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Classic Industries Reproduction GTA Wheels

S

shoopice

Active Member
Does anyone how good the reproduction GTA wheels are that Classic Industries sells? They say they are exact replicas made from the same materials as the originals, but I was curious if the color matched and the level of quality was acceptable. I have never dealt with this company. Any advice or information would be appreciated!
thank you
 
I've a set .. and although not yet sat with a microscope inspecting them inch by inch.. with a NOS rim (which I also have some off) from a general inspection they seem fine. The finish is as good - but I'm not a metalurgist..... I'll take a set down today and photograph the two side by side.. there may be fading on the old original so the color could be called into question.
Probably still best to buy original NOS only.
 
Dennis Kirban brought one to our monthly meet last month. I thought he had a NOS GTA rim but it was one from Classic Industry's. They are amazing!

http://classicindustries.com/contro...e=1&productId=120744&productSearchCatalogId=3


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The story I was told is that they got the mold from GM but somewhere along the line the mold was damaged badly. He thinks they somehow retooled the mold and this is like buying a NOS GTA rim! Any offset as well.
 
I have a set that should be here Wed. At $699 a set ($717.14 shipped to my door) they werent much more than having the originals refinished (I was quoted an estimated $160/wheel x 4 = $640 from wheelcollision depending on what the wheels actually need done) , and I can always sell off a set of originals to offset the cost - though I'm waiting to see the actual product before I make that decision. I have read the stories but figured I'd give them a try and see for myself.

Steve
 
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Heres a few pictures of the two today.. GM & OER.
OER looked fine to me close up & would be very happy to use them , Chinese made or Japanese made... V's the cost of remanufactured smashed ones etc.
The finish looked ok on the ones we had.. which were supplied mid January 2009.
Let you be the judge, nobody here seems to have fitted them up or test driven them for 10,000 miles etc.. . but they look the real thing, people wanting Point Score perfect - dont' buy them.. you can see there is a manufacturers marking missing on the outside - but so what - buy GM if your car warrants it or buy a set of these for more everyday use.. keep your original 1989 date coded tyres & rims in storage.. .... but at least somebody has made the effort.

10 Points to Classics for providing parts we can use everyday & normal shows...at a sensible price.
 
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Wow, thank you all for the great information and pictures! I have been on the fence with this project for a while. I bought this TTA about a year ago from the original owner with 26,000 miles and the only real issues were the t-tops had a few small cracks, the driver bolster was worn and of course the wheel issue of peeling clear coat. I found the NOS Lexan tops and paid dearly for them. Since then I have been on the hunt for NOS rims but the market appears to be quite sparce in that department. I have spoken to a few companies about refinishing but the references have been somewhat weak so I kind of backed off that idea until I could maybe find someone local to where I live. I bought this car to keep and hand down so I wanted to keep it all original if possible. But as Ozpont mentioned, I thought I could slap on a set of these reproductions and save the original rims and tires. I would like to mention though, it is this website and fellow members like all of you that make owning this car much more enjoyable and I am very thankful for that.

Mark
 
I just got my new wheels from Classic Industries, but want to give you the story as well.
I bought a set of new tires and wanted to get them mounted, but decided not to remove the originals gatorbacks off the original rims. So the next step was to get a set of wheels. I read the negative posts about the Classic Industries wheels and spoke to a customer rep. He took my number and called me back saying that he went to the warehouse and personally looked at 3 wheels and saw No problems. I also called Wheel Collision Center, which is only 7-8 miles from me. They only had the rears available, but if they had all 4, and the price would almost $300. more than I actually paid; adding sales tax, but no shipping. All 4 wheels are a good as I hoped for; top quality, finish, color, packing. I'd say the negative posts should be ignored. I am adding some pictures to show them off. AND, here is more good news if you intend to buy a set. There is a 20% off coupon I found so my actual cost for the wheels with shipping to PA and insurance was only $612.44
Coupon Code is WS7143 Here's the link:
Classic Industries Coupon Codes - all coupons, discounts and promo codes for classicindustries.com
http://www.retailmenot.com/view/classicindustries.com
 

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Looks good toylman, wish I knew about the discount but still feel I got a decent price. Mine are here but I havent had a chance to look at them. I'll be sure to post some comments and pics of mine when I get back later tonight :)
 
Lenny those look spot on ... there's repro's of the original stickers that came on the GM OEM wheels when new if you want to go that route ... I had them done a year or so ago.

Quality looks very very good and the price is very good as well. Too bad shipping across the pond and then the import taxes would break the bank :-( Oh and did I mention todays exchange rate :-( Dropped nearly 30% since mid 2008 ....
 
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WOW Lenny! You got a deal and a nice set of rims! Damn I'm fighting to keep the credit card in my wallet!! :D I'd love to buy a set just to have them!
 
Overall I'm pleased, other than the varied amount of gold on the back side of the wheels I think they are just what we need. Are they perfect OEM reproductions, no but then the price reflects that :) I wonder how they would hold up to some 1.4 short times on my GTA :)

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Ditto, Thanks to all for the pictures and information. Also a big thanks for the coupon code! 20% off was a huge help and the real deciding factor on the purchase. I have a set coming next week.:thumbup:
 
Just received my rims from Classic Industries and they were not acceptable. The clear coat was all spotty and milky looking. Hardly any shine. The rear ones were worse than the fronts for what ever reason. They also had some abrasions on the wheel lip that will not polish out. I called them for a refund which they did without any problems. Said they could try and find a set without any issues, but I am undecided as to if that is the direction I want to go. Leaning towards refinishing again. Just an FYI.
 
I read that post and should have listened. When I saw the pictures of the nice ones I got my hopes up. I can't imagine why Classic Industries would not inspect these better before they accept them and especially before they ship them out. I see that Hawks has them for sale now. I wonder if they have the same issues. Think maybe I'll give them a call.
 
Sorry to hear the news as well. I checked my set and everything seemed fine. One wheel had a variation in overspray on the backside, other that that they looked good. The shine isn't real bright, but it is supposed to be a machined finished lip. I'm going to have to give mine another look over.
 
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