Pitted '79 Fleetwood wire wheels...

[J.C.]

Hi, Folks, the wire wheels on my '79 Fleetwood are pitted - is it possible to have them re-plated or would it be cheaper to just search for NOS or other ones in better shape?

If I can re-plate them, can anybody recommend a good place to have it done?  Thanks!

J.H.

[TJ Hopland]

I suspect the real question would be would they have to be taken apart or could it be done with them assembled?   I would think plating it would basically fuse it together.   Is that good or bad?   Does a wire wheel need to move a bit?

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

John,
If the wheels need to be re plated they DO need to be fully disassembled, polished, plated and then re assembled and trued. I would check with a local (reputable) chrome plater to get a price, but I would "guess" it would cost close to the $2 K a new set would run.
Greg Surfas

[TJ Hopland]

Do you know if you have the factory option wheels or are they aftermarket?   Dealer installed wires seemed to be popular in that era and a lot of them did seem to corrode worse than the factory ones.    If yours are not factory you may want to figure out what they are before deciding if they are worth trying to fix.   If they were a lower quality aftermarket to start with that may make the decision easier. 

I found out the wheels on my 83 CDV were not factory when I bought a factory center cap that didn't fit.   Before a tire shop broke a cap I never looked close enough at them to notice the crest was not quite right.

[Scot Minesinger]

A vital issue with re-plating the wheels as Greg wrote is balancing.  I have known several Fleetwood owners that drive with a different set of hubcaps, and then at the show replace them with the fancy unbalanced non-drivable ornamental correct wheel covers.  After the show concludes they remove the ornamental set of caps and install the set that works to drive home. 

To answer your question, it will be better if you can find an original replacement set that is not pitted and properly assembled and balanced.  It is not like there is a high demand for 40 year old wire wheel covers so the price should not sting too bad.

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

The wire wheel cover style used on a 1979 Fleetwood Brougham is one of the most commonly available today, which ran from 1976 to 1985. 

Not only would buying a good set run a fraction of the cost of restoration, but restored covers would not come close to the quality of an original set.

[TJ Hopland]

Is the question about true spoke wheels or covers?  I thought he had true spoke wheels. 

[jdemerson]

Is the question about true spoke wheels or covers?  I thought he had true spoke wheels.

I think it is about the wire wheels, and I'm assuming John's are original, but he should check carefully.

I found this on the web about the factory Cadillac wire wheels:

" I have an original set of 4 Cadillac 70 spoke wire wheels that were only produced for 2 model years, 1978 & 1979.

Originally custom designed & built by DUNLOP of England, for Cadillac to go on the Seville Elegante' package... they were also optional those 2 years on all other Sevilles and full-sized Cadillacs (Fleetwoods, DeVilles). These have the common Cadillac/GM bolt pattern= 5X5 "

I suspect that if original they are worth restoring and would need to be disassembled. But not sure I'd want to pay the bill....

John Emerson

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Whether wire wheel covers or wire wheels, it will be far less expensive to buy a good set than the cost of restoring them.

[62 driver]

Dayton Wire Wheel CO. would restore them and you could upgrade the spokes with polished stainless steel spokes and have a stronger wheel.

[cadillacmike68]

The spokes are probably FUBAR'd so having them replaced and upgraded to stainless steel is a good idea. That will cut down on the re-plating cost.

[J.C.]

Do you know if you have the factory option wheels or are they aftermarket?   Dealer installed wires seemed to be popular in that era and a lot of them did seem to corrode worse than the factory ones.    If yours are not factory you may want to figure out what they are before deciding if they are worth trying to fix.   If they were a lower quality aftermarket to start with that may make the decision easier. 

I don't think my wire wheels are an aftermarket product.  I'm attaching pictures of my Fleetwood (I can't attach better shots because the car's at the shop right now) and scans from the '79 sales brochure.  My wire wheels look like the ones that went on the Eldorado and Seville and I'm guessing that the same ones were installed on Fleetwoods...

(1)  Were wire wheels offered in '79 for all models identical except that on Eldorados, Sevilles, and Fleetwoods the crest has a wreath around it and on DeVilles the crest appears alone?

(2)  Don't the ones on my Fleetwood look like the correct ones?

(3)  Is it true that this wire wheel cover is the same for all years from '76 - '85?

(4)  Where could I get new wheel covers that are period correct?

(5)  Would new covers be NOS or does anybody still make ones that look exactly like the originals?

(6)  What's the difference between a "wire wheel cover" and a "wire wheel disc?"

As always, any help would be appreciated!

[corey raub]

Really?!?  Am I the only one?  Enough is enough already.   

[TJ Hopland]

Another term for wire wheels is 'true spokes', meaning they are like a bicycle wheel.  Looks like Cadillac called them 'authentic wire wheels'.  The spokes hold the rim to the hub.   Some years and some models had those as a factory option and that is what we thought you were talking about. 

Wire covers were not the same for all models or all those years.   Eldorado and 80-85  Seville were different due to the FWD using a different wheel and offset, that is why your photo of the Eldo wheel the center appears to bulge out.   On the RWD cars they are more flush.   I think the design changed in 77 when they added the locking feature.  I think 77-79? RWD had 2 hooks that went though slots in the wheel for the lock.   Around 80?  (79 for the Eldo) they changed the design again for a new lock.   The new locking method was there was a frame that fit over 3 of the lug nuts that either had a threaded hole in it or a stud that mated with a nut or screw that was hidden under the crest in the center of the cap and required the special tool.   The hook style from the late 70's required a similar tool to rotate them into or out of the lock position.   In that hook era the covers were very heavy.   They say they spent a gazillion dollars shaving 100 pounds off the engine for better fuel economy but put it right back on the car with those wire covers. 

Here is a photo from the 78 catalog showing the 'new authentic wire wheels' in the lower left corner.  In the text it says they are new and only for the Seville.  Wire wheel discs with locking device are the covers.