Silver paint for Quad wheels

4444 Views 21 Replies 9 Participants Last post by CC alfa, Oct 24, 2007

89QuadSpider

Discussion Starter · Sep 25, 2007

Does anyone know of a source to buy some touch up or can of spray paint to match the silver finish on the Quad phone dial wheels?

Thanks for your help!

1 - 20 of 22 Posts

Zunige

· #2 · Sep 25, 2007

An "off the shelf" product that matches the OEM (or is even close) does not exist at this time. Others, and there are threads on the BB about this, have chosen to repaint their set of wheels. (I had the wheels for my series 3 Spider powdercoated by a local wheel shop.) What you may be able to do, is take your wheel to a shop that specializes in fixing and re-finishing wheels, and have them (or their supplier) computer match the color. This is custom work, so for the amount of paint that you will get its is expensive, but it's a lot cheaper than having them re-do all your wheels. The problem may be that they may not be interested in doing this...

Best regards,

Elio Comello

· #3 · Sep 25, 2007

The wheels on my 87 Quad were "polished", by the PO.
They are now shiny aluminum, almost chrome looking. They are easy to keep clean. To my mind, this is the way to go.

TTFn Elio

89QuadSpider

Discussion Starter · #4 · Sep 25, 2007

Thanks for the info!

Elio- do you have a photo of your car online, or could you post a picture here?

I would love to see how "polished" wheels look on a Quad.

John M

· #5 · Sep 25, 2007 (Edited)

I had success repainting with just silver met. wheel paint in spray can. Specifically plasticote brand. The key is preparation. Sanding out any imperfections and sanding for primer tach. Keep it clean and your spray area dust free. Light coats primer followed by successive heavier coat x 2. Same with the paint. Then a couple of light coats of clear. Anyway here are some of my wheels over the years. Painted, polished, and chromed. I did the painting and polishing...the chroming was a send out. I did a thread way back when I polished out the phonedials in 2003 or so. It can be done easily at home but it is time consuming and messy.

Any style will look great. The polished look is probably my favorite. But you'd still need to clear them otherwise they will become maintenance intensive. The chrome is clearer in reflection than the polished and is maintenance free.

The first picture are wheels painted on the face and the holes with the silver met. paint from plasticote. The second picture is polished. Then polished vs. chrome.

Best Regards,
John M

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Elio Comello

· #6 · Sep 25, 2007

Can't seem to attach a picture from my CD 89QuadSpider.

Send me a PM with your eMail or help me as to how to attach the Image. Sorry to be so dumb....

Many thanks, Elio

Zunige

· #7 · Sep 25, 2007

Elio,
All pics that one takes are way to large to post on the BB. Note that there is a size limit. Just "compress" your pictures to a "doc" size or a "web" size. Then you can click on the attachment icon (the paper clip) and they will load fine...

Best regards,

sjmst

· #8 · Sep 26, 2007

John M said:
I had success repainting with just silver met. wheel paint in spray can. Specifically plasticote brand. The key is preparation. Sanding out any imperfections and sanding for primer tach. Keep it clean and your spray area dust free. Light coats primer followed by successive heavier coat x 2. Same with the paint. Then a couple of light coats of clear. Anyway here are some of my wheels over the years. Painted, polished, and chromed. I did the painting and polishing...the chroming was a send out. I did a thread way back when I polished out the phonedials in 2003 or so. It can be done easily at home but it is time consuming and messy.

Any style will look great. The polished look is probably my favorite. But you'd still need to clear them otherwise they will become maintenance intensive. The chrome is clearer in reflection than the polished and is maintenance free.

The first picture are wheels painted on the face and the holes with the silver met. paint from plasticote. The second picture is polished. Then polished vs. chrome.

Best Regards,
John M

Both versions look great. You got amazing results from a spray can!

Zunige

· #9 · Sep 26, 2007

Elio Comello said:
Can't seem to attach a picture from my CD 89QuadSpider.
...
Many thanks, Elio

This picture is from Elio, so any comments should be directed to him. (I did see his car at the convention - beautiful car, and from a personal perspective, I just think the Quad shape is truly cool.)

