I have a set of the Mopar 15X7 trim rings that were re-released in 2006-7. Problem for me is that they are polished and I need brushed rings for my T/A.
Any thoughts on the better option:
Trade for a set of brushed (assuming I can find someone willing to trade)?
Send them out to have them brushed?
Thanks!
Brush them, anything else is going to cost more than it's worth.
:iagree:
these were brushed on a bare wheel (& no valve stem) bolted on a running car's rear axle - used gray scotchbrite
I've done that several times....I used a brake lathe at my brother-in-law's shop :dunno: mount a rotor, then mount a rim with the trim ring :bigthumb:
Looks like brushing them it is. Those turned out very nice 6bblgt. Looks like the right amount of brushing. The re-released Mopar brushed rings are a bit too brushed IMO.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/MOPAR-NOS-15X7-RALLYE-WHEEL-TRIM-RINGS-BRUSHED-FINISH-CUDA-CHALLENGER-GTX/264226528534?
How true to original are the 2006-2007 repros?
I thought the repro rings were pretty good. I wish I'd bought more than one set!!
I don't know why their time on the market was so short. I recall when they came out, people were complaining that they weren't 100% dead nuts perfect, and overpriced. Comparing mine side by side to originals I couldn't see any difference. But some people have sharper eyes than mine and could see that an accent line was off by .0001 mm or something I guess, and that made them terrible. :notsure:
And $75 a piece was outrageous too. I'd buy 10 more sets right now at that outrageous price!
So they went away quickly and we are left with crap choices for aftermarket trim rings.
Lesson learned is that when some new repro item comes on the market, don't assume it will be available indefinitely. Some really great items have come and gone over the years, buy them while you can! :alan2cents:
Quote from: Floyd on March 23, 2019, 10:10:46 AM
I have a set of the Mopar 15X7 trim rings that were re-released in 2006-7. Problem for me is that they are polished and I need brushed rings for my T/A.
Any thoughts on the better option:
Trade for a set of brushed (assuming I can find someone willing to trade)?
Send them out to have them brushed?
Thanks!
You say you need them to be Brushed for your T/A. I thought 1970 was Polished and 1971 was Brushed?
per the broadcast sheet AARs & T/As used "brushed" "polished" trim rings with W21 "rallye wheels",
the 15" brushed trim rings were introduced 1/2 way thru Superbird production (AFAIK everything else 15" B/E-body for '70 was polished) * not sure what was on a T/A with hub cap & trim ring ??
:dunno:
I think the use of brushed trim rings was a cost cutting measure on cars they were already loosing money on & they were used on everything in '71
I edited the above after looking at a couple broadcast sheets, including my 702-SPD Challenger R/T w/W21
My AAR build sheet only calls out wheels (W21) not the trim rings. I don't know about T/A's and it may also make a difference if it is dog dish or Rallye Wheels. I for one, believe that it is entirely possible for cars to have come with either, at least on AAR's. One Original owner that I communicated with said Polished and another said Brushed. Then there is this http://aarta.hamtramck-historical.com/wheels/trim_rings.html :Thud:
wanna bet? :bigmoney:
the 2-digit code on LINE#4 of a broadcast sheet under "WHEEL COVER" is the last 2-digits of the 7-digit part number for the trim rings
43 = 3461043 polished 15x7.0" trim ring
22 = 3461222 brushed 15x7.0" trim ring
but they came from the factory in the trunk, anything could've been on it when it left a dealership
I agree totally with you. Anything could have actually been installed once delivered to the dealerships. My AAR is coded for chrome trim rings. I believe all of them are. However many unmolested original condition AARs have been documented as having brushed rings . I collect as many vintage magazine articles as i can find, and all are wearing brushed trim rings. Between the Trans Am cars and the Superbirds, this had been an ongoing debate for many years. This is a set from a trunk that were never instslled on a car. I sold these to help fund the restoration on my AAR.
The camera makes the trim rings look sorta like they are the later realeased 15x2.5 rings but they are not. They are real deal 15x3 inch deep rings. I can still remember the old library book smell of the divider paper lol. ....yum!!!!!!!!!! I need help lol
Those pictured above are as nice a set of primo 3461222 true 3 inch NOS originals for 15 x 7 rim that I have seen in a while.
