To clear or not to clear? that is the question

[wowzer911]

I have freshly polished bare cookie cutters slated for my 74. Do I have to have these clear coated to protect them from oxidation, staining, etc.? Can they be left as is, and kept up by regular cleaning / hand polishing. They are in perfect shape, and I want to keep them that way. What should I do? I don't want to polish them every other day, buy don't relish the idea of peeling or chipping clearcoat down the road either.

[IROC]

A dilemma for sure. The thing is, they have already formed an oxidation layer. Aluminum oxidizes very rapidly and will simply continue to do so and degrade the appearance in the process. If the surface is polished really well (and it appears like it is for sure - very nice wheels), then a clear anodize would protect them and preserve the finish you've got now reasonably well.

Clear coating is an option, but I share your concerns about the longevity of the coating...

Mike

[Fishcop]

I've read that some have had good results with clear powdercoat....

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

I tried to clearcoat polished Fuchses with a preparation made by POR-15, and though it was damn strong, the wheels simply deteriorated under the clearcoat. Dunno if it's true of your wheels, but the alloy that Fuchs uses simply has microscopic pores that retain schmutz no matter how much you polish them, and then the stuff goes to work from the inside out. I suspect clearcoat is the least good answer, with anodize and powdercoat both being better.

Stephan

[RickM]

Same experience here with non-powdercoat clear. It's been said that you'll lose 15% of the luster/shine from clear. I'm fine with that if it were proven to be durable. Are cookie cutters aluminum or the Mag/Al alloy like ****s? Either way they look like a bear to maintain with no protection.

[Rot 911]

Great looking wheels! I would go with a clear powdercoat. Here is a picture of my polished Fuchs with clear powdercoat. After 3 years they look as good as the day I got them and my 911 is a daily driver.

[vesnyder]

I have the standard Fuchs and they are polished and they only need a good polishing ~once a year and cleaned periodically. Not sure if the alloys are the same, but it is not too painful. I've been reluctant to coat with clearcot or anything similar thinking that it will begin to flake. I'd also think the cookie cutters may be harder to polish though?

[DarrylD]

Hey Wowzer!

I recently added that exact wheel to my 911.



I acquired mine off eBay where they had been described as professionally polished and never reinstalled on the car. When I got them, they looked pretty good except one had some discolored pits in a few places. Close examination made me think that something might have splashed on the clearcoat and eaten through it to expose the bare aluminum. I brushed aircraft paint stripper on the clearcoat and hosed it off with scaulding hot water. The clearcoat came right off with almost zero work. I polished out the discolored spots in the aluminum with Nevr-Dull and gave them a shot of Plastic-Kote clear high temperature engine enamel to preserve them.

Moral of the story, it's easier to strip and reapply the clearcoat than you might think. I would tend to believe that the clearcoat will outlast any mag wax/polish and it's not a big deal to reapply when you need to.