Land vehicle Vehicle Car Classic car Sedan

Best regards,

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John M

· #10 · Sep 26, 2007

sjmst said:
Both versions look great. You got amazing results from a spray can!

Thanks! Its all technique.

Prep. Prep. Prep. If you can see it in the primer, you'll see it in the paint. AND If you use a "spray bomb" just keep the nozzle clean and don't use the entire can. Light coats. Wet your surface around and beneath what you are spraying. Keep the dust and debris away from the work. And you'll get a nice finish. These painted wheels didn't even require wet sanding after application.

Here are a couple of closeups of a painted, a polished, and a chrome wheel.
The chrome is just a mirror. The polished has a different hue to it as well as having less of a mirror effect. And the picture of the painted wheel shows the level of met. in the paint as well as the overall clear coat effect...between gloss but more satin as original.

Best Regards,
John M

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3

alfaloco

· #11 · Sep 26, 2007

What you fellows cannot really see, except for Enrique, who has seen John's Spider, is the beautiful pearl white custom paint. With the chrome or polished wheels, it is just a stunning Alfa! When you look at it, you think it's a color Alfa should have offered on the S4 cars.

Hats off to ya big guy.

Franko

· #12 · Sep 26, 2007

I REALLY need to know how the polish-process goes now--I gotta have that look on my (silver) '90 Quad. Can someone either direct me to a past thread or even briefly outline the steps to get that finish? TIA,

Frank

John M

· #13 · Sep 26, 2007

Here you go Franko:

http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/showthread.php?t=3846&highlight=polishing+frenzie

Thanks for the compliment Dave!

Best Regards,
John M

Elio Comello

· #14 · Sep 26, 2007 (Edited)

Thanks to Enrique for posting the image of Signorina "Martellina P."!

Just wanted to add that my polished wheels are not clear coated. I have little maintenance, except for the periodic wash and wipe. On an annual basis I do give them a good clean, by hand, with chrome/metal polish. What the polish coating leaves has kept them without problems, no discoloration or corrosion. I don't drive it in winter...

To my mind, the chrome is just too....shiny, the polished aluminum is just right (and quite a difference in cost to chroming)!
Best regards, Elio

John M

· #15 · Sep 26, 2007 (Edited)

Elio Comello said:
Thanks to Enrique for posting the image of Signorina "Martellina P."!

Just wanted to add that my polished wheels are not clear coated. I have little maintenance, except for the periodic wash and wipe. On an annual basis I do give them a good clean, by hand, with chrome/metal polish. What the polish coating leaves has kept them without problems, no discoloration or corrosion. I don't drive it in winter...

To my mind, the chrome is just too....shiny, the polished aluminum is just right (and quite a difference in cost to chroming)!
Best regards, Elio

Hey Elio:

I was driving mine fairly regularly...not in the rain though. What I found was that you have to be very careful as to what cleaners went on them. I made the mistake one time of running it through a car wash and the cleaners they used immediately dulled them and turned them whiteish in appearance. Required rebuffing. Corrosion will occur...just like a polished valve cover...with high humidity or dampness. Again...cured with repolishing. Ah...and the brake dust likes to dull out the holes...those beautiful holes and their angled lips that make the wheel pop when polished. It may be a matter of climates and humidity. But I would strongly encourage purchasing the special bare aluminum clear paint necessary to clear the wheel once polished.

Chrome when fresh is certainly very shiny. The close up pictures are deceiving as they were taken under different lighting. The polished picture was taken in good light without flash...the chrome closeup taken in a dark garage with flash. The two pictures of my car are more realistic with ambient lighting.

Cost wise....its a wash. You can get a wheel triple plate chromed for $100. And they do all the stripping and polishing. If you are polishing at home you'll spend maybe $100-150 total in materials...but you'll be donating 20 hours of your labor per wheel. The phonedials are coated with a thick white epoxy primer and it is a PITA to get off. Then once you get that down...you find that the face actually has adhesion ridges cast on the face from the center out in circles about 1mm or less apart. All that has to be cut. Not to mention the cutting of the lips of the holes...ah...and the 16 holes to cut. Then repeat for 300, 400, 600, 1000, 1500, 2000 grit. Finally you are ready to polish. Buffer comes out and you run different grit rouge. Die grinder with buff for the holes and lips.

