2005 Restore or replace OEM wheels | Ford Thunderbird forum club group 1955-2005 models

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2005 Restore or replace OEM wheels

  • Thread starter Thread starter SteveG
  • Start date Start date
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SteveG

Gold Member
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Thunderbird Year
2005
Opinions requested. I recently acquired my 2005 'Bird. It came with the 7-spoke Chromed OEM wheels, and I am experiencing some air leaks. This is apparently due to corrosion in the bead seal area (something I have learned is common with these wheels). So I am weighing the alternatives:

Choice #1. Doing a rework of the bead seal area, completely sanding away the chrome, smoothing the area, painting the area with some special, very tough paint recommended by a Mercedes guy who is dealing with the same issue.

Choice #2. Replace the Chromed wheels with refurbished 16 spoke bright alloy OEM wheels. This comes with the understanding that the correct (I think) option includes satin finish center caps (NOT the bright chrome caps I currently have).

Being new to 'Bird ownership, I am just seeking opinions on this course of action, and which might be the better way to go. I like the looks of both wheel styles, maybe favoring the 7-spoke a little. I do want to stay original, so aftermarket wheels are not being considered ATT. I really appreciate any inputs you might offer.

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SteveG said:
Opinions requested. I recently acquired my 2005 'Bird. It came with the 7-spoke Chromed OEM wheels, and I am experiencing some air leaks. This is apparently due to corrosion in the bead seal area (something I have learned is common with these wheels). So I am weighing the alternatives:

Choice #1. Doing a rework of the bead seal area, completely sanding away the chrome, smoothing the area, painting the area with some special, very tough paint recommended by a Mercedes guy who is dealing with the same issue.

Choice #2. Replace the Chromed wheels with refurbished 16 spoke bright alloy OEM wheels. This comes with the understanding that the correct (I think) option includes satin finish center caps (NOT the bright chrome caps I currently have).

Being new to 'Bird ownership, I am just seeking opinions on this course of action, and which might be the better way to go. I like the looks of both wheel styles, maybe favoring the 7-spoke a little. I do want to stay original, so aftermarket wheels are not being considered ATT. I really appreciate any inputs you might offer.
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A complete re-chrome of your original wheels, according to an estimate I got lately, was about $300 per wheel. Just FYI
 
SteveG said:
Opinions requested. I recently acquired my 2005 'Bird. It came with the 7-spoke Chromed OEM wheels, and I am experiencing some air leaks. This is apparently due to corrosion in the bead seal area (something I have learned is common with these wheels). So I am weighing the alternatives:

Choice #1. Doing a rework of the bead seal area, completely sanding away the chrome, smoothing the area, painting the area with some special, very tough paint recommended by a Mercedes guy who is dealing with the same issue.

Choice #2. Replace the Chromed wheels with refurbished 16 spoke bright alloy OEM wheels. This comes with the understanding that the correct (I think) option includes satin finish center caps (NOT the bright chrome caps I currently have).

Being new to 'Bird ownership, I am just seeking opinions on this course of action, and which might be the better way to go. I like the looks of both wheel styles, maybe favoring the 7-spoke a little. I do want to stay original, so aftermarket wheels are not being considered ATT. I really appreciate any inputs you might offer.
Click to expand...
This is a common problem with aluminum wheels , most reputable tire shops will remove any corrosion and use bead sealant many shops install tire using bead seal as standard procedure.
 
Brax said:
This is a common problem with aluminum wheels , most reputable tire shops will remove any corrosion and use bead sealant many shops install tire using bead seal as standard procedure.
Click to expand...
I have returned to the tire shop after experiencing unacceptable slow leak issues. They did a quick wire brush, then bead sealant. This cleared loose/flaking chrome, but did not fully resolve the problem, as there remained some patches of aging chrome and rough areas where corrosion had occurred. A long term fix apparently requires complete removal of chrome plus smoothing of the base metal in bead sealing area, or complete re-chrome. I am interested to hear if anyone has done that localized restore without going the complete re-chrome route, and how you rate that approach? These responses are helpful. Thanks again!
 
SteveG said:
I have returned to the tire shop after experiencing unacceptable slow leak issues. They did a quick wire brush, then bead sealant. This cleared loose/flaking chrome, but did not fully resolve the problem, as there remained some patches of aging chrome and rough areas where corrosion had occurred. A long term fix apparently requires complete removal of chrome plus smoothing of the base metal in bead sealing area, or complete re-chrome. I am interested to hear if anyone has done that localized restore without going the complete re-chrome route, and how you rate that approach? These responses are helpful. Thanks again!
Click to expand...
I prefer the aluminum multi spoke wheels myself it may be something to look into.
Chrome on Aluminum has to be expensive option at a plating shop.
 
I recently replaced my wheels with aftermarket.
Let me know what you think, I really like them and it was less than re-chrome . I also posted the original wheels for comparison
 

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Last edited by a moderator:
the ROZ said:
I recently replaced my wheels with aftermarket
Let me know what you think, I really like them and it was less than re-chrome . I also posted the original wheels for comparison
Click to expand...
Yes, Like them very much! The style and bright chrome looks great on your very red Bird. I may have to rethink the "staying original" idea. I am just trying to sort out the best plan at this point. Thanks!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
SteveG said:
Opinions requested. I recently acquired my 2005 'Bird. It came with the 7-spoke Chromed OEM wheels, and I am experiencing some air leaks. This is apparently due to corrosion in the bead seal area (something I have learned is common with these wheels). So I am weighing the alternatives:

Choice #1. Doing a rework of the bead seal area, completely sanding away the chrome, smoothing the area, painting the area with some special, very tough paint recommended by a Mercedes guy who is dealing with the same issue.

