Well, I got gypped and it's taken me over a
year to realize it. Yeah, yeah. You will remember that I picked up
a set of four factory aluminum wheels off of Ebay right before I purchased the
TA? Well, the 16x8 wheels used from 1984 to 1992 require specific
off-sets, that is, you have front wheels and rear wheels and they aren't
interchangeable. I knew this. When I purchased the wheels, I knew
this, but part of me assumed that I had bought / been sent a full set of
wheels so I only gave them a cursory glance to make sure they weren't dented /
dinged up then I threw them into storage and forgot about them for over a
year. When I was getting ready to have the wheels I bought on Ebay
stripped and powder coated, I had a dark little thought go through my mind ...
I saw that the inside was stamped "REAR" and I said to myself ... "do I have
two front and two rear wheels or a mixture?" I turned the wheels over
and ... sigh ... CRAP. Each wheel had "REAR" stamped into the backside
of the wheel flange. I had purchased four rear wheels which meant that
somewhere, out there, someone had also purchased four front wheels (and were
probably thinking CRAP as well when they discovered their predicament).
Maybe the seller had two sets and got them mixed up, maybe the seller was sold
these wheels and didn't know that they were a mismatched set. Or maybe
the seller did know... let the buyer beware.
Luckily, I had made an Internet contact with a man who had a complete set (two
front, two rear) wheels, 16x8, in the correct year pattern and the wheels were
also already the way that I wanted them (aluminum finish with black paint in
the vents). Richard was kind enough to ship them to me and problem is
solved. Maybe I'll get a thick piece of glass and use the four rear
wheels to make some art deco coffee table... Important note to all
newbies upgrading from 15x7 to 16x8 (or larger) and using the factory wheels
to do so. Make sure you get a complete set (2 will be marked "FRONT" and
two will be marked "REAR", stamped in the aluminum on the back of the rim).
It's my fault, really. I got the wheels in and I assumed (uh-oh) that
the seller knew what he was shipping me. I don't know if it was
malicious or accidental but the end result is the same; I have two too many
rear wheels and two too few front wheels. No problem, it happened and
like always, I landed on my feet and got what I wanted to begin with.
All in all, even given the mistake with the first set of wheels and the cost /
shipping of the second set, I still managed to get a complete set of near mint
wheels in the correct color for less than the cost of a single replacement or
refurbished wheel from some companies or even the cost to powdercoat the beige
colored wheels to the more natural aluminum finish with black painted vents.
Lesson learned. Lesson passed on. Recovery complete (with flying
colors).