OE Alloys: Original finish?

[Edmason]

I've just acquired a nice set of OE alloys, which need a little tidying up. Is the silver finish simply lacquered alloy, or was it a paint finish? Thanks.

[Goldstar]

Diamond cut I believe. Lacquer peels and water gets under it causing correlation so I wouldn’t lacquer them personally.

[Edmason]

Surely even diamond cut alloys are lacquered? Untreated alloy would oxidise & corrode very quickly I'd have thought?

[jbuckl]

Surely even diamond cut alloys are lacquered? Untreated alloy would oxidise & corrode very quickly I'd have thought?

The alloys were 1. Black powder coated 2. Diamond turned. 3. Lacquered.

Within a short period of time the alloy corrodes under the lacquer.

For this reason, most people opt for the 1st two stages only.

At least you can polish them if the diamond turned finish is left bare.

once the diamond finish is lacquered there is no way to polish out corrosion…. Without removing the lacquer…. Which is a pain to do.

[trunt]

I glass beaded, painted the black and 2pack clear coated mine, life is to short to be polishing wheels all the time.. I had enough of that with wire wheels.

Was diamond cut even a thing in the 70s on a production car?

[Goldstar]

Surely even diamond cut alloys are lacquered? Untreated alloy would oxidise & corrode very quickly I'd have thought?

I just wax mine a couple of times a year Ed.

[DJT]

I stripped back my alloys 9 years ago, polishing up the shiny parts using glass paper/wet and dry/polishing mops. Followed by a coat of Poorboys Wheel sealer. Wash them regularly with soapy water and a soft brush. Once or twice a year I give them a once over using Solvol Autosol, followed by Poorboys, which takes about 5 minutes per wheel. If you coat them with lacquer they will deteriorate, starting with corrosion creeping under the lacquer. The only remedy for that is stripping them again.

This photo was taken recently, over 30,000 miles later.

IMG_0101.png

[ramjam2005]

I too was going to suggest PoorBoys Alloy Sealant - Not used it myself but it gets good reports and intend to follow that route instead of laquer once mine have been professionally refurbed.

[Edmason]

That's really helpful. So lacquer is NOT the way to go! Thanks all.

[jbuckl]

That's really helpful. So lacquer is NOT the way to go! Thanks all.

Well trunt disagrees , but 100% no lacquer for me…. But my last refurbished alloys got lacquered as the place could not follow written & or verbal instructions

However I’m going to have a go at doing another set myself…. They just fit on the lathe.

[marshman]

Well trunt disagrees , but 100% no lacquer for me…. But my last refurbished alloys got lacquered as the place could not follow written & or verbal instructions

However I’m going to have a go at doing another set myself…. They just fit on the lathe.

Now I have lathe envy !

Just checked and as suspected my alloys will not quite fit on my Myford 7

[022Dave]

That's really helpful. So lacquer is NOT the way to go! Thanks all.

FWIW Ed, my two-year-old Volvo has lacquer coated diamond cut alloys, and although otherwise unmarked, have started showing worm-like tracks of corrosion beneath the coating.

Dave

[trunt]

Well trunt disagrees , but 100% no lacquer for me…. But my last refurbished alloys got lacquered as the place could not follow written & or verbal instructions.

I don’t disagree, if I had had them diamond cut and highly polished I agree that a lacquer would probably not hold up as there is nothing for the lacquer to key to.. I just did it differently not being overly bothered with bling.

The glass beading left a surface that provides a nice key for the paint and clearcoat, not shiny but the clearcoat provided the shine.. I’m banking that the decent key and modern 2-pack will give me a reasonable lifespan.

[jbuckl]

The issue is that the alloy corrodes underneath the lacquer.