Dino Saga 080608 _ Gonna do another wheel

Dino Saga 080608 _ Gonna do another wheel

Talked to Alan down at Wheel Concepts and got more info. He said that most repair folks would not have tried but that he thought that the crew he had from the old days was trustworthy and should be given a chance to see if they could do a safe repair. He thought they did. Took a lot longer than he planned but should be good. We talked about the shine and how to protect it. He said that he has been trying since the 70s to find a clear that was completely waterproof and has given up. He said that the very soft alloy used by Gotti in the beginning will darken under any scratch or pinhole and look like Hell. He also said that the modern 3 piece wheels use 6061-T6 Aluminum and the problem is not so bad. But not good. That is why Wheel Concepts spent forever and a lot of money to perfect their Chrome plating technique for Aluminum wheels. They own the patents.

After looking at the car for a week the full polish looked good so I sent a front wheel down. Someone from the company is up at least once a week. Porsche, Jaguar, Mercedes, Audi, BMW dealers all in one spot. Lots of wheels on lots of fancy cars want chrome. They took the wheel. Alan’s crew will dismantle, inspect, use new bolts, new center seal, true inner and outer rims to the hub center, polish outside rim and hub, repaint center gold. Should take about a week. Put the spare on the front so car is drivable.

Well, the odd steering is back as expected but it is curious to note the difference in having the 14” 70 profile tire on the front compared to the back. When on the back the problem with driving in a straight line was that the car would make sudden moves in response to features in the road. You had to correct just as fast and it was annoying to make so many small movements of the wheel. On the front the features start a much slower change in direction but one that likes to keep going in the new direction. You have to make slower corrections and the car takes its time responding. Again, the action disappears as soon as any turn is initiated and a continuous side force is present. Oh well, now I know. Might be that my much wider tread on the low profile tires provide a lot more directional damping. I set up my toe-in to have the car absolutely neutral with 26 in front and 30 in back. Tire wear is just about perfect at that setting and the car goes around corners on rails. Holds a straight line on the freeway perfectly. Little things you find with lots of miles. Raise front tire pressure and front gets squirrelly.

I am going to start a search of new clear finishes and see what I can find. Anybody have a suggestion please chime in. In the meantime the car runs fine and looks good. Have entered it in the Ventura Car Show next month. A fellow FChat member is looking for Ferraris. Beautiful location, looks like organizers are doing a first class job. Having an on-line program is nice touch. Show is filling up nicely. Come and join us. Links:
http://www.venturamotorsportsgathering.com/pages/registered.html
Robert Garvin’s thread and lots more info and discussion. Post #16 has good links.
http://ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=186781

John
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Scott,
Tie rod ends replaced, rack and pinion assembly in and out 4 years ago. Rubber rack mount bushings were still good. Very little play in steering all the way through. Check regularly by lifting a wheel. Car is dead on with the 16" wheels and matched tires. I'm betting the difference is with the 14" wheel and 70 tire. Obviously the car handles great with 4 each 14" wheels and 70 tires. You all rave about them. I am just reporting what happens with a mixed dish. Wish someone else had 16" wheels to compare to but looks like I am running solo on FChat.
John