Cheap Rims

coreylubahn · Post by **coreylubahn** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 12:00 pm

Guys,

I saw the other topic on rims floating around, but I was wondering what everyone recommends for a rim that is cheap, but still looks good. I don't want a black rim, I would really like chrome, I want something shiny that is fairly easy to take care of (what is the difference between polished this and natural that anyway?) Is chrome the best choice? Then what reasonable priced rims do you recommend? (And by reasonable/cheap I mean under $100 a piece...if I'm going to convince the wife to go for this they had better be cheap). Thanks all!!

bubaloo1983 · Post by **bubaloo1983** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 1:18 pm

i got my rims they are am atlas polished aluminum for only 120 bucks each canadian. i can imagine what they would be in the US maybe like 90 bucks or something? they look pretty good but will stick out a bit on your truck though.

jeff024 · Post by **jeff024** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 1:38 pm

dont get polished ! spend a bit extra and get chrome polished can be alot of work to take care of .And I dont think you will find a good rim in chrome for 100 bucks unless you go with a steel wheel thats chrome but I have seen the chrome flake off fairly quick.

bubaloo1983 · Post by **bubaloo1983** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 3:22 pm

yah i am with jeff on this polshed sucks the big but. but they are cheap rims

jeff024 · Post by **jeff024** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 3:31 pm

they look great when all shined up but it takes hours to get them where I am happy with them. The future will bring chrome on my CC.These guys have pretty good prices WHEELS

Jim · Post by **Jim** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 4:27 pm

coreylubahn wrote:Guys,

I saw the other topic on rims floating around, but I was wondering what everyone recommends for a rim that is cheap, but still looks good. I don't want a black rim, I would really like chrome, I want something shiny that is fairly easy to take care of (what is the difference between polished this and natural that anyway?) Is chrome the best choice? Then what reasonable priced rims do you recommend? (And by reasonable/cheap I mean under $100 a piece...if I'm going to convince the wife to go for this they had better be cheap). Thanks all!!

These Firebird 16x8 wheels can be had cheep on Ebay. I put a new badge over the ABS letters. I gave $61 for four on Ebay. I admit I stole them but these wheels rarely do more than $200 a set. I got them for winter tires. I must admit I have the origional wheels to my truck with 5,000 miles on them I was going to use them for the winter but after driving on 16" wheels I can't go back, The truck feels like it's on rails with less sidewall.

coreylubahn · Post by **coreylubahn** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 6:17 am

So Jeff you wouldn't recommend a set of chromed Cragars, like a 398 (I believe that's the number). I see they can be had off Summit for like $50 (plus center caps and lugs). Seems really cheap for a chrome set of wheels, just curious? Thanks.

jeff024 · Post by **jeff024** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 10:36 am

those are chrome on steel wheels pretty much the same wheels some guys are running that are black, just seems that the chrome doesnt last well.Or just run them in the summer and your stockers in the winter.I wish now that I would have spent the extra 40 per wheel and got chrome.

coreylubahn · Post by **coreylubahn** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 10:54 am

Yeah but your wheels were much more expensive weren't they? I assume around $200 a piece just polished?

jeff024 · Post by **jeff024** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 10:54 am

no 90 I think
heres the guys I got them from and this is what I paid for all 4
WHEELS

coreylubahn · Post by **coreylubahn** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 10:56 am

jeff024 wrote:just seems that the chrome doesnt last well.Or just run them in the summer and your stockers in the winter

What causes the chrome to not be so good? Does it not bond as well to steel? Is it winter salt? The cold? Has anyone had a chromed steel wheel that can comment on their durability? I know there are several guys on here with the Cragar 397s (or something like them) in black, I would go the chrome route if people thought they were a decent wheel (the price is definitely right).

jeff024 · Post by **jeff024** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:01 am

heres some other wheels those guys from above site haveWHEELS

the steel wheels will rust over time
Aluminum wheels dont rust

coreylubahn · Post by **coreylubahn** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:04 am

jeff024 wrote:the steel wheels will rust over time

Even with a chrome plating on them?

coreylubahn · Post by **coreylubahn** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:12 am

What kind of maintanence is required on these polished aluminum wheels? Buffing? Waxing? I assume that if you don't do it for a while they get more of a natural finish?

jeff024 · Post by **jeff024** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:26 am

yeah but its not like its gonna happen right away

coreylubahn · Post by **coreylubahn** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 12:06 pm

But then you can buff/wax them and get them right back to their shine correct?

jeff024 · Post by **jeff024** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 12:07 pm

if the steel wheels start to rust the chrome will begin to flake off over time

JimmyDiamond · Post by **JimmyDiamond** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 1:30 pm

If you're going to get new wheels, do yourself a favor and get chrome. Polished wheels require MUCHO maintenance. I've had a couple sets of ARE polished wheels and to keep them shiny I had to polish them at least monthly. I also only ran them in the summer.

