Any suggestion for color on these vintage aluminum mage wheels?

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

I bought a set of 8.25" Western Turbines to replace the Western Turbines currently on my beater truck......Reason being what's currently on the rears are B/A 9.75", so tires are way too expensive. Bonus of the replacement wheels is the version can take push through hub cap, so suitable options are many and they come cheap.

I've already blown $180 to have the wheels media blasted, someone had done a poor paint job, but boy did it stick. I was going to mount them as is, but they probably deserve a finish coat. I don't want to take the time to polish and clear coat.

Guy will powder coat these for $160. Any color suggestions for these righteous wheels for this mess of a truck? It really is a beater, most "luxuries" like heat, headlights, fuel gauge and wipers don't work or they don't work well - and I don't care I'm leaning toward argent silver or gray of some sort.

First pic is what's currently on the truck. Second of the replacements.

Thanks

[dagnabbitt]

Totally agree with you on the argent silver. I think it'll look good.

[Sheepdip]

They are yours to do any color you want....me I'd powder coat them clear and leave the blast finish, they will look dull but have a shine.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Thanks guys. Interesting thought Sheepdip.

[special-K]

I love the clean raw aluminum. I would also powder coat clear. If you want to put some work into them, just polish or even sand to fine grit on the faces of the fins and bead area. Polish to shine or at least just sand to smooth

[Ironangel]

If your not dead set on powder coating, you could buy a couple rolls of tape and two tone them to match the truck. Maybe Argent wheel with blue fins, can paint the outer face of the fins Argent with blue accents on the sides. I painted a pair of rally wheels to match the red orange of one of my trucks, the polished center caps with 3" stainless rings made those 8" Rally's really pop! I painted those Rally wheels because the powder coat was thin and they were rusting in the cracks and crevasses.

[67C10Step]

I like the blasted aluminum look, especially on a daily driver truck. However, and this is just my opinion, the argent silver would just wash out on the aluminum. I'd leave the bead edge and turbine fins blasted aluminum and do a matte black to make it pop out more.

[Warrens69GMC]

Did these polished lip and spines

[Ol Blue K20]

I vote on a clear powder coat. That will keep them easy to clean and remain fresh looking

[sick472]

My favorite look for the turbines is the traditional black background (inbetweeen the fins) with raw or sanded or polished fin faces. This option involves some work....sanding/polishing, taping and painting, but it saves the powder coat fees. I'd use some black engine spray bombs.

I'm envious of your wheel find, tubines are on my top five list of classic wheels!

[truckster]

If you're looking for the easiest, I'd clear them and be done.

If you really want the classic look, black between the fins and polish the faces. It's a lot more work, though.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Originally Posted by special-K

I love the clean raw aluminum. I would also powder coat clear. If you want to put some work into them, just polish or even sand to fine grit on the faces of the fins and bead area. Polish to shine or at least just sand to smooth

Options are endless, some really neat ideas.

I've been talked into clear. I like the idea polishing/sand spokes and bead. It will suit the caps I've already got, though in hindsight some black in that chrome would look better. Could paint the caps, "matching" blue caps might look trick.

[special-K]

Those camaro wheels came out great!

Get yourself some cross flag center stickers. I always use the red with rays



I consider the burnished aluminum between the fins to be the classic look. People went and painted them, often, once they got older. Some styles eventually offered black accent and some people painted theirs black or body color

[weim55]

I owned a couple of turbo Buick’s that had these wheels as standard equipment. The biggest problem by far was disc brake dust on the front wheels. A constant problem and eventually the front wheels were always darker than the rear even completely clean. I wound up painting mine cast iron gray as a compromise and it worked really well. Not only easier to clean but the color stay consistent over time.

Steve weim55 Colorado

[Warrens69GMC]

blue stickers..

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wheel-Cente...sAAOSwiVFbiv-z

[Richard]

I like polished wheels on the oldies. Guess I really like polished or chrome wheels on most vehicles. Hate the black wheel look and do not care for fully painted wheels. Had a set of these on my old K20. Polished face with black in-between the vanes. Link to my old truck in my build thread.

[special-K]

If I ever saw a set of turbines fully polished it was on an all out show vehicle. These wheels came in burnished finish with machined faces on the rim lip and fins. Nothing was ever polished on these wheels. They chew up whatever you use to clean them with. Watch the knuckles, too. I like this style, but it is hard to keep clean. A clear finish or be prepared to scrub and use alloy wheel cleaner. I even used scuff pads and Brillo. Can't hurt them. I kept the ones I bought new for my '90 Blazer clean all those years. And it was my wife's daily driver. I cleaned a set and ran them a while on my '72 K2500. They were about black when I bought them

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Originally Posted by special-K

If I ever saw a set of turbines fully polished it was on an all out show vehicle. These wheels came in burnished finish with machined faces on the rim lip and fins. Nothing was ever polished on these wheels. They chew up whatever you use to clean them with. Watch the knuckles, too. I like this style, but it is hard to keep clean. A clear finish or be prepared to scrub and use alloy wheel cleaner. I even used scuff pads and Brillo. Can't hurt them. I kept the ones I bought new for my '90 Blazer clean all those years. And it was my wife's daily driver. I cleaned a set and ran them a while on my '72 K2500. They were about black when I bought them

Makes sense they're so rough, because paint remover was near useless against the paint on these. He spent over two hours a piece media blasting......................I like the hubcap stickers

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

I think this wheel confirms what some of you mentioned, which is basically the face of the wheel was polished/sanded and the rest raw aluminum, then a clear coat. The only thing I would add is the face of the hub appears polished as well.

This is one of the 9.75" currently on the rear of my C-20. Topic of hubcaps I really like these old caps on this wheel. Unfortunately the caps weren't designed to last 50 years. I'm not a fan of replacement lug fastening type caps for these, which is one reason I like the replacements that take a push-through cap.

[special-K]

Yeah, the first 8-lug custom wheel center caps were derby style, meaning w/bolting flange. Then they got cheap and dropped the flange. The thing with what we are stuck with now is if you don't put crimps in the edge every time you R & R a wheel they will rattle around on you. My 8-luggers are 4wd so I stopped using them. The fronts are open anyway and I like seeing that tough axle hub in the middle of those 8 lugs. I keep the hub painted gloss black. The only center caps with a hoot are the aluminum or stainless. Chrome ones rust start rusting as soon as they see a rain cloud. If their dimensions are right for your wheels, Weld Racing offers aluminum center caps with their wheels you could order

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Real happy I was talked into this. Good chance I'll have the best run-down truck/sweet wheels combo in the area. I may have to order those bow-tie stickers in post 15 to ensure that title

They need to be clear coated yet.....

[KQQL IT]

Bronze or gold ish like a pontiac transam

[Warrens69GMC]

Nice job!!

[Ol Blue K20]

It looks good!!!

[special-K]

Those look great! I bet rattle can flat black would stick well all over

The '72 SWN I was going to rebuild, but sold to start from scratch on the '67, had these wheels painted black. I hated them. Ugliest looking wheels I ever saw. If they were wider than stock (never cared for custom wheels that aren't wider) I would had taken then down to bare like you did. I had similar wheels on my K2500 a while. They were so dirty they were almost black. I got them clean using Scothbrite, wheel cleaners, and even fine sandpaper. I like the dull clean look of aged aluminum wheels