Choice #2. Replace the Chromed wheels with refurbished 16 spoke bright alloy OEM wheels. This comes with the understanding that the correct (I think) option includes satin finish center caps (NOT the bright chrome caps I currently have).

Being new to 'Bird ownership, I am just seeking opinions on this course of action, and which might be the better way to go. I like the looks of both wheel styles, maybe favoring the 7-spoke a little. I do want to stay original, so aftermarket wheels are not being considered ATT. I really appreciate any inputs you might offer.
Click to expand...
I love the stock rims; I have an extra set of 02 rims w/tires if interested. I’m in South Carolina. My vote is to stay stock as it looks the best. If you change (ie aftermarket) HANG on to your old rims. GLW your decision!
 
SteveG said:
Opinions requested. I recently acquired my 2005 'Bird. It came with the 7-spoke Chromed OEM wheels, and I am experiencing some air leaks. This is apparently due to corrosion in the bead seal area (something I have learned is common with these wheels). So I am weighing the alternatives:

Choice #1. Doing a rework of the bead seal area, completely sanding away the chrome, smoothing the area, painting the area with some special, very tough paint recommended by a Mercedes guy who is dealing with the same issue.

Choice #2. Replace the Chromed wheels with refurbished 16 spoke bright alloy OEM wheels. This comes with the understanding that the correct (I think) option includes satin finish center caps (NOT the bright chrome caps I currently have).

Being new to 'Bird ownership, I am just seeking opinions on this course of action, and which might be the better way to go. I like the looks of both wheel styles, maybe favoring the 7-spoke a little. I do want to stay original, so aftermarket wheels are not being considered ATT. I really appreciate any inputs you might offer.
Click to expand...
I have a set of factory '05 wheels refurbed to like new, if that is an option.
 
I’d stay away from rechroming if you’re particular you’re unlikely to be happy chroming a over alloy is a lot harder than over steel and environmental regulations have handcuffed the plating industry and as a result you often have bad results speaking from over 50 years experience in bikes and cars
 
Grumpy Rick said:
I have a set of four 7 spoke wheels taken off my 10K mile 2005 Bird. They are a close to brand new as you can find, with no damage at all that I remember. If interested I will sell them for $1,000 plus shipping. I am in SoCal.

Rick
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I responded to this offer from Rick, and am very happy that I did. I now have a full replacement set of Chromed, 7 Spoke, Grooved OEM Wheels, with barely a blemish on the "show" side of the wheels. I want to give a shout out to Rick for the way he handled his end of this deal. Upon receipt of the wheels I discovered some of that nasty corrosion that often happens on Chromed alloy wheels, right in the bead seal area which causes air leakage. This had gone unnoticed by Rick. There is a quick-and-dirty way to treat this problem, and a more extensive (and expensive) process that is more permanent. When I informed Rick of the issue, his response was to issue a refund to completely cover the wheel repair! It just does not get any better than that. A tip of the hat to Rick, and in general to the type of people we encounter on this forum. Thanks, Rick.
 
James In New York said:
Did you have this done locally or ship them off?
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James, there is a local shop in my area (I live in the Vancouver, British Columbia area) that does this. They restore and repair all kinds of wheels.
They totally strip the wheels, repaint the inside and the back of the wheel drum to the exact matching color, then use a high speed C&C machine to map and skim any surface damage or corrosion to give a surface that is as shiny as polished.
It cost my $275 Canadian /wheel. They as you could see by the pictures look like new.
 
Beer.Tom.Retro said:
James, there is a local shop in my area (I live in the Vancouver, British Columbia area) that does this. They restore and repair all kinds of wheels.
They totally strip the wheels, repaint the inside and the back of the wheel drum to the exact matching color, then use a high speed C&C machine to map and skim any surface damage or corrosion to give a surface that is as shiny as polished.
It cost my $275 Canadian /wheel. They as you could see by the pictures look like new.
Click to expand...

Those look fantastic! I have the same marks around the cap on my wheels from tire people in a hurry and they drive me crazy! Hopefully there's someone around here that can do that kind of work.

Couldn't help but notice you also upgraded to drilled and slotted rotors as well. How has the noise level/brake pad wear/dust generation been? I'm about to order new pads and rotors (ceramic pads and OEM replacement rotors) but was seriously considering the upgraded rotors as well.
 
Rawah652 said:
Those look fantastic! I have the same marks around the cap on my wheels from tire people in a hurry and they drive me crazy! Hopefully there's someone around here that can do that kind of work.

Couldn't help but notice you also upgraded to drilled and slotted rotors as well. How has the noise level/brake pad wear/dust generation been? I'm about to order new pads and rotors (ceramic pads and OEM replacement rotors) but was seriously considering the upgraded rotors as well.
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No noise from the brakes at all, braking power is great. Absolutely no dust, I recently did a quick 500 mile trip and wheels were clean.
 
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