chrome Reutter luggage rack powder coated black to match my car. Powder coat process will not stick to chrome. Sandblasting may pit the surface of the wheel and powder coating will amplify the pitting (kinda looks like a paint job with 'orange-peel' finish). 

I had to take my luggage rack to a shop that does chrome plating. They did the reverse (chemical bath) process to remove the chrome and expose the nickel plating underneath. Then I took it to the shop that does powder coating.

Pricing for de-chroming and powder coating will vary between shops depending on how they operate. Some shops may need a certain number of pieces to do chroming or powder coating by batch. This keeps their process cost effective. @Impala

@MusbJim has the answer.  Chrome can be removed through a chemical process.  It can probably get pricey but powder coating won’t stick to a chrome surface.  Bead blasting or sand blasting or any other abrasive removal of the chrome will cause more trouble than it’s worth in the long run because of the damage that will happen to the metal underneath.

As far as applying chrome or power coating he is right again.  I highly recommend you gather up ALL the stuff you want coated and get it done in one batch.  You’ll get over the initial shock of the cost for everything being done at once as it will almost certainly be lower than a total if you made multiple jobs out of it.  

My old cat (RIP) used to pee on my Brazilian Mangles - boy, did that ever remove the rust!

I wonder how different these are from the Vintage 190 wheels - they are less expensive.

From $159.90 to $169.90

http://carcraftstore.com/stockaluminumwheels.aspx

WOLFGANG posted:

I wonder how different these are from the Vintage 190 wheels - they are less expensive.

From $159.90 to $169.90

http://carcraftstore.com/stockaluminumwheels.aspx

Did you see that on the Samba (in the 356 forum)? I'm fairly certain those are Vintage 190 wheels- same pic and same description.

They look identical

WOLFGANG posted:

My old cat (RIP) used to pee on my Brazilian Mangles - boy, did that ever remove the rust!

The rust along with the chrome too....🤣😂

Well, gents. I ended up buying these rims that have what looks to be a very good finish; seem to be powder coated from the factory. And the best thing; they were $41 and change each plus $94 shipping for all 4. They might be Chinese but they are identical to the Mangels. The local powdercoating place quoted $125 per rim. I guess I won't be powdercoating them after all but installing them outright.

Make sure they run true, not always the case with the China wheels. Jack your front wheel up and put them all on in turn and make sure the runout isn't too bad. If two are better put them on the front.

Way back in the 2000s Lane had a balance issue that was resolved with replacing the wheel.

I'll certainly get them balanced; I'll keep my fingers crossed. ;-)

They can always balance them out dynamically, the key is to keep runout to a minimum for intermittent shimmy and shakes. You know, the ones that are there every once in a while? And then they're gone and just when you think you're good, back it comes. Yeah, those.....

Where did you source the wheel from at $41?

@Impala wrote- "Well, gents. I ended up buying these rims that..."

Sooo.... how much do they weigh?

Alan Merklin posted:

Where did you source the wheel from at $41?

Here’s the link Alan:

https://ljaircooledengines.com...riant=21612885573745

ALB posted:

@Impala wrote- "Well, gents. I ended up buying these rims that..."

Sooo.... how much do they weigh?

21 lbs. Probably not too different from an original 356 rim.

Ended up installing the new rims; the look is definitely more old school; especially being 4.5” wide as opposed to the more common 5.5”. I am very satisfied with the results. I even got a little trophy at a local car show.

Looks great!

Panhandle Bob posted:

Looks great!

Thank you sir; much appreciated. This is just a very basic version as compared to all the great custom cars here but it gives me a thrill every time; even after owning it for 16 years.

You just convinced me to go with silver and moons as opposed the chrome wheels ~

Yes; the car looks more genuine and old school; for those who like that. And the price on link I gave you is the best $41 and change per wheel. Other considerations such as weight, etc might come into play depending on your preferences but not on my case. I just putt around in it; I am not racing in Le Mans or the Carrera Panamericana

Impala posted:

Yes; the car looks more genuine and old school; for those who like that. And the price on link I gave you is the best $41 and change per wheel. Other considerations such as weight, etc might come into play depending on your preferences but not on my case. I just putt around in it; I am not racing in Le Mans or the Carrera Panamericana

Yeah, if the other stuff doesn't matter, you can't argue with $41(and change) per wheel! Did you check how straight they are? How much weight did it take to get them to balance?

They mounted the tires and balanced them at the tire place and the car feels perfect. Didn't really pay that much attention to the weights; I know they did put some on some of the wheels. Works for my purposes...

Any info as to what tire machine and or adapter they used on your wide five's ? Most shops don't have the right machine and unless you bring along a balance adapter ($70 on the SAMBA) they usually can't balance. 

Alan Merklin posted:

Any info as to what tire machine and or adapter they used on your wide five's ? Most shops don't have the right machine and unless you bring along a balance adapter ($70 on the SAMBA) they usually can't balance. 

Well, Alan, thankfully I still have my aluminum adapter from Mainely Custom by Design that I bought like 15 years ago. You might remember we discussed those at length here back in those days. I checked and they are no longer in business.

Alan Merklin posted:

Any info as to what tire machine and or adapter they used on your wide five's ? Most shops don't have the right machine and unless you bring along a balance adapter ($70 on the SAMBA) they usually can't balance. 

Even WITH the adapter, there is no end of confusion for the "balancer". 

Found this other one but it's  in Britain:

https://www.buttysbits.com/pro...lance-machine-plate/

This is another one; $128.00

https://precisionmatters.biz/w...alancing-adapter.php

I bought a 1980s hand-cranked Snap-on electronic balancer off of craigslist years ago. It's pretty cool, spin the tire up until it beeps, then it does it's thing, then brakes the wheel. It does simulated static(all weights on one side) and dynamic. It only had one wheel cone, but I got a set off ebay. Works great with my Mainely adapter.

I just don't have a lot of trust in tire installers. These days I get them mounted, then check the balance at home. Spyders have different front and rear tire sizes and wheel sizes. Imagine my surprise when the tire guy messed that up, especially after being TOLD they were different. 

When I got my new 4 lug 10 slot rims from a member here who got them from Greg I took them to a shop that was able to balance them with the weights on the back side of the rim instead of the front. Wheel weights are ugly no matter where you get them, but at least you can't see mine.