Machined Wheels

[Bitsyncmaster]

Anyone got them? Did you have them done locally?

Since I have a tire leaking at the bead I was thinking of getting the wheels machined and a set of new tires. I see our DMC vendors have machined wheels for $225 each. But the shipping and return shipping of my old ones would drive that cost up.

[Mark D]

I got a chance to see chad's (lordvadus) car earlier this month at a car show and his machined wheels looked great. If I remember correctly he said he had DMCMW take them to their local place to be done and the cost was a little more reasonable than the 225 each price. Overall I think the machined look matches the bare metal finish of the car better than the stock painted rims.

I'll definitely be doing this to my wheels once I take care of my other more pressing mechanical issues that need fixing.

[Iznodmad]

I just mounted the DMCMW "lathe cut" wheels yesterday. They are spectacular! Shipping via FEDEX was about $75 one way. Gotta send my cores back. They are worth every penny that I spent. I searched locally for a couple of years and couldn't find anyone willing to do what I wanted done. I fully recommend the lathe cut option thru Dave and Julee.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Here is my first quote. I responded by asking if they use a lathe for the machining.

To refinish & repair OEM Wheels is $150.00 plus $30.00 each to remount & balance. $720.00 for the 4 and will take 3 to 4 days. If the wheels are painted then they use a little lower quality alloy and it will not show very nice machined. We could use a heavy fill epoxy primer to help fill the roughness but it will not all come out. Will also take an extra day to dry & extra $40.00. Then base coat / clearcoat. Located at 504 Louise Ave., Linthicum Heights, MD 21090. If you have any questions talk to Mike or Bruce 410-969-7282

[jawn101]

Here is my first quote. I responded by asking if they use a lathe for the machining.

To refinish & repair OEM Wheels is $150.00 plus $30.00 each to remount & balance. $720.00 for the 4 and will take 3 to 4 days. If the wheels are painted then they use a little lower quality alloy and it will not show very nice machined. We could use a heavy fill epoxy primer to help fill the roughness but it will not all come out. Will also take an extra day to dry & extra $40.00. Then base coat / clearcoat. Located at 504 Louise Ave., Linthicum Heights, MD 21090. If you have any questions talk to Mike or Bruce 410-969-7282

John at DAP does them for what sounds like $550 flat for the set of 4, not including freight each way. The pictures he posted show some pretty remarkable results. I haven't done this yet myself but it's on my list when I get down to appearance tasks.

http://www.specialtauto.com/delorean-parts/brakes-rotors.html (about 3/4 way down the page)

[Bitsyncmaster]

John at DAP does them for what sounds like $550 flat for the set of 4, not including freight each way. The pictures he posted show some pretty remarkable results. I haven't done this yet myself but it's on my list when I get down to appearance tasks.

http://www.specialtauto.com/delorean-parts/brakes-rotors.html (about 3/4 way down the page)

From what I see, John's are powder coated. The latch cut wheels would be polished aluminum with a clear coat.

[jawn101]

From what I see, John's are powder coated. The latch cut wheels would be polished aluminum with a clear coat.

Oh, I get what you mean. That sounds cool too!

Iznodmad: I'd love to see pictures of them :)

[sean]

I just mounted the DMCMW "lathe cut" wheels yesterday. They are spectacular! Shipping via FEDEX was about $75 one way. Gotta send my cores back. They are worth every penny that I spent. I searched locally for a couple of years and couldn't find anyone willing to do what I wanted done. I fully recommend the lathe cut option thru Dave and Julee.

Pics? Sounds great!

[Chris4099]

I will have to post pictures of mine when I get home from this trip. The ones I got were from DMC-NW. Toby gets them blasted, machined and then clear powder coated at a local shop. Because the aluminum is so porous, you will see tiny dots all over them. Not really noticeable unless you look up close. I went through Toby since he had spare cores available. So he had those machined and when I drove up, we went right next door to a tire shop and swapped them out. I just had to wait an hour while the tire shop worked and there was no core since Toby got my old wheels back right away!

The look is fantastic and I agree they match the SS finish better then painted wheels without being as "flashy" as chromed wheels.

[Iznodmad]

Crappy cell phone pic for those wanting to see the new wheels. Ignore the missing letters on the ground effects, I didn't lose them. They just need to be cleaned of old adhesive and re-applied.

[jawn101]

Crappy cell phone pic for those wanting to see the new wheels. Ignore the missing letters on the ground effects, I didn't lose them. They just need to be cleaned of old adhesive and re-applied.

Car looks great! But now we need closeups :)

[sean]

Very nice D. Those wheels look great.

[Morpheus]

Car looks great! But now we need closeups :)

Seconded!

[dvonk]

Crappy cell phone pic for those wanting to see the new wheels.

nice, i like the bare metal look; it goes well with the bare stainless. :cool:

are they clear coated?

[Bitsyncmaster]

So are those machined (bare aluminum) spokes and the center painted?

[Dracula]

I got a chance to see chad's (lordvadus) car earlier this month at a car show and his machined wheels looked great. If I remember correctly he said he had DMCMW take them to their local place to be done and the cost was a little more reasonable than the 225 each price. Overall I think the machined look matches the bare metal finish of the car better than the stock painted rims.