If you want some NICE chrome wheels I'm selling a set in the Classifieds with tires. It will cost you more than $100 each but they aren't cheapos either. BTW, I'm located in Omaha, NE.

Link to classified ad: http://www.s-10crewcab.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2759

Pictures on the truck

http://images5.fotki.com/v71/photos/4/4 ... 435-vi.jpg
http://images6.fotki.com/v79/photos/4/4 ... 431-vi.jpg
http://images6.fotki.com/v78/photos/4/4 ... 432-vi.jpg

Steve

killian96ss · Post by **killian96ss** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 4:02 pm

If you find polished aluminum wheels that you really like, just get em and have them clear coated!

Most factory aluminum wheels are already clear coated and easy to clean, just like our stock rims. You can do the same thing to polished aluminum.

Steve

coreylubahn · Post by **coreylubahn** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 5:31 am

killian96ss wrote:If you find polished aluminum wheels that you really like, just get em and have them clear coated! Most factory aluminum wheels are already clear coated and easy to clean, just like our stock rims. You can do the same thing to polished aluminum.

Steve

What exactly would this entail? Me just buying some clear like I did to paint my hood scoops and simply spraying it on? Would it affect the shine any?

killian96ss · Post by **killian96ss** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 7:44 am

coreylubahn wrote:What exactly would this entail? Me just buying some clear like I did to paint my hood scoops and simply spraying it on? Would it affect the shine any?

Well, you could do it that way for cheap, or a better option would be to have a local auto body/paint shop spray them for you. Another option is to send them to a company that does powder coating or clear coating. Aluminum rims can also be chromed, but it is the most expensive option. Zoops sells an aluminum sealer for use on wheels, engine components, or anything that's polished aluminum. It will eventually wear off, but it should last about a year. A lot of show car owners use it to keep their polished goodies looking clean with little maintainance.

Steve

Pauleo · Post by **Pauleo** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 1:30 pm

Whatever wheel you decide on, check out wayneswheels.net. He's in California and I'm in Ohio. Even after all the shipping from there to here, my wheels were cheaper through him than if I bought them locally. I think he usually has some kind of blowout on certain wheels that are being discontinued. Don't know for sure. Anyway, he's worth a shot!

Also, I agree with the above. I would steer clear of the steel wheels that are chrome plated. Even with the most meticulous care they will start to rust in a year or two. If the polished were cleared, I'd have no trouble buying those. And if you're looking for CHEAP wheels, and you find a good price on polished with NO clear, I'd buy em! After all, you did say you were looking for CHEAP wheels! You gotta know that if you don't want to spend alot, you're more than likely not going to get alot!

Just my two cents worth!

Yellow Hammer · Post by **Yellow Hammer** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 5:15 pm

I had a set of steel wheels that were chromed on my 1994 Dodge Ram. They came stock with the truck. I never had a problem with them. I took care of them by keeping them polished about every other time that I washed the truck. I used a substance called Never-Dull. It comes in a tin can and has a cotton like material that is presoaked with the Never-Dull polish. You can get it at about any auto parts store. Taking care of chrome wheels is no different than taking care of a chrome bumper. Personally, if I didn't get the black 397s, I would have went with the chrome 398s. I learned about Never-Dull when I was in the Air Force back in 1987. We used it to keep the faucets polished in our baracks during boot camp. I still use it on everything that I have that is chrome. It applies easy and is not hard to buff off. Basically, you use it the same as you would a car polish.

Yellow Hammer · Post by **Yellow Hammer** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 6:15 pm

This is a little off the subject of Cheap rims but I wanted to show you guys how good this Never-Dull stuff works. Below are some pics of my 55 Packard that has so much chrome it's not even funny. The steel bumpers are chrome and all the trim is chrome including the windshield wipers. It only has 48,000 miles on it and is kept indoors but you can still see how well the chrome has lasted over the years. I've used Never-Dull on it every since my grandpa gave it to me back in 1989. Anyway, I know it's off the subject but it does give me a chance to show it off.

The quality of the pics aren't that great because of the size restrictions for posting pics but you can still see the chrome and how well it shines.

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 7:18 pm

Off subject or not, they are great pics, nevr-dull is a good product and the packard is good looking

Yellow Hammer · Post by **Yellow Hammer** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 8:27 pm

Thanks f9k9. It's something we're pretty proud of. I really haven't done anything to it since I got it other than regular maintenance and keeping it clean. Everything on it is original including the paint. My grandpa bought it in 1972 and it had 43,000 miles on it. Since then, we have only put 5,000 miles on it. I live in Florida but keep it stored up in Illinois where I'm originally from.

S-10CREWCAB.NET

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