Herculine the Chrome!

[AMPlibby06]

I have the awful 06 limited chrome wheels and i hate them. I can't really afford anything new, and probably wont be able to for a VERY long time (im in college). How do you guys think it would look to herculine my wheels? Check out my pics to see what the herculiner looks like on chrome (did my grille). Any ideas?--thanks

 

[Searcher67]

you do know that Soft 8's are only 56$ each? Just but one when ever you can and pretty soon you'll have a set, plus when you get all the new ones you might be able to get a bit of money out of the old ones..

 

[desertkj]

you do know that Soft 8's are only 56$ each? Just but one when ever you can and pretty soon you'll have a set, plus when you get all the new ones you might be able to get a bit of money out of the old ones..

x2. That sounds like the more reasonable route. I'm also in college and understand where you are coming from, but at least go with the Cragars. I think Herculiner would raise some serious issues beyond simply painting it. First, it would make them much heavier and I also would bet it would be difficult, if not impossible, to properly balance the rim due to the character of Herculiner. It would not be like powdercoating.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

I know Pro Comp wheels are on sale for about 50-100 bucks each....

 

[AMPlibby06]

you do know that Soft 8's are only 56$ each? Just but one when ever you can and pretty soon you'll have a set, plus when you get all the new ones you might be able to get a bit of money out of the old ones..

What are soft 8's?

 

[kj924]

These rims here....$39.95 for 15"

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[AMPlibby06]

I likem! I can afford that this summer too! Buttt I'll have to let them sit in the garage till my current tires are bald, that way my parents will pay for the new tires (im a brat). Now what do I look for in terms of measurements? I saw that I need 5x4.5.. but what about the offset and backspacing and width? Do they all 5x4.5ers fit but just need different tires?

Can anyone explain wheel measurements to a complete tire idiot please?

 

[Powerslave]

You may not be able to balance the wheels with Herculiner on them, it won't be an even coat, there's no way to do that, unless you are an expert at spraying it on. Even then, you can guarantee a good balance, and speeds over 55 will hurt... One small can of that stuff is 100.00, so, how many would you need -vs- buying cheap rims?

 

[ScottZ0]

kj924,

Where to you pick them up for that price? That is a steal.


Scott

 

[Ry' N Jen]

I have the awful 06 limited chrome wheels and i hate them. I can't really afford anything new, and probably wont be able to for a VERY long time (im in college). How do you guys think it would look to herculine my wheels? Check out my pics to see what the herculiner looks like on chrome (did my grille). Any ideas?--thanks

From what I understand, the "Chrome Cladding" is just a "Chromed" plastic cover that fits over (probably glued on) to the factory Aluminum wheels.
So, therefor, they should be removable.
Given that, the "Herculiner" will adhere itself better to the alloy rather than the "Chrome" finish.
Mind you, you will need to clean off all the adhesive first and then scuff the aluminum and prep. prime with an aluminum primer to do it right!

 

[AMPlibby06]

From what I understand, the "Chrome Cladding" is just a "Chromed" plastic cover that fits over (probably glued on) to the factory Aluminum wheels.
So, therefor, they should be removable.
Given that, the "Herculiner" will adhere itself better to the alloy rather than the "Chrome" finish.
Mind you, you will need to clean off all the adhesive first and then scuff the aluminum and prep. prime with an aluminum primer to do it right!

Yeah, it is just a chrome cover, but it is fused to the aluminum with a few hollow spots (so when you knock it sounds like a piece of plastic), so I'm not going to mess with it. I wasn't planning on going in-depth with the finish of the rims. If it wouldn't hurt, I'd quickly herculine them. You can get a stray gallon (without the rest of the kit) for like.. 60 or 70 on amazon, but I would only do it if I knew it would work.

In my opinion, it was "upgrades" like the chrome wheels that gave people reason to hate on KJs. I guess it may have attracted many people to Jeeps, but it kind of goes against what a Jeep stands for.

If I can ever figure out which wheels to buy, I'll definitely get the cragar soft 8s. I love the way they look and Ive even seen plenty of people with them. But since they look so expensive and nice, I always just assumed i couldnt afford them!

 

[ScottZ0]

and am I right to assume the center caps are additional in cost?

Scott

 

[kj924]

kj924,

Where to you pick them up for that price? That is a steal.


Scott

Summit Racing.com they are that price everyday. center caps were $13.95 each and lugs were %5.95 a bag of 4 lugs I believe. Remember they are 15" not 16"

 

[kj924]

I likem! I can afford that this summer too! Buttt I'll have to let them sit in the garage till my current tires are bald, that way my parents will pay for the new tires (im a brat). Now what do I look for in terms of measurements? I saw that I need 5x4.5.. but what about the offset and backspacing and width? Do they all 5x4.5ers fit but just need different tires?

Can anyone explain wheel measurements to a complete tire idiot please?

All depends on the tires you choose to run, some people say a 7" rim is best, some say 8" is best....again depends on the rubber. Backspacing is usually best to stay about 4.5-5"of back space. So if you were to get say a 30x9.5x15 tire( if you go with 15's that is) choose the 7" rim and probably 4 1/2 " back space, that should give you the best of both world...a wider looking stance and still have minor rub issues, if any. I run 31x10.5x15 with a 8" rim with 4" back space and the stance is wide.

Not a great shot, but you get the idea.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Ry' N Jen]

Yeah, it is just a chrome cover, but it is fused to the aluminum with a few hollow spots (so when you knock it sounds like a piece of plastic), so I'm not going to mess with it. I wasn't planning on going in-depth with the finish of the rims. If it wouldn't hurt, I'd quickly herculine them. You can get a stray gallon (without the rest of the kit) for like.. 60 or 70 on amazon, but I would only do it if I knew it would work.

In my opinion, it was "upgrades" like the chrome wheels that gave people reason to hate on KJs. I guess it may have attracted many people to Jeeps, but it kind of goes against what a Jeep stands for.

If I can ever figure out which wheels to buy, I'll definitely get the cragar soft 8s. I love the way they look and Ive even seen plenty of people with them. But since they look so expensive and nice, I always just assumed i couldnt afford them!

Well, As far as the chrome plastic covers go... I would then either scuff the chrome surface really well with 3M Scotch Bright green pads or at least give them a good wet sanding with some wed/dry sand paper and water so that the Herculiner has more adhesion into the plastic.
That should work fairly well.
I personally am thinking of "rubbing down" my factory six spoke aluminum wheels with wet/dry sand paper and giving them 3-4 coats of "Hammerrite" Black, Gray, Deep Green, or Bronze finish.
I don't know which colour would accentuate my factory silver finish with the gray plastic flares.

Ultimately I'd like to get some Teflon coated aluminum wheels, but that will be in the future when I have spare money to throw at our KJ.