Anyway...I agree polished does look better....I just got too lazy!

When I polished mine I had them just about as shiny as the chrome wheels. I think the polished colorization of the aluminum is more attractive than the chrome. All the different angles, the convex face, the holes all make for a very pretty polished wheel.

Best Regards,
John M

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breda65

· #16 · Sep 26, 2007

Here is the paint I used on my wheels they look great. I had them media blasted to get them spotless then used the paint.

http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=20229

CC alfa

· #17 · Oct 2, 2007

awosome post! + center emblem?

Gentlemen,

My hat is up to you!

My best compliments for the fine information within this post, which allow me to make a very precise decision were to go… a kind of balance between look and maintenance…

I live in Palm Springs CA, and do not have the “winter deal”

, nevertheless I enjoy my alfa on a day to day basic (work on 8 miles from home…) and having only short time and some limit energy to spend on it, aside to be more or less within the Paradiso kind of idea about the entire job…, I thing I cannot get to do the polishing procedure… nevertheless and with all the honors:

Jhon Thanks! GREAT POST!!!! And even more beautiful your pictures! What an inspiration!!!!! =)

Jhon also looking thru your pictures, I notice the center emblem in your wheels and I have try to located them on the international-auto.com without success…and they look great! Could you please share with me were you got them? Thx…

At the end, I found a capitol wheels on long beach ( www.capitalwheels.com, 125/each wheel) and send them to chrome…

Best regards,
Carlos

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John M

· #18 · Oct 3, 2007

Hey Carlos:

I originally purchased via www.alfabill.com but I believe he is no longer selling them. You may want to check with Alfaparts in I believe Berkley. Also here on the Alfabb, one member sells them. His Alfabb user name is Alfissimo, real name Jason. I believe he has them in stock. IN any case...these are 50mm OEM wheel centers for the post 95 Alfas. Should be able to source from overseas easily if cannot turn them up stateside.

I would recommend www.wheelconcepts.com. They have done all my chroming. They are triple plated and show no deterioration. They charge $100 per wheel plus shipping.

Best Regards,
John M

CC alfa

· #19 · Oct 3, 2007

John M said:
Hey Carlos:

I originally purchased via www.alfabill.com but I believe he is no longer selling them. You may want to check with Alfaparts in I believe Berkley. Also here on the Alfabb, one member sells them. His Alfabb user name is Alfissimo, real name Jason. I believe he has them in stock. IN any case...these are 50mm OEM wheel centers for the post 95 Alfas. Should be able to source from overseas easily if cannot turn them up stateside.

I would recommend www.wheelconcepts.com. They have done all my chroming. They are triple plated and show no deterioration. They charge $100 per wheel plus shipping.

Best Regards,
John M

Jhon again THANKS!

, sorry I have only one hat and I already give to you guys!

I did check wheel concepts but unfortunatelly I already left my wheels in capital wheels (Ralph 800 4637467) and second capital is closer for me, with out mention that my wife love to eat fresh barbecue fish at the San Pedro port (long beach la) , sooooooooooo perfect execuse to get it done there, if you not what I mean!

One thing I did check, was the triple plate point, and yes they are doing that, so I am more confortable checking that right out of the list...

Also with regard the "shipping cost", well as you know the "alfa budget" is "wife board" aprove this days, and she is also full blood Italian...so nothing come ease...

... SO, "I choose to save" the shipping 90$/each/2 way = 360$..., by the way the "I choose to save" is more like "is that or nothing" type of italian deal! LOL

AS you can see, for me is italian all the wayyyyy....LOL

Again thanks!
Carlos (CC)

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CC alfa

· #20 · Oct 3, 2007

I forgot to mention the wheel certers, I will check with alfissimo and alfa parts...

again thx!!!!!
CC

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