jtorre4272

Hi folks,

A couple months ago, I inquired about who people thought were reputable wheel remanufacturers for my '89 1 Pc forged. I got some great replies. Thanks. I did some investigation and the biggest disappointment is the cost of shipping. (YIKES). I found a local Detroit metro area reman company that specializes in just factory wheel refinishing and from the reviews, They appear to be respectable. Plus they are only a half hour from my house.

I pulled the center caps off the wheels thinking they were "throwaway and I will replace them" but to my surprise, they were made of what seemed to be 1/4" thick cast aluminum with a very nice retainer ring. I really want to reuse them. The problem is the reman company told me they don't refinish center caps. I asked them why and they said because the machine that will polish the wheels will cause them to fall out. I am struggling with this one. They fit very tightly in the rim to begin with.

Is this simply not true and I can deliver the wheels with the cap installed? What have you folks done, who have gone through this process? Should I send the caps to one of the refinishers you recommended considering the shipping cost will be trivial, or should I convince the reman folks they are incorrect and the center cap on my wheels is not what they think?

Thanks much for the continued advice.

CyCloNe!

I haven't gone through this process but if it were me I'd probably listen to the company it may not be true to all rims and it's easier for them just to say no to all and avoid liability claims. What type of finish is on the caps, is it something you could do? If not I'd check around and send the caps else where but thats me.

jtorre4272

Well I originally thought the wheels were anodized per the previous owner but now I am hearing from the refinisher that they were silver painted from the factory! I have no concrete answer. I want to have the wheels polished and clear coated with center caps to match.

SeaCay

If your car has the original Club Sport wheels, they are most certainly NOT painted silver at the factory. They should have a clear to slightly platinum tint in the anodizing. If your wheels are painted (again, if they are Club Sports) then someone else has done that and I would suspect some repair being hidden.

Are you sure your wheels aren't Design 90's?

jtorre4272

I am certain they are the original club sport forged wheels and the refinished does not know what he is talking about. They have a silver tint and don't appear painted. He just put up a convincing argument like a lawyer would, even though in this case he is wrong.

CyCloNe!

Ya all accounts I have seen are an anodized finish they have a different visual effect that paint.

FlatSix911

Polish the wheels and center caps ... use RTV silicone to fix the caps securely to the wheel
I polished a set of OEM Fuchs wheels and they looked great, just needed RTV to keep the caps secure.