Shipping to Al Reed - finish Q's

FA-18C · 05-06-2003, 05:49 PM

I just shipped 4 early deep dish 6jX15's to Al Reed for refinishing. I was planning on just polish and paint, but since I have shipped, am now having second thoughts...for 25 bucks more a wheel he can clear powder coat which seems like a great idea. Will chips show up on a clear powder coat? Is it better to leave them polished and just clean em up a couple of times a year, or do I take the plunge and have em re-anodized? I thought I was settled, anyone have any words of wisdom??

rs911t · 05-06-2003, 05:56 PM

Chris, I had Al reanodize mine. $100 per rim. I posted pictures here As promised: another plug for Mr. Reed

CamB · CamB's Garage

Re-anodise. They lasted 30 years on the first anodise... thats $3 per annum, or less than 1c per day... LOL

FA-18C · 05-06-2003, 06:00 PM

Greg saw those and they look great, I have the 14" wheels that are original now, am thinking hard on the polished vice anodized. My car will never be concourse and will head more likely in a direction similar to yours...now, if I ever win the lottery and can locate some R wheels....

MarkP · 05-06-2003, 06:00 PM

Same story for me, although I think they just raised prices and they've been busy so it took a few weeks to get them done.
Early deep Fuchs, traditional finish - photos

jbripps · jbripps's Garage

Here's a good question. Without offending anyone, does Al do better work than Wheel Enhancement? Please be honest and candid.

thanks,

FA-18C · 05-06-2003, 06:07 PM

I have seen up close both products, I think they are comparable. I have heard that Al does not accurately replicate the rougher sides of the paddles that came from the factory. I think the nicest wheels I have seen were done by Weidmann's Wheels. They were going on a 911S being completey restored in Jerry Woods shop, amazing. For the money I am betting on Al, have spoken several times with Al and Diane to get my ducks in a row, and as advertised, they are very nice people and seem to know their work very thoroughly. They pointed out sveral options for painting the black background, the clear poweder, anodize, polish options etc... I think anodizing is now 120/wheel, its 90/wheel for polish and clear, 65/wheel for polish and paint, hand painted caps are 15/wheel, but the caps are polished as part of the wheel price.

FA-18C · 05-06-2003, 06:20 PM

BTW - shipping seems cheapest by Fedex Ground, I put two wheels per 18" cubed box and it cost 24 bucks with insurance.

Moses · 05-06-2003, 07:48 PM

Depends ENTIRELY on what look you are going for. A nice matte anodized finish is great, but I prefer the highly polished paddles. They really are dazzling.

If you decide on the polished paddles, I highly recommend the clear coat. Clear coated wheels will retain their luster with routine car washes while uncoated wheels will need heavy manual polishing every 6 months or so to retain the glossy finish.

scottb · 05-06-2003, 08:50 PM

Al has done two sets of wheels for me, and he powdercoated both. They look great, and are very durable.

Good luck!

turbo6bar · 05-07-2003, 05:13 AM

Over the weekend I saw a product on Trucks on TNN. It's for polished aluminum surfaces and protects against oxidation and damaged. It looks like a great sealer for polished fuchs.

Zoop Seal

Never used it, but if I had polished fuchs, I'd give it a try.

Jurgen

jyl · jyl's Garage

I have polished rims and paddles and have not had any real problem with maintaining the finish. After owning the car for a year, the wheels still looked good. I finally felt the need to touch up the polish after new tires were mounted, leaving small scuffs on the rims. 20 minutes per wheel with Wenol polish took care of it.

RickM · RickM's Garage

I'm curious about the Zoop Seal....it sounds like it may leave a protective "skin" on the metal. The ad states that it protects but not when subject to abrasion. When cleaning wheels of brake dust I'd think you cause some friction, especially when it's baked on.

On another note when clear coating polished wheels the luster will be a bit muted as compared to polished raw metal.

I just purchased Wheel Wax for my MB...I'll report back how it performs.

Halm · 07:31 AM

I like the polished look and will have my anodized wheels redone when I find a couple of 15X7's. Also, I had polished wheels on a previous P-car and can tell you that it took less than an hour per wheel, once a year using 3M Hand Glaze with a pinch of P21 High Gloss Metal Finish to keep them looking great.

turbo6bar · 05-07-2003, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RickM
I'm curious about the Zoop Seal....it sounds like it may leave a protective "skin" on the metal. The ad states that it protects but not when subject to abrasion. When cleaning wheels of brake dust I'd think you cause some friction, especially when it's baked on.

I wish I'd seen the entire show segment. Towards the end, he Tracy, show host, said the seal lasts 2-3 years, and you can use a detail spray to keep it nice and clean. He took a freshly coated aluminum part. I believe it was a valve cover, and he poured water over it. The water sheeted off like a highly waxed body panel. I think that is part of the advantage.

The reason I like this stuff is because you use it on polished aluminum. You don't need a powder-coated finish, which quite possibly, would diminish the gloss and shine.

For cleaning brake dust, I use P-21S. It's great stuff. Grab a soft brush, and the dust comes off really well.

Jurgen

Biggy72 · Biggy72's Garage

on that show it said it wasn't a clear coat type stuff, it supposedly soaked into the pores of the metal so it didn't cover anything up, it kinda became part of the metal. Looks like decent stuff, and it should be for that price.

zymurgist · zymurgist's Garage

Sounds cool. I use Mother's Mag & Aluminum Wheel Polish on the Vette, but that has to be redone at least 2 times a year. Still debating whether to go with polished or anodized Fuchs, though.

901/05 · 901/05's Garage

Biggy72 is right. The chemical penitrates the metal and protects very well. The down side was the high price, which I only remember was significant, and the application process was very lengthy. Of course, it was television and we didn't get to see the many hours it takes the go through the process. First chemical cleaning then final application.

But, I was very impressed with the product and the resulting water test. Shawn.

RickM · RickM's Garage

There's also Wheel Wax. I purchased this for another car. Looks like good stuff but when you read the fine print it says you may have to reapply after each washing. ????????????? I'll report back with results.

In any case, I have wheels that were polished and cleared. When freshly done they looked great. Not as bright as freshly polished aluminum but how quickly does freshly polished aluminum look like crap? In my case, pretty quick. I believe a member said that the clear will reflect 15% less light as opposed to a freshly polished "raw" wheel.

After a few years the clear will haze, yellow and/or dull just like any other paint finish. It is also suceptible to cracking and lifting. When heat and water get started on these imperfections then the aluminum corrosion will start and continue to damage the paint.

Seems nothing is perfect.

SoCal911T · 06-13-2003, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Here's a good question. Without offending anyone, does Al do better work than Wheel Enhancement? Please be honest and candid.

Wheel Enhancement did a set of BMW wheels for me and I would have to say Al did an as good or better job for half the price. I’ve only had one set of wheels done by each place so this obviously isn’t exactly scientific. YMMV