I hope you hit a home run with them :handshake:
Pictured, the way a chrome 6.5 was packaged in late 70's, early 80's under same 70-71 number 3461043.
The set I have, came off my wife's T/A, which had steel wheels. They are brushed. We pulled them off her car, in favor of rally wheels, decades ago. What became of the 450 wheels? I put them on an old '74 pickup and got rid of the truck. I'm still trying to find that truck!
I have just the opposite problem, as the OP. I have them on my '70 Cuda and need to polish them. Has anyone ever done this?
No BS for my car. SPD 1 Apr. years ago I decided there was enough leeway that polished were possible, and polished is my preference. However, most of the back in day pics of AARs an T/As that I have seen show brushed.
Quote from: 6bblgt on March 24, 2019, 12:35:06 AM
wanna bet? :bigmoney:
the 2-digit code on LINE#4 of a broadcast sheet under "WHEEL COVER" is the last 2-digits of the 7-digit part number for the trim rings
43 = 3461043 polished 15x7.0" trim ring
22 = 3461222 brushed 15x7.0" trim ring
but they came from the factory in the trunk, anything could've been on it when it left a dealership
That's why we ask questions, I was only looking at Line 11 WH/COV. Mine says 43 on line 4.
Quote from: 6bblgt on March 23, 2019, 09:55:05 PM
per the broadcast sheet AARs & T/As used "brushed" "polished" trim rings with W21 "rallye wheels",
the 15" brushed trim rings were introduced 1/2 way thru Superbird production (AFAIK everything else 15" B/E-body for '70 was polished) * not sure what was on a T/A with hub cap & trim ring ??
:dunno:
I think the use of brushed trim rings was a cost cutting measure on cars they were already loosing money on & they were used on everything in '71
I edited the above after looking at a couple broadcast sheets, including my 702-SPD Challenger R/T w/W21
Yeah, that threw me off.
So who makes the best trim rings now?
Quote from: 6Pack70 on March 24, 2019, 05:26:34 AM
The camera makes the trim rings look sorta like they are the later realeased 15x2.5 rings but they are not. They are real deal 15x3 inch deep rings. I can still remember the old library book smell of the divider paper lol. ....yum!!!!!!!!!! I need help lol
I don't see the Love button! :wowzers: Thanks for the confirmation.
All that being said, the OP should then go with the style they prefer and don't sweat it.
No one makes good trim rings now. They are all garbage, some are the wrong colour, none have the correct curvature on the 3 inch part, all have the wrong profile near where the outer edge rolls over. None of them mount correctly.
I guess I will give some more thought before changing anything. Thanks for all the responses.
Here is a pic of my friends T/A he bought in 1973. It was a 100% original untouch one owner 7200 mile car. Sorry the pic isn't the greatest but it is a scan of a Polaroid. To me the rings look polished but hard to tell
JS27
Those actually look brushed to me. Same in this picture (from the Mr. Norm's website), but it's pretty small...
And this one from member "Koby's" post about his dad's T/As
I am running brushed on my AAR. If you do, you will inevitably have some know-it-all come up and tell you they are wrong. :foul:
Tell me about it! I have an early build 71 Challenger that came with a 70-style rear wing.
I always thought that in 1970 E Bodies with15" rallies had polished trim rings with the exception of TA's and AAR's which never made sense to me that they used brushed :looney: and of course 1971 E Bodies used brushed as well...
That's my understanding as well Alan. It seems screwy that they had brushed and polished rings on the line at the same time.
My early build A66 vert (October 69) came with the 15x7 rallye wheels and the polished trim rings. Back in the early 80's I purchased a set of trim rings under the "correct" part number for a 70 Challenger. Never thought to check, but when I did a number of years back, I found they were the 15x6 1/2 rings. Still have them in the original boxes. Dam
I only have 3 of my originals (having gave one away to a friend thinking I had a new set) years ago.
My originals are polished though. I pretty much always thought the brushed were for the 71 cars.
I think to straighten and polish originals it's like $500-$750+
Something to consider... having your rim casings moved inward the the amount difference in trim ring depth.
You won't have interference issues. You can run up to 4 1/2" backspace on stock disks.
Local place is around $50-60/rim to do something like that.