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Took a styling risk, but I think it paid off.


Guest tylerh860

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Guest tylerh860

The gold pinstripes on my Reatta used to bother me, along with the beige interior. I didn't feel like it all jived with the Red paint, chrome, and alloy finish wheels. I had looked at countless wheel choices, but didn't want to go more than 16" or too modern looking. Something tasteful and somewhat period correct to tie the car together.

Since the car is quirky enough, I thought I'd go with something different. New Michelins transformed the car as well. I'm really happy.

reatta_zpsa27662a2.jpg

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Nicely done! I really liked those "snowflake" style rims when they first came out in the [late] 80's. Remember seeing Pontiac Bonnevilles with similar gold anodized rims, and thought they looked great on that car. The one in particular I'm thinking of was black with tan interior, a neighbor of mine bought it new in probably 1989. Was also the first car I ever saw with steering wheel controls for radio and HVAC, thought that was really neat (in the mind of a then 15 year old). That was an aggressive and good looking car for sure.

In any case, those rims look great on your car, and the car itself looks outstanding.That the wheels are period correct helps, and I agree with that sentiment. I have been tempted to get some newer, larger rims for one of mine (probably 17" from a LaCrosse) but that will "contemporize" the look a bit too much IMHO. I kind of like to stay "near stock" so understand where you were coming from on this.

KDirk

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Good looking car and the wheels look really nice. I had snowflake wheels on a Fiero Formula I once had. They looked similar but they were black where yours are gold.

Something seems different about your rear license plate. Is it just the angle of the photo?

The wheels on my Reatta are different from stock too.

post-52331-143141736258_thumb.jpg

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Stanley,

yes, those are are one of the styles I've considered seriously. I do like the look of those, and a similar (but heavier spoked) style used on the current production LaCrosse. My biggest issues (aside from concerns over front strut/wheel well clearance) are the fact that I have a surplus of wheels already (stock 1991 and 1988 rims both in storage, all needing to be refinished) and don't want yet another tire and wheel size to contend with (have 15" on the Caddy, 16" on both Reattae presently). Add to that the fact that while I really like the chrome spoke rims, they are much more contemporary looking and I have tried to stay with wheels that looked like they could have come on the car new in 88-91. Just a matter of personal preference.

All that is not to say I won't cave in and do it, naturally. Most likely I will when I get bored enough of the rims I currently have, or when the chrome finish on them starts to go south. Not worth refinishing chrome alloy wheels, as the cost to do so far exceeds buying newer clean pulls that will fit. Of course, when adding the cost of new tires (of different size) the equation may change. I guess it makes sense to do so when one needs new tires, and get it all done at once.

KDirk

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Ronnie,

Thanks, I really appreciate that. I only give consideration to different rims sometimes because both mine are fitted with the very same wheels. The 91 is pictured in my signature, but the 88 looks exactly identical from the outside (white, body color moldings, chrome 16" wheels, custom center caps) so they are virtual clones, save for the interior. The set on the 88 is not in quite as good in condition (some hazing in the chrome, and inner lip corrosion starting on the FR wheel) and I figure I'll be forced to do something about that within the next year or two to keep it looking decent. That is probably when I will make a change. 2002 was the last year the current rims were offered, and finding really clean ones free of pitting, corrosion, or haze marks will get a lot tougher as we have now passed the 10 year mark.

I might just have the stock 91 rims refinished and put them back on one of the cars. While I prefer chrome rims over machined/painted, I could see myself doing that as I already have those rims, and getting those refinished is not unreasonably expensive. Guess I could even have them done in white rather than silver, but not sure about that due to brake dust and road grime. Seems like I'd be doing a LOT of wheel detailing then.

KDirk

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On my previous Reatta I put the 16" chrome wheels from a 98+ Regal GS and I thought they looked real sharp (see attached pic). On my now 90 white vert I'm debating changing to these wheels in the future. I am the second owner of a mostly original car so I have the original versus functional conflict going on in my brain right now. I'm also thinking of changing the radio (mine is having minor problems) to one with a CD player and bluetooth. I also love how Kevin's coupe looks with the white trim. My car is white top, white car, black trim, and maroon interior. I'm thinking about keeping it original for the 2014 National in Portland and then making these changes.post-31031-14314173756_thumb.jpg

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yeller,

Those do look good, I have a next door neighbor who has a Regal with those rims on it and have admired the styling of them. Regarding your side trim, is it in good condition? I ask because both my cars needed multiple pieces of the rub molding repainted anyway, and that is why I chose to change them to white (besides the fact I like the look of it better). If only one or two pieces needed redoing, I might have kept them black to save some money. Consider too that if you expect to be competing in shows where originality is paramount, you might want to keep them black.

Show/judging points were not my major motivator, I just wanted the car the way I liked it. I tend not to be too adventurous with mods and upgrades, just things like newer (but subtly styled) wheels, and radio upgrades. Also, I have added custom embroidered floor mats from car Motorsports to both cars with the Reatta sunburst logo since neither had original mats.

Oh, and thank you for being so complimentary of the way mine looks. Nice to know the effort is appreciated!

KDirk

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Kevin, My side trim is OK. The original owner had bumped a couple of corners and there are a couple of spots where the black is scraped down to white. The side trims are perfect. I just think I like the look of the body colored trim. I understand it was an option so doing that wouldn't be too big a sin.

Wheels are another thing as I would keep the originals anyway in case a future owner (or me) would want them. I never did like the styling of the stock wheels but that is just my personal opinion.

The debate over original vs functional never was much of an issue for me. When I restored my '65 Skylark I added window tint, disc brakes, radial tires, added several options it didn't come with, and a suspension upgrade. The problem in my head now is that this Reatta which belonged to a collector before me is a very nice car and is mostly original. They are only original once. I hold no hope for making a mint on a resale but the idea of a Senior award is tempting. After that all bets are off. I'm really not that into collecting awards but this one would be so easy.

Also, could you PM the website of who made your floormats? I'd love to get some made for mine as well so the originals could be kept nice.

Edited by ol' yeller (see edit history)
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I have always like snowflakes from the 15x8 on the judge to the 16x7s on Reattae. Do think gold looks best on a triple blue but just my opinion. With red either white or black. Only thing I didn't like anout those later wheels with the curves is that they are 6.5".

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