Fuchs Project! (Many pictures)

[dd74]

Adam: I'm not sure if you're dedicated or simply crazed, but good work nonetheless. The wheel looks great! I can't wait to see the finished result on your car, since our cars are virtual look-alikes, save for a few minor details. At least they're the same color.

But let me get one thing straight: was that 1.5 hrs. per wheel? If true, yikes!

[Adam]

Yeah, it's 1.5 hours each *sigh*.

I'm beginning to hallucinate... the combined fumes of oven cleaner, wheel polish and the ozone my poor old, overworked buffing wheel is cranking out, are making me see and think silly things.

Like ditching the stupid Fuchs in favour of a set of 17x7 Cup wheels...

[dd74]

Send the Fuchs to me. I need extras to mount R-compounds on.

[Aussie]

Great thread Adam.

Now your an expert at restoring wheels you can do mine.

After looking at how much work it takes I think I might take the easy way out and save up and take them to the shop to get done. Mine sure need it, they are really faded.

Your car will look fantasic once the wheels are done with the silver centres. I picked up my new car yesterday, haven't had a chance to drive it yet.

[Adam]

It's not as hard as I make out, Simon!

It's just that I don't have anyone who's DIY and local enough to show me what I'm doing wrong. If any of you guys want to do your wheels like this (you'd better wait to see my finished product), then I'd be happy to help.

btw, you need to call in sick tomorrow and go drive that car... all day long!

[89911]

If someone made a 1" buffing wheel, they'd sell around here like hotcakes.

A dremel is your best friend here. The make several different "puff" pads that can abrade and then polish depending on the pressure you apply. Great for getting those edges of the petals. One large tip. Prior to painting, lightly bead blast the internal portions that are getting the paint to give the paint a "tooth" to bite on. You can try the emory paper routing to roughen the area, but it is easy to miss a few spots and have the paint chip. A high powered electric drill with buffing wheels and rouge will take out the final small scratches and give you the chrome look. I used Mothers as the final polish. Looks good.

[Fishcop]

Adam, consider using "pin-stripe" tape to do your edges... Much cleaner lines and easy to follow curves and bends. You just fill in the lines with masking tape.

[Cornpanzer]

Wow! terrific job. Im sure teh car is going to look fantastic!

[Jeff Alton]

89911, that wheel looks great! Did you use the oven cleaner aswell?

Jeff

[Adam]

It's back on the road!



I admit it, I chickened out... I'm sorry...

I ended up using two cans of oven cleaner on the remaining 3 wheels, and I'm sorry to report that the final anodizing (or whatever it was) just didn't come off. I polished them up, but they didn't look as good as the first wheel (who's photo didn't do it justice). As a set of four polished centre Fuchs, they would have looked goofy. Even without centrecaps, which didn't match at all, either.

In the end, I decided to just re-do the centres black, but happily, the paint that arrived from Wurth was infact their "saBesto Laquergloss - Satin Black", which is what BGCarrera32 recommended to me on page one of this thread. I'm very happy with the finished product, it looks so original and new!

I even rushed down to the local P-car dealership to buy some new wheel nuts (mine were crap) and it looks superb now.



I think the nuts made a bigger improvement than I would like to admit. I also switched to 205/55-15 rubber and the difference on the road, is amazing. I never would have believed that going from 60-series to 55-series would have such an impact. The car is obviously lower now, but it's so much more alive! It's like a friggin' go-kart and it seems to accelerate quicker, too. I celebrated the new look (and feel) with a G-Tech timed 0-60mph run in 6.7 seconds, and I'm not dumping the clutch or anything, just letting it out normally and then leaning on the gas.



Tomorrow, I'll try feathering the clutch from around 2,500rpm and see what times that yields. I think low 6 second runs are in my future.

I'll try to take some better photos of the finished paint, but the wheels look better than the 16"s on the '89, which look/are new! Overall, I'm very happy. It could have been a much quicker job, but I'm glad I did it that way. I know what (and what not) to do next time.

[dd74]

Adam: the car looks great! Wish mine were that clean.

Umm...so you didn't go 50-series, eh? Too low? Too much gap?

You'd probably skitter around the 6-second mark 0-60 with 50 series.

Still, given you're willing to push yourself harder, you'll get down to 6. Maybe even below 6.

Just don't break the car, alright?

[Aussie]

What sort of rubber did you buy Adam?

I just got some Yokohamas AVS ES100 205-55-15 front and 225-50-15 rear on mine, was thrown in as part of the deal.

[Adam]

I'm not quite sure, but I think they're Toyos. They don't actually say on the sidewalls.

Here are some more aggrandizing images...

[dd74]

Looking good. Planning anymore mods soon?

[bob tilton]

very very nice!

[dickster]

oh no, all that polishing and you ended up painting 'em!

great car btw.

[Victor]

Your car now looks the ducks nuts. A far cry from the multi tone yellow mobile I saw at Apollo Bay a year or so ago.

When's the next run?

[Matt Holcomb]

Adam,

Bella figura!

Where did you go to take the photos in that last set?


Matt Holcomb
MFIWDP
1974 911 Carrera 2.7 (RoW)
Dedicated Homepage
Engine Rebuild Homepage
Pelican Gallery Profile

[Adam]

Haha, thanks guys!

Matt, I took them at a distribution center I found in Scoresby. I'll post a link in a couple of days as to why I was really there...

[Fishcop]

Looks Good! I'll keep an eye out for it when I'm in Melbourne next week...

Out of interest, how much are a new set of wheel nuts? I've been thinking about a set myself.

With the Aussie Half Dollar now the Aussie Three Quarter, I might include a set in my next order to Pelican if the dealer price is rude.