Fuchs - Al Reed contact & prices

DavidPorter · 10-12-2005, 07:16 AM

I live on the East Coast and was talking to Wheel Collision Center in Bath, PA about refinishing 4 15x6 wheels from my '72. They estimate $225 - $250 per wheel to remove anodizing, polish, repaint the black areas, and clear coat.

I tried to contact Al Reed for a price comparison, but his fax machine was always on. Is there a better number (I have 714-632-3902)? What does he charge for similar service?

Thanks.

scottb · 10-12-2005, 07:41 AM

Do a search here on the board. His contact info gets posted at least once a month.

I think he's up to about $125 or $150 per wheel.

DavidPorter · 10-12-2005, 07:48 AM

Thanks. I did a search and I think I have the right address. Others have reported that he doesn't always answer the phone, but I didn't even get an answering machine, just a fax tone.

scottb · 10-12-2005, 07:52 AM

Are you sure you didn't jot down his fax number instead of his phone number?

(714) 632-3907 is the number I have.

FenderGuy · 10-12-2005, 08:04 AM

Its better to contact Al about his prices, I guess you missed my post by a few days...look at this Now I know why everyone goes to Al Reed

dafischer · 10-12-2005, 08:12 AM

Wheel Collision Center is way out of line with their pricing. I work about 5 minutes from them, and dropped by last year with my wheels for an estimate. Very non-committal, and when I finally got a number, it was similar to the numbers above.

I shipped my wheels to Al, and with shipping charges both ways and Al's bill put together, I still came out way ahead.

Plus a beautiful set of wheels.

bill romero · 10-12-2005, 08:17 AM

Al Reed Polishing
3010 e. Coronado #A
Anaheim, Ca 92806
714.632.3907

I wouldn't go anywhere else to restore my wheels. Al has restored about six sets for me. In my opinion, they all turned out perfect. Sometimes his fax is on so the only thing to do is to try again at a later time.

Evans, Marv · 10-12-2005, 08:39 AM

David:
Bill's info looks correct without getting my receipts out. Al & Diane haven't been answering their phone on Mondays and Fridays (I believe), because of heavy work load. I recently had my set of 5 deep sixes done there. They charged $75 per wheel to strip, polish and paint. The clearcoat was another $25. Very reasonable. I've had two sets of wheels done in the past two years. I went to one of those stores where they sell boxes, bubble wrap, styrofoam peanuts, etc. to get supplies to pack the wheels in and shipped them via UPS. They return them in pretty much the same boxes, and charge for the return shipping. I also had my fan and fan housing powder coated by them (they machine off the tips of the fan & powder coat them too) for $85. The whole thing took about two weeks and Al called me when he shipped them back. Others have commented that his finish isn't a concours finish because it's shinier. Mine turned out to my liking with very high quality work. He can also anodize them, if you want. Keep trying to call them.

DavidPorter · 10-12-2005, 09:19 AM

Thanks all. I just spoke to Diane and the wheels are on their way, $75 paint & polish and $25 clearcoat. Now to put the engine together. . .

Targaboy1968 · 03-18-2020, 12:02 PM

Hello, I can't believe how old this thread is! Does anyone know if Al Reed has an e-mail address? I am not having much luck calling from Austria. Thank you very much.

Matt Monson · 03-18-2020, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Widebody83sc

Hello, I can't believe how old this thread is! Does anyone know if Al Reed has an e-mail address? I am not having much luck calling from Austria. Thank you very much.

His health has been in decline for a couple of years now. Be sure to leave a message and just wait for the call back. And keep in mind that the Denver metro area is a covid hot spot. A lot of people aren't working at all right now per city and state directives in response to latest CDC guidelines.

RSTarga · 03-18-2020, 12:28 PM

I am afraid many of our older sources are fading away. I've used these guys and am very satisfied.

https://www.fuchsrestoration.com

911pcars · 03-18-2020, 01:43 PM

Here’s one caveat refinishing a Fuchs wheel. Refinishing any one-piece off-the-shelf wheel should be fairly straightforward. However, there might be issues when attempting to replicate the Fuchs process with modified (e.g. widened) wheels.

I asked Al Reed to refinish a set of polished 17” Lindsey-modified Fuchs to an RSR finish. Lindsey uses their own Al. barrels and, depending on the barrel, relocates the valve stem hole to another location. This requires weld- plugging the existing hole.

If a customer requests Al to refinish a polished wheel, no problem. However, I wanted an RSR finish. Lindsey’s “RSR” finish is painted, not glass beaded and anodized, for a reason.

After bead blasting, the bare, plugged valve stem area may not/probably won’t match the surrounding area due to the dissimilar alloy in that filler material, and they didn’t. Hopefully, Al will initially issue that caveat if your wheels meet that particular spec.

Sherwood

gtc · gtc's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Widebody83sc

Hello, I can't believe how old this thread is! Does anyone know if Al Reed has an e-mail address? I am not having much luck calling from Austria. Thank you very much.

If i were in Europe i would inquire with Otto Fuchs.
https://www.fuchsfelge.com/en/refurbishment/refurbishment-stop.html

Looks like they may not be offering this service again until October, though.