Having tried the "Tires and Wheels" forum....

[Fred Douglass]

.....and gotten no response, I thought I'd try here (the Lounge seems more heavily visited):

I've come across a perfect set of 15" Centerline rims. They're 12" wide for the rears and 10" for the fronts. As I've decided to repaint my Butler black (!), I thought it would be nifty to have GOLD centers. I'd seen this combination on a GT-40 (or whatever the Ford continuation models are called) and also on the old 1970's F1 Lotus "Players Special" and very much like the BBS wheels on Porsches.

Black, silver and gold looks good (at least to me) and I was wondering what process was used to get such brilliant gold centers on the Ford GT-40. Really bright, like chrome (not like me) ar-ar-ar.

Any experience, expertise or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Chow,

[clayfoushee]

Are you sure you mean "bright, like chrome?" I haven't seen that for gold wheels, but here is a picture of the gold powder-coated Kodiaks on my Lotus.

[cobra de capell]

BBS centers are painted gold - My guess is that GT40's are also painted gold - I'd suggest buying some OEM Paint (German) that goes with Porsche, BMW, Mercedes - I'd also guess that the process involves the right paint and several applications of clear coat.

I had BBS wheels with gold centers on a Porsche Turbo - simply stunning and would be awesome on a black car.

From one site....

"The German design nozzle produces a fine, even spray that is easy to control and produces a near-factory finish. Wurth German Alloy Wheel Paint dries quickly and is chip resistant. Use several very light coats and allow 30 minutes drying time between coats. The gold and silver color coat will have a textured look and feel that provides a three dimensional effect when properly finished with a clear topcoat (use two coats of Wurth High Gloss Clear Lacquer as the final topcoat)."

http://www.hrpworld.com/index.cfm?fo...action=product

They've noted gold as not yet available.....

[Fred Douglass]

Looks like I can try an "either/or"---I do have some other wheels (Enkies[?]--or are those the obscure winches on my sailboat?) which have gold centers.

Thanks for the help!

Oh BTW CdC, liked your description of the family---see the reference to my Spoof-oh Christmas Letter I occasionally send out.....it's on the thread just above the "Jamo" one that got s-c'd! Ar-ar-ar!

Chow,

[VRM]

Freddie,
You could go for a more classic look...
The original style halibrands used on Cobras and other cars of that era were magnesium and were usually had a dichromate treatment called Dow #7 to keep the magnesium from oxidising. This stuff was a pale gold colour, and would usually wear off pretty quickly. There are a few companies that still do the Dow #7 process, but paint might be a better and more durable solution.
Oh, and it looks really good (IMHO) with black cars...

[cobra de capell]

While we are on this subject, specifically talking about the original wheels - I have a set on my Cobra - I recently had the car shipped, ending up with a missing 'clip' that 'sort of' holds the center spinner on the wheel - I suppose it's some sort of safety device. Anyway, it's gone - does anyone know if those clips are available? I lost one years ago and had another one made and I'll have to do that again, unless there is a source out there.

BTW - magnesium is very difficult to maintain, as noted above.