Thinking out loud...Chromed Ford Wire Wheels?...

Wondering how hard it would be to chrome a 16", 17", or 18" Ford wire wheel...anybody ever see one?...have pics?

 

Ask yourself this >>>>How hard is it to take 4 of them apart<<<<

 

Own a bank do you??

 

I was thinking about the same thing the other day. I'd imagine that the chroming process would have to begin immediately after having the wheels blasted. I wonder what the window would be?

 

Oh, so they'd have to be disassembled.

 

How would you propose to polish and buff all the surfaces? Keep in mind: a part has to look almost as good BEFORE plating as AFTER.

 

wow that would be a bitch..I wonder if the look would be worth it

 

The spokes are welded on, so I'm wondering if maybe they can be chromed without removing the spokes?...inquirin' minds...

 

That's the plater's problem...$$$

 

Ceramic coating maybe? but they would look awesome. but much easier to get some Kelsey-Hayes factory chromed wires from a Cadillac

 

I know
That was my point …. Even when getting solid wheels plaited they want the center out / separate from the rim.
When stuff gets plaited its polished several times in the process.

 

I think the process would be to sandblast and then start the plating on sandblasted steel. Copper first, color sand. Copper again, sand. Copper again, etc, til the copper can be mirror buffed by hand. then nickel. then chrome. Much $ in labor.

 

You couldn't even get in there to polish them!! that's why no one chromes them, the chromed wired you've seen are chromed then put together.

 

If you pursue it, the look would be beautiful. I'm in process of reassembling a pair of plated wide fives for a friend of mine.
Something that they didn't consider prior to dis-assembly was, how good of condition is the wheel? these things are not round, been pot holed a few times etcetera. My two cents is, shop around for the best you can find and start there

 

I saw a set of 19 inch Model A's that had been chromed. No complaints about the quality of the work but I think a good coat of apple green paint would have looked better. Bet it was expensive.

Charlie Stephens

 

Lots of labor......Drive the car down to Tijuana an have it done.....you will save lots of $$$!

 

...here they are new.... http://www.cokertire.com/wheels/street-hot-rod-wheels/hot-rod-wire-wheel-23.html

....there's a T modified with em on it featured in the April 2012 R&C.... looks kool!!

 

Where's ChromeplaterJosh at? Have him post a estimate on this thread, and that'll kill the mood and the Apple green paint would seem like a much better option!!!

 

$730.00 each for factory built from scratch. I think you would be over a grand to do a used set. Twice the labor.
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There's a process called electro polishing... Which depending on how pitted the base material is leaves a very nice finish. It's uses an electric current and removes a very thin layer of the base material.

Could work not entirely sure though...

Here's a vendor I know of in Chicagoland
http://ableelectropolishing-px.rtrk.com/

 

Why couldn't the wheels be placed in a vibrating tub with some type of dry polishing media to get into all the hard to reach surfaces? Maybe even a multi-step process, finishing with a micro-fine polishing media?

 

THAT IS NOT THE WHEELS WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE ORIGINAL WHEELS HE IS TALKING ABOUT HAVE THE SPOKES WELDED ON THE WHEEL NOT THREAD WITH NIPPLE HELD. Knuck From Indiana.

 

NOW YOUR USING YOUR THINKING CAP!!! Knuck From Indiana.

 

There once were chrome spoke covers available, seen them on 16" wires. Never liked the look, but to each his own.
I agree on the nice paint job looking better! Put a shiny hub cap and a beauty ring on 'em, and you're stylin'!

 

I am doing a set right after I win the lottery. Oh wait, on second thought I will just powder coat a set of steel wheels. ~sololobo~

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-70S...Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item5d2fdf5d14

 

Better yet, nickel plated. Yeah, nickel.

Larry, go ahead and do a set. If they don't meet your expectations, send 'em to me!

 

Those don't look half bad, but I can't picture them on a traditional styled rod. Not that it couldn't work, but it seems like more of an imagined halfway point between resto rods with wire wheels and tradional rods with wired.

 

The idea doesn't appeal to me, but it seems that the simple approach would be to start with a set of adjustable spoke Kelseys. New spokes were still available a few years ago. When I was researching wire wheels a few years back, I think MT Products had a wire wheel page and a link to a company in socal that turned bent spoke Kelseys into adjustable spoke wheels for like $500.00 each. They re-dimpled the hub and replaced the spokes and rim. It's only money.

 

What a waste of money indeed! Now all he has is a set of adjustable spoke wheels like any others. They no longer gave the beautiful bent spokes which make a Kelsey accessory wheel desireable in the first place.
Why ruin a set fo Kelseys rather than just change a set of standard 35 Ford wires? I'm astounded.