I need your opinion!!!

[azygoustoyou]

These are the wheels I have for my spider. I can't decide how to make them look. Here's what I came up with so far..

Help me choose which look you may like. If you have a different look you think is better, please show a pic. Thx all
No, I didn't ding up the black wheel. LOL It came that way..

[manoa matt]

I got a set of those same wheels and I'm about to soda and bead blast them and return them to the original finishes and colors. Here is what they should look like: Pictures 3 and 8 are what they originally looked like. http://www.histowheels.com/Cromodora/Cromodora-CD-16/

I think the outer rim along with all the raised portions were polished. The inset arrow shapes and the lug nut cavities were a matte finish, and the small webs at the openings were flat black.

Many of these wheels have been refinished and blasted over the years with no real empasis on originality. If you just bead blast the whole wheel, every surface will be matte. Carefull masking the areas will help. I was going to soda blast the entire wheel first to clean up the areas that need to be polished, then mask them off and bead blast just the areas that will be exposed matte finish. Then remask paint the flat black areas, then clearcoat the entire wheel.

[Tappy]

why not in between ?
all visible metal poliched and the rest mat black (or same as car)

[racydave]

I like Tappy's idea, same color as the car?

[manoa matt]

I've seen a few sets that had the "arrows" and lug holes painted black like that. Imagine Tappy's version without the webs painted black. It realy sets off the cross pattern, and would probably look good as its spinning.

Someone was selling this wheel a few weeks ago on ebay: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigtimes_fiat/3428099866/

I also thought about cutting out those webs to make them look more like the CD 30 wheels http://www.histowheels.com/Cromodora/Cromodora-CD-30/ ....but it seams like a lot of work and might weaken the wheel.

[htchevyii]

Maybe you could just paint the "Webs" black?

[azygoustoyou]

I did media blast the grayish one. I also cleaned up the edges around the wheel. That's when I noticed the wheel got a sheen to it . I was thinking of leaving it all gray but like you said make the raised parts to a sheen. I also thought maybe I would just polish the whole wheel and then clear coat it. What ever I do I know I'm going to clear coat the wheel so it lasts longer.
It's hard trying to decide. I was also thinking of keeping it gray and then painting the lug area red and getting a red Fiat logo for the center.

[sjmst]

Stock all the way!

[mdrburchette]

What Sam says. I like the wheel stock.

[azygoustoyou]

I could understand why you would say stock. My car isn't going to be stock. My 81 is going to have a 1800 in it and mostly everything off my 78. I'm adding my own design abarth like bumpers. My tail lights are bubble style corvette lights. The interior is going to be half and half - Fiat and custom.


I did figure out what I'm going with on the wheels. I'm going to leave them sand blasted and polish the raised areas. Plus the outside rim. Then clear coat them. I'll show pics by the weekend.

[ga.spyder]

Brady,I cant wait to see your car when it is finished.You have some great ideas,and the talents to follow through on them.The Fiat community is more open to customizing our cars than some of the other(ie.British) groups.Go for it!!
Craig

[azygoustoyou]

thx Craig! I appreciate it.

[speedracer]

I also thought about cutting out those webs to make them look more like the CD 30 wheels http://www.histowheels.com/Cromodora/Cromodora-CD-30/ ....but it seams like a lot of work and might weaken the wheel.

Ahhh, the CD-30's!

Easily the nicest looking rim for any Spider IMHO. The offset on these rims are perfect and really widen the stance of the Spider and I'm a fan of 13" size to.

But they are so expensive when you can find them!

Anybody using the CD-30 replicas from Vicks? They are somewhat reasonable, but I was wondering how good they are...

[mdrburchette]

I'd love a set of CD-30s. They're the only wheel that has an open pattern and looks like it belongs on an early Spider.
The wheel from Vick's looks more shallow in the front than the original.

[Tappy]

ihave a set of 4 for sale , they look like this , does anyone recognise them ? :