Free.51 2,717 Posted March 3, 2015 Curious to know if the XE ghia/esp xf ghia wheels were designed and or made in nz. I've seen on the inside of my wheels FNZ which I can only assume stands for ford new Zealand or does it mean something else?. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ESPSIX 143 Posted March 3, 2015 Correct. 1 gerg reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FOMOCOHO 882 Posted March 6, 2015 Also, XEghia snowflakes should be grey where-as XF snowflakes are black in the background bit. My car had the later XF set on when the photo I scanned on my intro page was done. It actually looks better when I put the original set on, it 'softens' the overall appearance. 1 Thom reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerg 10,871 Posted March 6, 2015 I stripped a set of EA S-pack snowies and they're the same wheel under the silver paint. Same machined surface on the lip and spokes but the paint is so thick that in stock form it looks as-cast. Centre cap changes the look too. Early ones had a continuation of the spoke pattern (ie ESP) but later Ghia and S-pack ones had the "hub nut" looking one. I have them on my XE and looks fine. The rims look very chunky and solid, but I did a little trick and softened the chunkiness of the rim a tad. With the car on stands and running in gear, I got a flapper wheel on my grinder and put a 5 mm chamfer between the rim face and the internal circumference. Visually softens the wheel and makes it look slightly bigger. 1 FOMOCOHO reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FOMOCOHO 882 Posted March 10, 2015 I stripped a set of EA S-pack snowies and they're the same wheel under the silver paint. Same machined surface on the lip and spokes but the paint is so thick that in stock form it looks as-cast. Yeh, I wondered about that knowing how Ford operate. I found one the other week in the boot of an EA I think, laying in a puddle of water at a self serve wrecker. On closer inspection it was like new under the grime & had never been put on an axle. Tyre was US made 225 also new. So i parted with not much coin & brought it home. After I'd cleaned it up a bit, the paint is so bloody thick on it I bet it was the old ghia snowie underneath! But it was too good to mess up. I found a cap for it today. Now all I have to do is find another one in another boot somewhere & i've got the basics for a trailer! I LOL. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerg 10,871 Posted March 10, 2015 Paint stripper will get the majority of that silver off, should be a nice shiny machined surface underneath. Good score! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerg 10,871 Posted March 10, 2015 Here's my thread on restoring a set of snowies using water sand blasting and painting the spokes gold. Scroll down to the pics to see: http://www.ozfalcon.com.au/index.php?/topic/1600-K%27archer-Wet-Sand-Blasting%3A-a-review-%28sort-of%29 1 FOMOCOHO reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FOMOCOHO 882 Posted March 10, 2015 Went to Gawler swap meet here in SA last year. Guy had 3 snowflakes, all grubby. 1 was ghia with no gutta rash but shit centre. EA one had the good ghia centre. He had $10 ea on them. I said if you put the good centre on the ghia rim i'll take it for ten. He agreed. Took it home, threw the centre thru the wash and sat on my arse for two hours with a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush, this is how it came up: Came up a treat Not bad for less than $13 outlay. Didn't want to use anything that would damage the clear coat if it hasn't lifted. I have all the technical service bullitins from back in the day... somewhere around '81 they had a faulty batch of LTD wheels where the clear coat was lifting in the warranty period. I'll see if I can dig it up and either scan it or photo it or type it in here (tommorrow maybe, getting late). It's very comprehensive down to where to get all the chemicals required (here in SA) to firstly remove the old clear coat, clean the wheel and recoat it! 1 gerg reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gerg 10,871 Posted March 10, 2015 There will be a time when they'll be worth a bit. I like em anyway Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SLO247 1,713 Posted March 10, 2015 Still a sexy wheel. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thom 6,650 Posted March 10, 2015 My XF had 3 xe snowflakes and one xf one it used to really shit me one being a different colour, although you could barely notice it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Free.51 2,717 Posted March 11, 2015 I stripped a set of EA S-pack snowies and they're the same wheel under the silver paint. Same machined surface on the lip and spokes but the paint is so thick that in stock form it looks as-cast. Centre cap changes the look too. Early ones had a continuation of the spoke pattern (ie ESP) but later Ghia and S-pack ones had the "hub nut" looking one. I have them on my XE and looks fine. The rims look very chunky and solid, but I did a little trick and softened the chunkiness of the rim a tad. With the car on stands and running in gear, I got a flapper wheel on my grinder and put a 5 mm chamfer between the rim face and the internal circumference. Visually softens the wheel and makes it look slightly bigger. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Free.51 2,717 Posted March 11, 2015 The rhr snowflake on my Zl is originally an EA spac rim that i got from the Wreckers years ago and paint stripper is what i used to get the silver off and i use goldrush metallic to give them the esp look. 1 gerg reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NZXD 2,328 Posted March 11, 2015 I want a set, even tho I have an XD I still want some, the cheapest set I have so far was $300 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bear351c 10,270 Posted March 11, 2015 Me too............for the ZL. But wider. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FOMOCOHO 882 Posted March 11, 2015 Found it... TSB group 3001, article 4, January 1980 (master index is issued Oct.) Hope that comes up ok, photobucket has been doing some weird shit to my photos lately! Should be readable anyway... if it doesn't change them all to the same link. Is a bit like Free.51's approach. 1 NZXD reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SLO247 1,713 Posted March 11, 2015 That was interesting. These days they would just replace the wheels. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bear351c 10,270 Posted March 11, 2015 Thanks, never seen that. Photobucket can be mischievious. If you rearrange your photos in different folders, your old links wont work. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FOMOCOHO 882 Posted March 11, 2015 Thanks, never seen that. Photobucket can be mischievious. If you rearrange your photos in different folders, your old links wont work. Yeh, I know that. I didn't move/change anything. Just went into the XCV8 ute thread on ebay finds & i'd posted the same photo x3 doh. Edited changes to how it should have been now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gromet88 3,042 Posted March 14, 2015 isnt that amazing, it even tells you where to get the paint etc, SOUTH AUSTRALIA! 1 SPArKy_Dave reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SPArKy_Dave 8,863 Posted March 23, 2015 You've been holding out on us dude..... Methinks we need to see some more TSB's. Maybe we could start a dedicated resource section in the forum somewhere? 1 tpak addict reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FOMOCOHO 882 Posted March 24, 2015 You've been holding out on us dude..... Methinks we need to see some more TSB's. Maybe we could start a dedicated resource section in the forum somewhere? Yes Dave. Because I have nothing better to do than scan in, resize and upload 6 million pages. I need to be in the shed, so drip feed it is! But just for you , here's another one which, since we are on the snowflake page... details why our beloved snowie came about in the first place... In the beginning (of this story anyway) was the XD Fairmont ghia wheel which was a carry-over from XC Fairmont GXL (part no. XD 1007 C). However with the revised calipers on disc brake-rear of the XE Fairmont ghia and ZK Fairlane, the old wheel couldn't accomodate the physically larger alloy caliper assembly (through it's full range of movement). An interim fix was to machine the earlier stock of wheels (part no. XE 1007 CD) and mark them accordingly. This led to problems... a whole new wheel was required. So the snowflake was born , which could accomodate the new calipers (part no. XE 1007 C). Here is a good example of XD ghia wheels (Farkins baby brother, pinched from page1 of farkins project, with thanks to Dave and the whole farkin family!) TSB group 3001, article 30, May 1982. Hope that makes you happy Sparky_Dave ! 1 Charcoalghia reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tpak addict 1,909 Posted March 24, 2015 Took notice of the trans water contamination issue back in the cortina esky days.... they dont learn do they.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SPArKy_Dave 8,863 Posted March 25, 2015 Hope that makes you happy Sparky_Dave ! So the Volante Alloys wouldn't fit the disc brake rears properly..... interesting! I and all the other OzFalcon members, THANK you...... oh great knowledgeable one - keeper of the holy bibles.... 3 FOMOCOHO, jigga and SirkWhyXF reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