I'll definitely be doing this to my wheels once I take care of my other more pressing mechanical issues that need fixing.

I go by "DRACULA" now here; it matches my license plate, after all, but otherwise that's correct. I'd go out and take a picture, but they've got somewhere around 3,000 miles worth of dirt on them and I was caught in a heavy rain yesterday. It rained so hard that water was getting in the car and dripping from the interior light by the rearview mirror. I'll clean them up after I run out to the auto parts store and pick up some anti-freeze to flush the radiator on my Cadillac and some cleaner for the DeLorean.

[Dracula]

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These two are before pictures; prior to me cleaning the car.

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And here's after. These are the best pictures I can get with my cell phone and the best way to appreciate something like this is to see the car in person.

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Here's one of the entire car to show how they blend together.

[jawn101]

29692974

These two are before pictures; prior to me cleaning the car.

29722973

And here's after. These are the best pictures I can get with my cell phone and the best way to appreciate something like this is to see the car in person.

2971

Here's one of the entire car to show how they blend together.

Wow! I have to agree that must look amazing in person but it makes for an impressive picture too :)

[Iznodmad]

So are those machined (bare aluminum) spokes and the center painted?

Only the "face" of the wheel up to the center are machined (and clear coated). The center is powercoated, as well as in between the spokes. I will post an up close pic later tonite.

[jawn101]

Only the "face" of the wheel up to the center are machined (and clear coated). The center is powercoated, as well as in between the spokes. I will post an up close pic later tonite.

Can't wait to see it. They look really sharp.

[Fluxat88MPH]

Only the "face" of the wheel up to the center are machined (and clear coated). The center is powercoated, as well as in between the spokes. I will post an up close pic later tonite.

What does DMCMW charge for the machined wheels?

[Iznodmad]

Close up as requested. I think I paid $225 per wheel (core exchange of course).

[jawn101]

Close up as requested. I think I paid $225 per wheel (core exchange of course).

Looks really, really nice. The edges are nice and crisp and everything is clean and sleek, just like the car deserves.

[Chris4099]

Attached are a few pictures I took after installing them and lowering the D. The wide shot was a very cloudy day, so they don't show up well. I'll see about trying to get more later when my D is out of the garage.

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[sweetp01569]

Not sure if you're still active, Chris4099, but I noticed that your wheels seem to have the entire outer surface turned and polished, whereas the pictures posted by Iznodmad in the previous post onyl showed the turned and polished surfaces on the outer rim and spokes only, and not the center face where the lug nuts are. Do DMCMW polish the entire face or just the outer rim and spoke surfaces? I am interested in getting these possibly next spring but would like the entire surface polished.

Paul


Attached are a few pictures I took after installing them and lowering the D. The wide shot was a very cloudy day, so they don't show up well. I'll see about trying to get more later when my D is out of the garage.

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[Chris4099]

Still here! The entire surface was machined. Only inside the spokes and lug nut areas are not machined. They are however blasted and clear coated, so they look about the same, just not smooth like the surface.

[DMCMW Dave]

DMCH Used to clear the centers as well, but given the typically corroded state of the wheel centers, the stay painted now. Otherwise you often have to remove too much of the face to get a perfect finish.

[Tillsy]

DMCH Used to clear the centers as well, but given the typically corroded state of the wheel centers, the stay painted now. Otherwise you often have to remove too much of the face to get a perfect finish.

I can vouch for that :(

[sweetp01569]

Thanks for the explanation, Dave. I cna understand that. it's too bad, though, that the centers are no longer polished, but i may still consider them as I like the polished look. Chris lucked out with his looking great all across the whole surface.


DMCH Used to clear the centers as well, but given the typically corroded state of the wheel centers, the stay painted now. Otherwise you often have to remove too much of the face to get a perfect finish.

[TheSmokingMan]

Those look great.

One of my front tires has a case of curb rash (it actually took out a small chunk of alloy on the edge). Can something like that be repaired or used as a core?

[DMCMW Dave]

Those look great.

One of my front tires has a case of curb rash (it actually took out a small chunk of alloy on the edge). Can something like that be repaired or used as a core?

A good wheel guy can fix that, although it's certainly easier if the final product is coated with a color rather than clear.

[Henrik]

These were my options after I had consulted with "Wheels by Adam" here in Dallas:
Chrome: Not ideal, because: 1) The spokes are too close together making it difficult to prep the surfaces between the spokes appropriately. That's why some chromed D wheels are painted in this area. I did not like that. 2) 6-8 week lead time. 3) Expensive.
Painted: OK, but not very exciting.
Polished: OK, but polishing between the spokes is just about impossible.

So here are the combinations of features we finally decided on:
Outer rim: Polished. This will set off the almost-chrome look
Center Hub: Polished.
Spokes: Painted bright silver. (Even the back of the wheel was painted and powder clear coated.)
Face of spokes: Turned on a lathe, just enough to break the skin.
Finally, the entire wheel was powder clear coated.

I had this done in 2006 and it is still holding up very well. $600 for all four wheels.
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[Domi]

Really nice wheels :)