old Fuchs paint and finish question..

Augustus · 02-28-2009, 10:44 AM

Fuchs in question: 6" X 15's and 14's .....Early wheels......

I've been doing some research on Fuchs re-finishing and looked at pictures of wheels refinished by Wheel Enhancement, Al Reed and Harvey Weidman. I noticed that the black background paint is always, not flat but a matte looking finish. I have my original spare [ never seen the light of day and has never been re-finished ] in mint condition and the black painted background is a highly gloss black finish......Also, on all of the re-finished [anodized] wheels I noticed that the spokes have a dull milky finish to them. Where as my original spare have very shinny spokes.

If I had my Fuchs re done by any of the above can I request gloss black back ground and a spoke with a little more shine?

Thanks....

Augustus · 02-28-2009, 03:56 PM

No experts out there???

ossiblue · 02-28-2009, 05:00 PM

No expert here, but I am having a set of wheels refinished by Al Reed as I type. I was at his shop, and though I didn't ask your particular question, from what I saw you can get just about any finish you wish. I am going with black back ground, polished spokes and rims. I am also having the clear coat added which will give it a shine that I think you are talking about. Some don't like the look and prefer the anodized finish which is a bit duller and the more matte finish on the black. Look around on the net for pictures of polished and clear coated rims and see if that is what you like. I know there have been a few posted here on the for sale page that have just been finished and they look like your description.

If you're unsure, give any of the finishers a call, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to discuss all the options and finishes with you.

rgrimm · rgrimm's Garage

The Rustoleum "satin" black #7777 is close to the original finish.

Think "flat"->"satin" or what you describe as "matte"->"semi-gloss"->"gloss."

A little Vasoline will clean up the anodizing and gloss up the paint, so perhaps the spare wheel was treated at some point. As wheels weather, the paint will appear more flat and rubbing a little Vasoline in, letting it sit overnight, and wiping off the excess can really change the appearance of a wheel.

Regardless, many people do move up to a semi-gloss or gloss to get the look they prefer and even to my eye looks a little better when you put more polish on the spokes. It sounds like you've done some comparisons and know what you want...I'd go for it!

ossiblue · 03-01-2009, 08:57 AM

Found a picture on eBay of some wheels that may be the look you want:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320344275352&indexURL=0&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting

RacerX1166 · 03-01-2009, 12:45 PM

+1 on the Vaseline. I had a suggestion to use that on my recently acquired 89 coupe and thought it was a 'let's see what outlandish things we can get the noob to do to his car' gag. But it really works and is a nice alternative to refinishing the wheels.

BTW, I am considering getting a set of wheels refinished in body color. Can someone please PM me with an indication of what they paid for Al Reed to do a similar service? I got a quote from Wheel Enhancements but I'd like to get an order of magnitude from Al as well.

TIA

ossiblue · 03-01-2009, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RacerX1166

+1 on the Vaseline. I had a suggestion to use that on my recently acquired 89 coupe and thought it was a 'let's see what outlandish things we can get the noob to do to his car' gag. But it really works and is a nice alternative to refinishing the wheels.

BTW, I am considering getting a set of wheels refinished in body color. Can someone please PM me with an indication of what they paid for Al Reed to do a similar service? I got a quote from Wheel Enhancements but I'd like to get an order of magnitude from Al as well.

TIA

RacerX1166,
PM'd you.

m110 · 03-01-2009, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Augustus

Fuchs in question: 6" X 15's and 14's .....Early wheels......

If I had my Fuchs re done by any of the above can I request gloss black back ground and a spoke with a little more shine?

Thanks....

I was at Weidman's wheels a few weeks ago and discussed this with him. He can pretty much make them any way you want. There were many thicknesses of anodizing and shades/brightness over the years. He mentioned that he used to do it absolutely period correct for the early cars and people would complain that the petals were too dull. Also said that anodizing was really not used for cosmetic reasons but durability. He has quite a setup and some unreal wheels there.