Question for those with Coddington/American Republic Wheels

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Personally, I'd be on the telephone talking with the seller and asking them why they made the wheels incorrectly for their advertised purpose.

Of course, you capture more flies with honey rather than vinegar.....

but REALLY. Wheels are their business, they should know center emblems have varying diameters and should therefore build model-specific wheels to match factory dimensions in that area.

Freshman FAIL on their part

Good luck

Sorry to hear the grief but it may be easier to keep the wheels.
You may have to mount the DT logo on top of another aluminum disc of the correct diameter.
That's what I would do.

Freshman fail has the been the name of the game with this order. I honestly can't recommend them. They make a well priced 18" wheel, but it comes with some drawbacks.

My biggest heartburn is that they shipped 3 17" wheels and 1 18" wheel rather than my actual order of 17s and 18s. They also shipped the wheels 10 days after their promised ship date. In their defense I only gave them 3 weeks notice and wheels typically take 4-6 weeks, but the first rule in business is the under promise and over deliver vice over promise and under deliver. If you can't meet the deadline, tell your customer early.

I have some ideas for center cap solutions

1. Have the DeTomaso Logo engraved on the polished caps
2. Have the polished caps machined to accept the colored logo, then glue it to the aluminum centercap.
3. Flip the centercap around and glue the logo to the back and polish the lip.

Where would I start to find someone who can engrave or machine aluminum? Machine shop?

I bought a spare set of wheel centers from PI Motorsports for my clones purchased from them. I would imagine that the center opening is a standard size, I'm thinking about 2". They are made of chrome plated plastic and I glued the new logos (black) into them although they snapped in very tight and probably didn't need any glue. There is an o-ring on the center cap that keeps them in place on the wheel. I used a little silicone spray to remove and reinstall them. I had considered machining a set out of aluminum but it was too easy to buy a set.

Steve

quote:

Where would I start to find someone who can engrave or machine aluminum? Machine shop?

Call and talk with the owner, Mark Johnson.

He does excellent work, does a lot of pieces for Quella and other vendors, and no doubt already has some deTomaso logos and the Isis saved for his CNC operations.

Damn Andy, IPSCO is a good idea.

Jim, a good machinist can produce a little aluminum sleeve for you that will snap into the wheel's center, and provide the proper sized "recess" for the OEM De Tomaso logo and clip.

Hell, if I still had access to a lathe via my former employer I'd do it for you. But I'm retired. Honestly, it's about a 2 or 3 hour job ... if I could do it then its not brain surgery.

I'll give IPSCO a call and see what they can do. Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by Jimlah:
My biggest heartburn is that they shipped 3 17" wheels and 1 18" wheel rather than my actual order of 17s and 18s. They also shipped the wheels 10 days after their promised ship date. In their defense I only gave them 3 weeks notice and wheels typically take 4-6 weeks, but the first rule in business is the under promise and over deliver vice over promise and under deliver. If you can't meet the deadline, tell your customer early.

Jimiah you have my wheel and I have yours! I agree they are very slow, I ordered mine August 13th. Your wheel is boxed up and ready to be collected by UPS.
I would be interested in what you find out for center caps.
Have you noticed the hub holes are not the stock 62mm but 72.64mm. The wheels are supposed to be lug centric rather than hub centric according to David Rittenhouse and finding hub rings that size looks like a custom size. Not sure if they are necessary, thoughts?

Gorilla 68137L

I talked to the sales manager and specifically asked if the original inserts would fit. I was told these "should" fit the factory centers. Should gets them our of having to do anything if they don't fit. It's always nice to work with a company that doesn't know it's own product line.

quote:

Originally posted by T.Solo:
I bought a spare set of wheel centers from PI Motorsports for my clones purchased from them. I would imagine that the center opening is a standard size, I'm thinking about 2". They are made of chrome plated plastic and I glued the new logos (black) into them although they snapped in very tight and probably didn't need any glue. There is an o-ring on the center cap that keeps them in place on the wheel. I used a little silicone spray to remove and reinstall them. I had considered machining a set out of aluminum but it was too easy to buy a set.

Steve

Here's a shot of the set I removed from my PIM wheels.

Steve

Do you remember what those center caps cost?

They were not enough to make me go through the trouble of machining them myself. They might have been $10.00 each I'm not exactly sure. Call Jerry at PIM if the measurement is right and ask him for a set.

Steve

Early OEM logo-caps were enameled on brass discs while later ones are decals or something on aluminum discs. The early ones are thicker and hold up better but will chip. Late ones fade in sunlight.

T. Solo hit the nail on the head. Dennis Quella had the same center caps that have the rubber band retainer and fit the wheels. I will need to shave the logos down 1/16th of an inch, but all should be good. These are made of plastic and have a chrome like finish.

Just buy new logos. I bought mine from Hall. They snap right in.

Steve

Here's a link to pictures of the final result.

17x8 and 18x10 Campy Clone Pictures

I just added this side shot as well. At some point a set of coil overs will allow me to sink the body down 1" or so.