Check out what I got today for $200.. (also need advice)

**justinmc978** · 09-21-2011, 04:10 PM

four 17" C5 Z06 wheels, probably OE wheel llc reproductions (say OE wheel on the back) also got some LT1 pacesetter headers for free.

all four have chipping chrome patches on the inside rim. (in the pic the red is dirt not rust, most of the surface is shiny when clean)

two are in great shape on the face, the other two have some rash (pictured is the worse of it)

I'm wondering how I tell if they are factory C5 wheels or if they are repo's,
if there is a noticable difference between factory and OEwheelsllc (in case I want 18"s in the rear and have to mixmatch)
what I should do about the chipping chrome on the inside (strip and paint?),

thanks guys.

**cammed goat** · 09-21-2011, 05:26 PM

You could have then stripped and painted or just polished/cleared. As for the legitimacy, I have no idea. I think the backspacing is the giveaway for ID'ing the wheels.

**Spikito** · 09-22-2011, 07:39 AM

I have those wheels in 18s sitting in my garage, 1 is bent, but the other 3 are straight, just some rash....incase you wanted to mismatch front and rear

**tatertot91** · 09-22-2011, 09:15 AM

Oem ones will have gm stamped on the insides, main difference is gm ones are lighter. Gm didn't make them in chrome

**justinmc978** · 09-22-2011, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by Spikito

I have those wheels in 18s sitting in my garage, 1 is bent, but the other 3 are straight, just some rash....incase you wanted to mismatch front and rear

pm sent

Originally Posted by tatertot91

Oem ones will have gm stamped on the insides, main difference is gm ones are lighter. Gm didn't make them in chrome

great thanks, didn't know that

**cammed goat** · 09-23-2011, 07:31 AM

I didn't know there were weight differences between the GM C5Zs and the aftermarket ones.

**justinmc978** · 09-23-2011, 08:00 AM

Originally Posted by cammed goat

I didn't know there were weight differences between the GM C5Zs and the aftermarket ones.

yep, (all?) GM Corvette wheels are aluminum, repos are alloy

**Spikito** · 09-23-2011, 02:27 PM

mine are aftermarket, theyre plated aluminum

**35th-ANV-SS** · 09-24-2011, 11:25 AM

Great score Justin!

**justinmc978** · 09-24-2011, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by 35th-ANV-SS

Great score Justin!

thanks! I think so too.

I sanded off all of the rusty 'spots' (had to completely sand off the chrome layer entirely on some places) on the 2 better wheels and layed down some dark grey primer, not sure if I want to leave it like that, go flat black, or maybe use other shaker can stuff:

heres how they look with the primer:

**35th-ANV-SS** · 09-24-2011, 03:03 PM

Definitely a huge improvement over before. Paint color is always a tough decision. I personally like the black. I've never used the Chrome paint.

**transamtom** · 09-24-2011, 03:17 PM

Scuff them and paint them black,thats what I did to my Y2K's on the V6 'Bird.

**Smittro** · 09-24-2011, 06:41 PM

Chrome paint will not look like real chrome.. Just sayin'..

**justinmc978** · 09-24-2011, 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by Smittro

Chrome paint will not look like real chrome.. Just sayin'..

I dont expect it to, the reason I'm leaning towards a chrome/silver finish is because if I end up getting 2 new wheels for the back, they'll all (sort of) match.

I've sanded the rashed up lip on the really bad wheel and it's getting less and less noticable, but I'm afraid it's cut all the way down into the copper layer of the plating, so I might try a silver/chrome paint there too once I've smoothed it out and see how bad it looks, might get a few extra bucks for it too if I want to sell it

**Spikito** · 09-24-2011, 10:58 PM

ive always liked black C5 Z06s...and painting it youself you can get really creative with your masking.

**fbodyNATION** · 10-04-2011, 08:57 AM

That was a steal & a deal

**justinmc978** · 10-10-2011, 02:46 PM

thanks! I got the barrel of one wheel completely done, came out great, might need some high-grit sanding to finish but as far as permanence I am happy

here is the lip of one of the bad wheels, I filed off the really harsh edges and filled a selection of it in with JBweld, I have had great success with the stuff in the past when I blew out a tire on my old firebird while taking a turn too fast, the 16" rim was jagged and torn up and the tire shop would not warranty it, so I took a grinder to it, slathered on some JBweld, sanded it smooth, and when I brought it back they didnt even notice, this stuff is great.

after it dries tomorrow, I'll sand it down and probably end up coating it with a chrome metallic spray paint, it wont match the rest of the wheel (comes out looking like polished aluminum) but it will look much better and less noticable than the rash ever would.

I think I am just going to flip these wheels, I really like them, but for my car, nothing looks better than simple, single spoke, base C5 wheels.