[Shelbymustang] Wire Wheels Shiny and New.

TheCarSource.com Shelby Mustang List
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Didn't know if this would interest anyone or not, but I thought I would pass
it along.

He makes the wire wheels shiny and new
By <mailto:tuhlenbrock (AT) post-dispatch (DOT) com> Tom Uhlenbrock
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Sunday, Sep. 17 2006

QUINCY, Ill. - Talk about lifestyle changes. Cork and Judy Adams swapped the

West Coast for the Midwest, and rat-race jobs for labors of love.

"She's an ex-software executive in Silicon Valley," Cork said of his wife.
"I
was in heavy construction overseas, mostly oil refineries."

Judy Adams originally was from the Midwest, so when the couple decided to
open
a B&B, that's where they looked. Quincy was chock full of stately mansions
in
its historic district, and the couple paid $98,000 for an elegant, brick
Queen
Anne home built in 1895.

Today, Judy operates the Cooper Adams House, and Cork walks a couple of
blocks
to work in the small building where owners of some of the world's most
expensive sportscars seek his services.

"I repair wire wheels, primarily for Italian exotics - Ferraris and
Maseratis -
the older, the better," said Cork, 64. "Usually they come from restoration
shops from around the country, or word of mouth. They normally don't worry
about price."

Cork picked up a rusty, dingy example of how the wheels look when they
arrive
at his business, Precision Wire Wheels, where he has a single helper.

"They come in looking like this," he said. "We cut the spokes out and throw
them away. We check to make sure the wheel's not bent, then re-chrome plate
the
hub, polish or paint the rim. The secret to the business is truing it out,
making sure it's round by putting the right tension on the new spokes.

"It's an odd little job, but there's something satisfying about it."

The cost is $585 per wheel, and they usually arrive in sets of five. It
takes
about a week to complete a full set.

>From his desk, Cork grabbed a copy of "Cavallino, the Journal of Ferrari
History," and pointed out a sleek red model.

"That's a 250 GTO Ferrari, about $12 million or more," he said. "I've done
wheels for 10 percent of the existing cars in the world. There are only 36.
It's the most sought after of all the great Ferraris."

Although Cork is now a long way from both coasts, his customers have no
problem
finding him in Quincy. "I got a call yesterday from San Francisco," he said.

"The guy said, 'I heard you're the only place to send wire wheels.' "

Cork said he and Judy enjoy their new lifestyle, a long way from the rat
race.

"I love the people here, they're more centered," he said. "The Midwest is on

the verge of discovery. I think more people from the coasts will be moving
here."

Nightly rates at the Cooper Adams House range from $95 to $110. Call
1-217-222-8990, or visit www.cooperadamshouse.com. Precision Wire Wheels is
at
1-217-228-8315.

Reporter tuhlenbrock (AT) post-dispatch (DOT) com | 314-340-8268



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