Newbie questions re: Fuchs sizing and re-painting outside door handles

[jschauer]

So I finally have my dream machine and it doesn't dissapoint. Runs great and is very strong. John Walker recently updated the worn cluch and now it also shifts effortlessly. I am "bonding" with the car and enjoying it quite a lot but have questions.

Questions:

1 - what size are these Fuchs? I read that in 87, the optional Fuchs came in 16" with 6 X 7" widths. my tires are Potenza 205/55 16's in front and 225/50 16's rear. When I convert the first numbers (millimeter widths) to inches, I get 8" front width and almost 9" rear width. Could it be that the prior owner purchased the larger Fuchs and added then to the car?

2 - I want to make the metal door handles look black again, like the rest of the black bits that have been kept up on the car. I don't want to purchase new ones/install and would rather not remove and repaint the exiting handles. My mechanical abilities conist of remoing/replacing a light bulb and even that stumps me from time to time. There has to be a way to use a small brush and some back paint to touch them up a smidge ... Anyone, anyone?

Thanks to anyone for advice. Jason

[equality72521]

The only way to know what size wheels you have is to pull them off and see what is stamped on the back. Measuring the tire is useless.

[GeorgeM]

Or you can post a pic and we'll be able to tell.

Are your door handles faded, or just scratched? If faded, the right way to make them black again is to remove them and either paint them or, even better, have them powdercoated.

I repainted mine a number of years ago and they are holding up well, but all it takes is a key in my hand to scratch them, so I'm very careful.

[frankc]

Jason,

Based on my experience, the door handles are not painted, they are plated with black oxide. I had mine re-plated many years ago (~15), and they still look great today.

Congrats on the new car!

Frank

[Gogar]

Those seem to be standard tire sizes for 16 X 6 and 7.

I "think" if you were gonna do the handles "correctly", you would have to black-anodize them. BUT, maybe try Wurth satin black paint from our supplier first; maybe it will make you happy enough.

PICS. PICS. PICS.

[jschauer]

Gocar - thanks. I think I may try that first. I just dropped 3K into this car from the gettiup so am not all that interested in continuing the bleeding...at least for the moment. The car is so darn near perfect that it only makes me want to make it absolutely perfect. Crazy. Really, the handles are just faded on the tops. The rest of the handles look pretty good. No one but me would likely even notice the fading. I just want them to look dark black so when I open the door I remember how much I love this car.

J

[slammed1000]

if the car is as nice as you have explained. save your money and do it right. no reason to do something you will regret later on.