Are the new Mopar P3461043 15x7" Rallye trim rings chromed or polished stainless steel?

I believe Polished Stainless.

From the pictures I have seen, they looked like they were chromed. Maybe someone with an original and a new one can shed some light on the subject.

Snoop, you want me to chime in with some pics on this subject again, or should I just keep quiet?


https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/show...rue#Post5447258

Chime away. All input is good.

Hello guys. I just read the original post and an a bit confused. I measured my trim rings which I believe are original to my '70 Cuda, 15" raylles. They measure 3" deep. Are there new rings available that I can replace mine with that cannot be told from the originals? What should I look for? Thanks.

That's what I was trying to determine. If the new ones are chromed, then they will not match your original polished stainless steel rings.

I dont know why we cant get a black and white answer to the "trim ring" question.

Are the new rings a good reproduction and what finish do they have? brushed or polished. I know my terminology "good" leaves the door open as its a realitive term, but all I want is someone who bought a set to step up and declare if they rings are any good.

Mine are Polished.

They are good.

Very Shiny.

I like them.

I paid $100 for mine brand new on Ebag last year.

Pic 2.

I just put a set on my Cuda. I'd say they are polished. I did compare them and although they are "nice" when you compare them side x side with an original you will see that they didn't get the detail real correct on the outer lip. Good enough for most , but the OE guys will still need NOS or restore their old ones.

My concern about the finish is, if they are chromed and get slightly damaged (dinged), your repair options are very limited outside of re-chroming. Whereas if they are polished like the originals, repair would be an option available to most of the owners.
From what I have seen, the new ones look to be flash chromed. If that is the case, how well are they going to hold up?

It would be nice to get some side by side comparisons. It is very difficult to get decent comparison pictures of parts with reflective surfaces, so this may be an unrealistic request.

I just checked and they have no magnetic pull, so they must be stainless. Is it even possible to chrome stainless??? and why would they if they could just polish it. I'm sure that's the cheaper route too for manufacturing. I'll try to take a comparsion pic, but like you said it's TOUGH to capture detail on shiny parts.

This is another reason I asked about the finish.

Posted on Wed May 12 2004 10:31 AM

Quote:

---

Here's the update on the trim rings...

The supplier has the tooling along with the samples that Daniel Banker was kind enough to loan us. Right now the supplier is looking for a good plating source as the original company is out of business.

We want these things to look and fit just like the originals.

I'm sure everyone will understand.

Thanks,

David Hakim
Mopar Performance Parts

---

And this reference to the new 15x6.5" trim rings.

Posted by David Hakim on Thu Apr 14 2005 03:05 PM

Quote:

---

We do have the 15 X 6.5 trim ring tooling which we have gone ahead and produced products (P5153310 - Chrome, P5153311 - Brushed) since there is still a demand for this size. These are shipping to the Mopar depot in a week.

---

Snoopy, Dave's reference to plating may mean passivation. That is sometimes considered plating altough it is really an acid bath that removes trace amounts of tool steel transfered to stainless when it is formed. I would be almost positive these are made from stainless. The magnet test seems to bear this out. I would like to see how the detail in the lip differs from the original tho, and would still like to know a part # that matches the original 3" deep rings.

Here is a pic of a repro trim ring. The outer definition line is real soft (barely felt) on a repro ring. You can definitely feel it on a real ring. Farther inward is a concave 3/8s wide band that is deeper on the original trim rings.
When Mopar started with the 6.5 trim rings back in the mid 70s they kept the 1970 part #. If you find an NOS trim ring you ALWAYS have to measure it even if it has the 1970 part # sticker on it just to figure out if it is a 6.5 or a true 7.0 ring.

Here is the profile on an original ring. Hopefully the pic is clear enough to show the real step on the outer most definition line.

Not to hijack the thread but what were the brushed style 15 x 7 rings put on?

I think the brushed 15X7 rings went onto AAR's as well.

Sheldon

Slightly magnetic.

Not all stainless steel is non-magnetic.

From: WiseGeek

Is Stainless Steel Magnetic?

When it comes to classifying stainless steel as having magnetic properties, there is not a simple yes and no answer. Instead, the proper response would be to state that it depends. Here is some information about stainless steel that will help to identify situations in which this alloy exhibits magnetic properties, and when it does not.

It is important to understand that stainless steel is not a pure magnetic metal. In fact, stainless steel is really a collective name for a steel alloy that is mixed with other metals in order to give it the properties that make the metal compound so desirable. For instance, the typical stainless steel contains just over ten percent of chromium.

In fact, it is the presence of the chromium that provides stainless steel with the ability to repel permanent stains and keep looking fresh and clean over long periods of time. The chromium essentially creates a protective layer on the alloy that prevents rusting and makes the metal resistant to any real damage. Any scratches to the surface are simply filled in by this protective layer, making it possible to prevent corrosion to occur. It is the introduction of chromium into the mix that we refer to as stainless steel that makes it possible for the alloy to exhibit magnetic properties.

It is important to note that other metals may be introduced into the steel compound as well as the chromium. One of these metals is nickel. Essentially, the addition of nickel to the stainless steel compound helps to strengthen the protective qualities of the chromium. Generally referred to as a 300 series, stainless steel that contains nickel is not magnetic at all. The reason is that the presence of the nickel alters the physical structure of the stainless steel and removes or inhibits any magnetic qualities.


However, magnetic stainless steel does exist. The 400 series, which contains steel and chromium, but without the presence of nickel, does in fact exhibit magnetic qualities. While the degree of magnetic attraction may vary, it is not unusual for items made with the 400 series stainless steel to provide enough attraction to interact with magnets, and in some cases to allow small metal items to adhere to the stainless steel surface. However, magnetic stainless steel in consumer products does not tend to carry a strong magnetic charge, so there are not any practical home uses involving magnetic attraction.

snoop,
forget the magnet test.
many lower grade stainless steels have magnetic propeties. 405 is a good example.
someones got to sand down a new trim ring and see if a boundry line appears if it is chromed.
yes stainless can be chromed BUT i think it is more expensive and processing than finly polishing 410 stainless.
plus the lower grads stainlesses "Drawer" or metal form easier than the more Nickle content versions. kind of like the weldability diff.
I have both in front of me and say its stamped out stainless and poli`shed to a finish if 75 Ra.
the rtse is dead on the detail is softer or the repro,probably from a worn well used set of dies.
.thats mmy .04 cents

Quote:

---

someones got to sand down a new trim ring and see if a boundry line appears if it is chromed.

---

I think the picture that BJohnson posted shows the boundry line your talking about.

Greg,
What is the production date on the new ring?

repro ring is 7/6/06
also the inner curved lip is smaller and the backside D hole punches are round on the repro.
generally I would have to say the new ones are very nice repro if you put on a whole set. but no way perfect for OE restos. just real nice show or rolling restos. Im going to run them and leave the nos sets hanging on the wall in my bedroom next to the shaker stuff.
ps the repros also weigh more than the nos ones by 26 grams?????
also the nos ones have 78071 made in USA is that its date

78071 is the vendor code - Randall Textron. The date code is stamped above the vendor code.
Example: 900924 = 1990 Sept 24

Your NOS set are 15 x 6.5", that's one reason they weigh less than the new ones.

just measured them and in fact 3" flat face to face same as the repro.
i have some old 6.5 ones and thay are like 2/58" tall not like these and those weigt 50 grams less thanthe old 7s

Is there a date code on the NOS rings?

So does that mean 1970 B bodys built after 1/1/70 came with brushed or polished?