Great timing for this post. I just picked up a set of 15x7s and will be going down the same path, as a professional refinish isn't in the budget for this year. (Shoot, the Fuchs weren't in the budget for this year, but I realize that like many things in the old car hobby they're a matter of opportunity...) I'd found Mr. Tilton's threads here and @ Early S and had concluded that would be the best method for me.

Thanks,
Ed

I did a test spot on one of my wheels Paddle and it looks great ( I used 000 grade fine steel wool) and it looks great. I'm just concerned about the long term. I don't want to be doing this regularly.

I'm curious to see if clear coating works and or how do they look after a few months without any corrosion protection ?

Updated photo's would be great ?

Bump !

John - the upkeep seems to be a general concern for the scotch brite finish. Personally I think it is less work than a polished wheel but more work than a clear anodized wheel.
I use a foam glass cleaner or mineral spirits after a wash. This removes both brake dust and water spots. I may or may not remove each wheel after glass cleaner/mineral spirits and scotch brite again every year or two (20 minutes per wheel) which was how often I would polish the wheels before the SB treatment.
To me this is minimal work and effort but then again I am a type A personality and wound a little tight.
I do not see the purpose of clear coating a scotch brite finish wheel.

Just for my piece of mind: If I ever decided to go that route, could one of the professional refinishers restore the anodized finish once I've ScotchBrited the wheels? I know it's a newbie question, and the pros have raised some awful looking wheels from the dead...

Thanks for that Bob,

I was hoping this post might catch your attention again.

I feel better about doing it now.

I don't know if we stock the same SB in Australia. The ones I found were either too coarse or the "non scratch type" so I tested it with 000 fine steel wool and it looks spot on! Is there any reason why steel wool should be avoided ?

I was thinking that clear coat like VHT clear would prevent oxidation and pitting from brake dust etc. But I guess if yours is holding up fine it might be more effort than its worth.

I might experiment with cutting compound and light buffing the clear coat ( to get rid of the gloss) to see if it helps give it the anodized look.

I will keep you posted.

Crater,
First - let's clarify that the SB treatment is done on raw wheels with no coating. Otherwise you are just scuffing up the coating. The SB treatment is done directly to the metal.
I do not see why a wheel restorer could not properly refinish a SB wheel. In fact, you have helped in the process of stripping the wheel of the OE clear ano.

JK,
Seems to me there was a reason NOT to use steel wheel because it has "oil deposits"...or some strange reason. I do remember trying it and getting streaks.

I use the "fake" wool in green and grey. The most important part is starting with NEW pads as opposed to pads that have been used, recycled and floating around in your paint supplies bin. They contaminate the finish and you will find that "gloss sink white" in your wheel from your previous home improvement project.

Understood, thanks. Not sure what I was thinking unless it was that I'd remove the paint from the centers and leave the anodization on the lips.

I just thought of something. There is a product called Gibbs which has recently become very popular for protecting all metals. This may or may not be the solution. Not sure as I am not concerned about the raw SB finish but maybe worth mentioning.

Also, I took this pic a few months ago. The wheels received the SB treatment several years ago. Details include Weidman 7R fuch, SB treatment, longer wheel studs, and open parkerized lugnuts.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1236036232.jpg

That photo seals the deal for me, sir. If the wheels look that good after that amount of time with that amount of maintenance, I'm sold.

Wish me luck!

Bob, I just did the wheels on my dad's car and then GIBBSed them afterwards. They look great and I will post the long term results as time goes by. These wheels started out polished which is the easy way to go. I then scuffed them up with 1200grit wet sand paper in the kitchen sink! The outer lip was masked off so as to retain the polished surface.

BTW, I am supposed to pick up those chrome parts on Friday and then I will send them to you.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1236044134.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1236044161.jpg

Guess this can be done to the alternator fan and the aluminum engine lid grill for good results as well!

Any comment?

Alternator fans get a lot of crap sucked through them so no finish lasts very long. I say, if the original finish can be resurrected, clean it and coat it with GIBBS.

As for the other parts on the car...The only shiny parts left are the headlight rings and the mirror.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1236053237.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1236053494.jpg

Corona del Mar, right?

Fuchs brushing
 

Now that is a beautiful car

"HARD AS NAILS"


I spoilt my 6 by 15's with a blast and wet paint finish before I got to grips with what could be done. I'm taking them off, getting them bead blasted back to mag alloy and heading down the brushed finish route.........

Nice work and a bit diiferent

Great thread............ I'm in the process of refinishing my Fuchs now. Just have a question about the statement I saw at the beginning of this thread.

"Even the lug seats had been painted which is a big no no. "

Why is it a problem to have the lug nut seats painted?

BFG G-Force Sports
 

I'm about to start detailing and repainting the backgrounds of my Fuchs so this thread caught my eye.

I just switched from TOYO T1R tires to the V-rated BFG G-Force Sports. What an improvement! These BFG's are stronger, excellent tread pattern, the corners are a bit more rounded than the TOYO's but the "grip" is noticeably better. Another plus is "price". The BFG's were almost $200 cheaper than those TOYO's (which only gave me about 9-10K miles before the corners were gone). Sort of a "dumb if you don't" choice for me. Full on track choices are different I know, but for solid street, road and occasional track days these are affordable and seem to be darned near perfect..

Masking is a challenge. Original Fuchs (I'm told) have a yellow primer under the black paint. Stripping them to the metal is your call but I understand that really isn't necessary to achieve a clean, solid paint job. Avoiding paint in the lug holes is a very good idea. My mag lugs are another story. I've believe there is a method to strip and soak the lugs in a dye if anyone knows the right way to do it? Of course "no impact wrench" it a MUST to keep them looking perfect. Torque remains at 95lbs (good for street or track)

I second all those comments on BFG G-force sports. Really I have been very happy with all BFG products...now Dunlops, they are completely the opposite. I have hated every single one of them!

My 1967 911 came with four fuchs 4.5x15 on the car. However there was no spare wheel or tire with the car. I found locally an old 14x5.5 wheel. While not the right size I thought it would work well as a spare as the outside diameter with tire on was similar to what was on the car. This fuchs wheel had most of the paint already missing due to exposure to the sun. It did have a large scratch on one of the vanes. I was excited to do the Bob Tilton scotch brite pad treatment. The fuchs wheels have minimal paint work for '67 so I thought it would be ideal. I made my trip to Home Depot and purchased the appropriate pads. As this wheel had obviously been sitting in the sun and exposed to the elements I thought it would be a piece of cake. I went to work on the paint. As I was trying to get rid of the scratch I realized that the anodizing was still on the wheel. My efforts on the scratch took off the anodizing on that section. As I wanted to do a similar treatment on the rest of the wheels it dawned on me that the original wheels would still have their factory anodization also. I continued with removing the paint with the pads with the attempt to keep the factory coating on. It was very difficult and time consuming. I then painted the wheel with some satin black paint. I will attempt to include some photos of before and after. I will take the original wheels to a soda blaster in to attempt to take off the paint without harming the anodization. The net result is that the wheels will most certainly not look as good as the Bob Tilton wheels yet hopefully will have that patina of the old car. Only time will tell!
Bob