Black Chrome & Machined wheels

[Michael Babb]

I love the look of the black chromed and stainless shift knobs that Tom N sells at http://www.deloreana.com/:
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So . . since I have an early car I keep looking at my wheels. The darker wheels are starting to grow on me, but in general I think that they just look dirty more than anything. . .so I have been wondering what the wheels would look like with black chrome. And even more if you chrome them, and then machine certain areas. Here is what I have come up with as a mock-up. What do folks think?

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[Tomcio]

Michael,

Have you seen my wheels?

It's not black chrome though. I had them powder coated black, then machined the spokes and the rim and then they were powder coated clear.
Here's the result:
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[Michael Babb]

Michael,

Have you seen my wheels?

It's not black chrome though. I had them powder coated black, then machined the spokes and the rim and then they were powder coated clear.
Here's the result:
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Nice! Think you can get a close up shot of one of those to post? Very similar to what I cam up with - I played around with the center section as both black and machined and am not sure which way I like better yet.

[Ron]

Nice! Think you can get a close up shot of one of those to post? Very similar to what I cam up with - I played around with the center section as both black and machined and am not sure which way I like better yet.Same here.
I did a quick Photoshop making the centers in Tom's pic have machined centers and liked it a lot.

[Tillsy]

Seems a few of us have similar taste - this is what I spent a year coming up with and finally got done recently.

Like Michael is considering, I didn't machine the ends of the spokes as I wanted them to float/pop and it worked fantastically.

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=20925&d=1375442570

[Michael Babb]

Seems a few of us have similar taste - this is what I spent a year coming up with and finally got done recently.

Like Michael is considering, I didn't machine the ends of the spokes as I wanted them to float/pop and it worked fantastically.



Very nice! Can you talk about the process you went through to get this done? I am also very curious about the costs (if you don't mind sharing that). . .

[Ron]

Seems a few of us have similar taste - this is what I spent a year coming up with and finally got done recently. Your photoshop is much better than mine :deviltail:

I lke em' all!

[Shuttleman]

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[Michael Babb]

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Cool, thanks for attaching the pic . . .more going on with that car than custom wheels it looks like. :)

[Tomcio]

Nice! Think you can get a close up shot of one of those to post? Very similar to what I cam up with - I played around with the center section as both black and machined and am not sure which way I like better yet.

Here's a view of my front wheel without the center cap. The original plastic cap is black and since I've made the center section black I decided to replace the center caps with polished stainless steel version.
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I can't find a good picture of the wheel with the center cap. Here's what I could find:
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The logo in the center of the cap reflects the sun nicely ;) It is diamond engraved and looks sweet.
BTW, the caps were made on a lathe from a solid piece of 304 stainless. They are made of two parts - front cap and rear nut.

[Michael Babb]

DMC logo on the lug nuts too Tom?

[Tomcio]

DMC logo on the lug nuts too Tom?

Yep ;)
The lug nuts are 316 stainless. I had a set made to order. I really didn't like the OEM nuts with stupid caps that kept falling off. Another thing is the fact that rear nuts sit very deep and it's very hard to reach them. So, I've had those made longer so they sit flush with the wheel and appear the same as the front ones.

Here's a closeup view of the wheel:
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Here's a view of the lug nuts:
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As you can see I have one extra nut for the front and one extra nut for the rear. The machine shop has asked me what to do with the extra material left over and... :)

You like? ;)

[Michael Babb]

Yep ;)
The lug nuts are 316 stainless. I had a set made to order. I really didn't like the OEM nuts with stupid caps that kept falling off. Another thing is the fact that rear nuts sit very deep and it's very hard to reach them. So, I've had those made longer so they sit flush with the wheel and appear the same as the front ones.

<SNIP>

You like? ;)

Yes I do! I know that you are waist deep in the LED project, but think this is something you would consider offering in the future? I definitely like that better than the OEM's (I have one missing the cap right now). I know that last time I ordered a 'new' set from DMC-H I got all new, previously used OEM lug nuts and had to mix and match those with what I had to get a single "pretty good" set. (Though I know they are selling a "DMC Improved Part" now that may be much better).

[Exolis]

Here is an example of Black Chrome Rims 22001, I think it would be certainly interesting to see DeLorean Rims in all Black Chrome.

[Tomcio]

think this is something you would consider offering in the future?

I'm not sure if I want to offer lug nuts for sale. Stainless steel nuts cannot be hardened and are softer than regular nuts. They are perfect when used normally but you absolutely cannot use an impact wrench on them. Since I don't let anyone work on my car I take care of them. I always use a torque wrench and high quality sockets. I can easily imagine someone leaving a car for a tire change and some moron using an impact gun and stripping the threads in one move... This is a safety item and I don't really want the risk of selling them. I might consider making them out of strong steel and having them laser engraved... maybe... one day.
For now you might want to take a look at the LED light threat and my last post. I've included a nice picture ;)

[Domi]

Here's a view of the lug nuts:
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You like? ;)

This is really nice, I like it :)

[Tillsy]

I might consider making them out of strong steel and having them laser engraved... maybe... one day.

You'll no doubt receive a cease and desist from Houston for merely saying that ;)

[Tillsy]

Very nice! Can you talk about the process you went through to get this done? I am also very curious about the costs (if you don't mind sharing that). . .

Not sure which aspect of the process you refer to. The design itself I spent a year doodling - doing sketches and photoshops of craploads of variations. What started off as mere shadowing between the spokes (one to define them and two because I hate brake dust showing) I ended up wanting a single outside ring separated by black, leaving the ends of the spokes black so that the spokes have a floating/pop appearance, the mid-point indent on the spokes black to specifically highlight the character, and no section of the machining aligning with another so that each part (the ring, two TOP surfaces of each spoke, and centre) are separated by black.

The actual work proved troublesome. Sounds like a non-issues in the US, but locally here nobody wanted a bar of working with such a tight spoke pattern. The place I found that seemed happy with it ran into all kinds of hell because of that - first with stripping them in the first place and then with getting my gloss black power coat to stick - tools weeks of attempts before they were satisfied with the result. Then came the machining - little did I know at the time, but it is common that the centre area may not be fantastic alloy and that area did not shine as I had hoped. Looks okay in photos but in person the centre area looks a smidgen dirty if that makes sense. I also added a clear coat sealant over the whole job so that they retain their look over time.

This shot comparing before and after is a great angle showing how well the float/pop effect I was trying to achieve with the spokes turned out - subtle yet very effective.
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=20921

[Tomcio]

You'll no doubt receive a cease and desist from Houston for merely saying that ;)

Yeah, well... there was a talk about this on the DML a few years back. I received a 'nice' note from them back then but I sent my reply and never head about it again. In short, they can do absolutely nothing from the legal stand point. They do not own the original DMC logo and this is what I am using. The original logo is dead and anyone can use it. End of story. This is way off topic here, but you can look up the patent office and there you'll find the original logo and information about it's legal status and the new stylized logo that belongs to DMC Houston.
I don't know who sent that email back then or if it was even legit. Either way, I will keep using the original dead logo. I honestly don't like what they are doing with the logo or the fact that they are (or were) selling new built cars. I know my rights. :)

[Shuttleman]

Cool, thanks for attaching the pic . . .more going on with that car than custom wheels it looks like. :)

I bought the car like that but I like the stock look better so I will powder coat them light grey. I had somebody who wanted to trade but there is no much to gain if I trade for another set of wheels that needs refinishing so. Here's some pics of when I got the car, kinda cool just not what I had in mind.
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