Wheel Refinishing

[POPPAJ]

I posted this same question elsewhere as a reply then decided it deserves it`s own thread. I`m buying a 2003 Mercury Marauder, black in color, I like the OEM wheel style, but the polished/clearcoated forged wheel is just too much bling for me on a black vehicle. I want something a bit more subtle. I`ve been on a search for a wheel re-finisher with only marginal luck. The closest I`ve come is Wheel Collision Center in Bath, Pa. They offer a Black Chrome powder coat process that looks very nice, at least from their photos on their site. Anyone know anything about this Company? Any recommendations for another company? I`m not having much luck locally(Michigan) or on the internet. HELP!

[WAS]

Sorry, don`t live anywhere near you, but I can tell you that powder coating is definitely the way to go.

[POPPAJ]

Sorry, don`t live anywhere near you, but I can tell you that powder coating is definitely the way to go.



Thanks! BTW you don`t live near anybody!!

[imported_Peco]

Instead of refinishing you my want to look into some after market rims. Refinishing your rims may cost as much as new rims.

[Accumulator]

I`m buying a 2003 Mercury Marauder, black in color, I like the OEM wheel style, but the polished/clearcoated forged wheel is just too much bling for me on a black vehicle. I want something a bit more subtle.



Woo Hoo, hope you enjoy your new Panther :xyxthumbs I`d love to hear more about it.



I agree 100% about how the factory-finish wheels look, especially on a black MM.



I`ve never heard anything *bad* about the Wheel Collision Center, but I`d sure impress upon them how particular you`re gonna be. Be sure they`re cool with doing the centercaps too.



How`s the rear tire availability on the MM these days? Last I heard the BFGs were still the only tires in that size and were rare as hen`s teeth (and changing the size is a reeeeaaaally complicated process on almost all MMs due to the way the ABS is set up).




Instead of refinishing you my want to look into some after market rims. Refinishing your rims may cost as much as new rims.



Yeah, refinishing *is* often more expensive, but besides the looks, there`s that MM-specific sizing issue...it`s not nearly as simple as swapping wheels/tires on, say, the nearly identical Crown Vic (which is *my* Panther platform car of choice).

[TortoiseAWD]

FWIW, powder-coating four 17" x 7.5" wheels here in Omaha costs around $400 (includes cost of dismounting/remounting/balancing tires). I`ve had a couple of sets done in the past, including my stock WRX wheels (my winter wheels with snow tires), and have had good results.



POPPAJ, you`ve probably already done this, but if you`ve been using "wheel refinishing" in your searches for a shop local to you, try "powder coat" instead. I know at the place I`ve used that`s local to me, wheels are a small part of their overall business; they`ll coat just about anything possible.



Good luck,

Tort

[imported_Shaun Carollo]

PoppaJ, I just had a set of rims done for $360 by an old friend of mine from high school. They turned out perfect! I`m in Michigan so if you want I can forward you to the right people depending on what you`re looking for. Check out the link in my profile and contact me by phone if you`re interested.

[POPPAJ]

Woo Hoo, hope you enjoy your new Panther :xyxthumbs I`d love to hear more about it.



I picked it up in Florida on April 5th. 2003 Marauder, 36000 miles, Trilogy Supercharger, Ford Racing shorty headers, Metco Control Arms and Watts 5 link, ADDCO front and rear sway bars, Baer 14" brake kit in front w/Baer rotors in rear, deep sump trans pan w/additional cooling, DVD-NAV in dash, Valentine Radar Detector and lots of other goodies. Oh yes, it is a beast.





I agree 100% about how the factory-finish wheels look, especially on a black MM.



I`ve never heard anything *bad* about the Wheel Collision Center, but I`d sure impress upon them how particular you`re gonna be. Be sure they`re cool with doing the centercaps too.



How`s the rear tire availability on the MM these days? Last I heard the BFGs were still the only tires in that size and were rare as hen`s teeth (and changing the size is a reeeeaaaally complicated process on almost all MMs due to the way the ABS is set up).



No concerns on tires, this is an early 2003 without TC. I`ve got two wheels being widened for the rear and will be mounting 295/45/18 either Nitto 555 or Toyo proxies with 245/45/18 up front. On my late 2003 I gave up on BFG`s after my second set, went to Toyo Proxies 255 on the rear and close to the stock tire diameter so nothing gets upset.







Yeah, refinishing *is* often more expensive, but besides the looks, there`s that MM-specific sizing issue...it`s not nearly as simple as swapping wheels/tires on, say, the nearly identical Crown Vic (which is *my* Panther platform car of choice).



Thanks everybody for your responses!

[Accumulator]

POPPAJ- Wow, that`s quite a car you have there! From FLA huh? Who built it(my Panther mechanic is in FLA)?



I`m especially impressed that it has the Baer brake package!



I somehow suspect you got it for a good price ;) The brakes alone probably made it a bargain.



Glad it`s one of the early ones with no weird rear tire-size issues. Heh heh, I bet it can make good use of those widened rear rims! Who`s doing the widening? Maybe they`d have a recommendation for the refinishing.



Any other details you`d like to share about it? How much boost is the Trilogy putting out? Are you running stock transmission/converter and diff/gears?



Wow...

[POPPAJ]

POPPAJ- Wow, that`s quite a car you have there! From FLA huh? Who built it(my Panther mechanic is in FLA)?



The owner and his friends did the build, a group known as the three stooges.



I`m especially impressed that it has the Baer brake package!



I somehow suspect you got it for a good price ;) The brakes alone probably made it a bargain.



Glad it`s one of the early ones with no weird rear tire-size issues. Heh heh, I bet it can make good use of those widened rear rims! Who`s doing the widening? Maybe they`d have a recommendation for the refinishing.



Weldcraft here in Michigan is doing the widening. He did suggest someone that does powdercoating and I checked them out. I`ve cooled off on this due to budget constraints, may revisit next year.



Any other details you`d like to share about it? How much boost is the Trilogy putting out? Are you running stock transmission/converter and diff/gears?



The boost with the stock 3.4 pulley is 9.5 lbs, the car has a 3.0 currently so I would guess 12-13. If things work out it`ll hit the dyno next saturday. The trans is the stock 4R70W with the exception of the changes made by the tune. Usually good for over 600 RWHP. The weak link is the overdrive, hit that under WOT and you`ll be looking for a rebuild pretty soon. Most just shut it off when racing. Stock TC and stock 3.55 gears.



Wow...

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[David Fermani]

POPPAJ - I had Weldcraft widen a set of Porsche wheels for me a while back. Those guys do very good work, but can be pricey on basic repairs.



Weldcraft Wheels Wheel Widening Wheel Repairs Wheel Restoration (http://www.weldcraftwheels.com/)