Can Shelby wheels be located or repaired?

[Zup]

Moonpup---

You'll notice that I said "fiasco" in my post.

Boy was it ever!!

Not only did they lose my cap---they put those G'Damn stick on weights all over the inside and outside of the rims.

I had given up on the first place---got my money back and told them they'd never see me again!! Sheeesh!!! :sick:

I took this pic just before I posted on the boards about wanting to find a new cap and just before I went to a different shop and had them balance the rims correctly with the weights on the inside, as you mentioned.

All better now---

Jim D.

"Zup"

[moonpup]

Originally posted by: Zup

Not only did they lose my cap---they put those G'Damn stick on weights all over the inside and outside of the rims.

Yeah.. I hear ya. Gotta wonder about some of the "skilled workers" out there.

Ya but em books, buy em pencils, send them to school.....and all they do is BANG the teacher!

[Arne]

I love that look on a 240Z. I'd put a set on mine in a heartbeat - except my wife doesn't like them. So I'll have to stick with something else equally old school. Haven't found what I want yet...

[Carl Beck]

Hi Guys:

I bought my first set of Libres from BRE in 1971. They were something like $24.95 each, including center caps and lugs. Since I was working for the Datsun Dealer at the time I got Employee Pricing (cost plus 10%)... and I remember being upset at the additional cost of shipping!!... it was almost five bucks a wheel!!

I still have them on my Blue 72 Z. I also have a set on my White 72 Z.

Over the years they have always been a royal pain in the neck to get them balanced out properly... It usually took two or three trips back to the tire shop to have them re-balanced, or I had to go to speciality shop that would put the time into the job that it required. Normally that meant having them balanced on the car.

When I worked for Firestone (mid 70's), Hunter Equipment did a lot of the training related to how to use their equipment. The proper way to apply counter-weights, was to split the weight needed in half, and put one half on the outside of the rim and one half in the inside of the rim. If you put the weights only on one side of the rim - you risk throwing the rim out of balance in the lateral direction (and its like having a rim that is bent on the car). At that time, good tires could take as much as 5 or 6 ounces of weights to balance out.

By the 90's great improvements had been made in both tire technologies and tire balance machines. So it took less weight on average to balance a tire, and the machines were far more accurate. They also told the person to which side of the rim the counter-weights were needed. At that point anything over 4 ounces of wheel weights indicated that either the tire or rim might have a problem.

In 2004... the new tire balance machines are far more accurate in pin-pointing any out of balance conditions and they give far more specific information about the amount of counter-weights needed and exactly where to place them on the rim. The tires themselves are also far better from a quality control perspective, so they are far better balanced right out of the mold. The last set of tires I had mounted and balanced on my old Libres all took less than an ounce of weight... and all that was placed in the center of the rim. Smooth as glass up to 90+ mph - right out of the shop first time!

BTW - if you want 15" Libres... just convert your Z to a five lug Chevy bolt pattern... Of course they will be five spoke rather than four.

FWIW,

Carl B.

[sblake01]

BTW - if you want 15" Libres... just convert your Z to a five lug Chevy bolt pattern... Of course they will be five spoke rather than four.

But they would actually be 15" 200S since they only used the Libre name on the four spoke.

[Zup]

Hi Stephen---

Your's are another rim pattern that I like!

There's just somethin about 4 lugs and four spokes that goes together.

I guess it's the symmetry. Just looks right!!

Hey Carl---

Thanks for the post about the balancing of these rims!

Maybe now I think I was a bit harsh with the first outfit that tried to balance them up. Your post indicates that due to the equipment they were using maybe that victory chain of weights they had installed was the best that they could do.!?!

It's for sure I'll ask questions BEFORE I let someone balance tires on a rim of this type in the future! :stupid:

Jim D.

"Zup"

[ChrisA]

Hi Carl, Stephen and all,

I've still got the set of Libre's off my long deceased 71. Would you guys recommend getting the backsides of the wheel bead or soda blasted? I'd like to get them cleaned up and use them occasionally. Anybody have a good suggestion for the proper compound to bring the lip's shine back?

Thanks,

Chris A.

[Carl Beck]

Hi Chris:

Glass beads come in about three grades of abrasives... AIR they are Course, Medium, Fine. You can use Medium on very dirty, oxidized or stained wheels, or Fine on wheels that are in better shape. The key is in controlling the air pressure used with whatever gun is used. Most common mistake is to use too much air pressure.. which can take away too much if the material that you want to save.

Soda blasting works, but it takes quite a bit longer and on the original rough cast surface it can leave them a bit too polished. That can happen as well with the Fine Glass Beads if you go over them too much.

You do NOT want to bead/soda blast the polished lips, unless they too are in very bad shape. Blasting them will leave a very fine texture.. which then has to be wet sanded out 1000 grit then 1500 grit, then polished with metal polish... done by hand that can take a weekend per wheel.

If your going to Blast them yourself - do the inside/backs first - so you can see how effective the blasting process is - and then adjust accordingly for the fronts.

FWIW,

Carl

[Ken]

Dealer installed (January 1972, for delivery) Libre (American Raceing w/caps) on my 1972 Datsun 240z (Silver Bullet). Thirty years later they were professionally cleaned and powder coated. The firm that did the work said they would charge twice as much if they ever had to do a set again. After blasting, cleaning and baking the first coat of powder was applied to the spokes. Upon removal from the oven orange peel was present from continued outgassing. They had to correct and apply a second coat. The same thing happened with the polished rim. I don't recall the exact process or materials used. Have put over 15,000 miles on them and all it takes to clean them is a damp cloth. Balance weights are on the inside of the rim.

[ChrisA]

Thanks for the tips Carl.

Ken, those are great looking wheels. I'm thinking black or charcoal powdercoat for my spokes. The gold just wont look good on a silver car.

Chris A.