I was considering swapping the gt rims from my 240. Respray em (black maybe?) and put em on my 740. Question is, is that feasible? From what I could gather gt rims are 14inch and hydra are like 15? I think it was. Maybe 16.
Just a little tidbit I wanna know.
And on another note is respraying alloys practical? If so any tips or tricks I need to know?
Cheers

 

When fitting rims there's a few variables to pay attention to - 1) bolt pattern 2) center bore 3) offset. You can find the specs for both the 240 and the 740 at wheel-size.com. Generally speaking older RWD Volvos all use the 5x108 with a 65.1mm center bore (Volvo rims are "hub-centric" which means the wheels are centered by the bore, not the lugs). Depending on rim width the offset is in the 20 (7" rim) to 25 mm (6" rim) range. The 240's specs show a slightly different offset where the the 14s are likely 5.5J (width) with an offset of 25 and the 15x6s are 20. Look for the stampings on your rim to see the width (ie 5.5J means its a 5.5 inch wide rim and ET25 means its a 25 mm offset. Net of all this is that the rims will bolt up but the 240s have 5 mm less offset - meaning the rims will be about 1/4 of an inch closer to the fender lip. The only other thing to consider is when going "minus 1" ie replacing a 15 inch rim with a 14 inch is whether the shorter rim will clear the brake calipers. Last throught is on tire sizing. If you change rim height, you'll want to pick a tire width/aspect ratio that retains the rolling circumference so as to not alter the speedo. By example a 185/75-14 is roughly the same rolling circumference as a 185/65-15 tire. Check wheel-size.com to see what is appropriate/factory standard tire/rim combos.

As to painting rims - you can use any automotive paint and clear coat. You would prep the rims just like doing body work - bondo any digs, sand the surfaces, use an automotive primer and pick your color. If you do silver, google around for the factory paint codes - Ive used Arctic Silver as a pretty good match. If you go black then just choose the finish - ie flat vs gloss. Clear coating is a good option since it will help keep dirt off the paint