Max,
My 2 cents: I suspect that it has more to do with having to be careful with wire
wheels. Seized spokes on a chrome wheel must be cut out and replaced (unless
your really lucky with penetrant). To replace a removed spoke you often need to
remove 2 or 3 others. It tends to go downhill from there. If a chrome wheel is
really bad your labor ahead to re-lace the entire wheel. OTOH, You can loosen
seized nipples with heat on painted wheels then adjusted as necessary. FWIW, I
true my own painted wheels - takes around 1-2 hours. Sandblasting takes about
30 minutes. Priming, painting and clearcoating takes about 30 minutes over 2-3
days. Definitely not rocket science, just takes a healthy dose of patience.
Chris Barnhart
69 'B
Max wrote:
>Yeah, but what about chrome wheels? Moss charges $110 *more* apiece for
>them. That price difference ought to provide the rebuilder some profit
> margin, even if they can't make money on painted wheels.
>Heck, they even save three steps -- stripping, undercoating, and painting --
they ought
> to charge *less* for rebuilding.
> I suspect it has just as much to do with vanishing craftsmanship and
> liability issues (IMHO). After all, motorcycle and bicycle wheels are
> still being trued, as far as I know.
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