Real Fuchs vs. Replicas

[twistoffat]

Harry if its any help the "1" in the forty-one it typical of the German number style(the extended hat if you will that often makes a german 1 look similar to a seven). 07 70 fits in with the date and often the other markings have been removed in further finishing processes. Is there any other markings on the back

[Jim Egan]

Thanks to all who took the time to look and respond to this thread. I have learned a great deal; very impressive the knowledge out there. In an attempt to finalize this I will have a tire removed, clean all dirt and weigh a bare rim and post the results soon. Harvey, yes my intent is to sell the wheels; I'm going to sell my 66 911 for which I bought the wheels initially, they are too small for my 73 E. Jim

[Jim Egan]

OK, I had the tire removed from one of the wheels. I cleaned the wheel surfaces (front, back and inner rim) and left the valve stem and wheel weights in place as I intend to re-mount the tire. I weighed the wheel three times on a digital scale, I had to add an object of known weight (20 pounds) in order to get the scale to register. The first corrected weigh was 11.4 pounds, the second was 11.2 pounds and the third was 11.3 pounds. The wheel weights are 1.5 ounces total and I assume the valve stem at 0.5 ounces. I don't know if this clarifies the discussion on these wheels or complicates it; I look forward to hearing from those of you that know more on the subject than I. I have attached a couple of the pictures I took of the wheel in it; stripped state. Thanks, Jim 360-372-2874.

[nine11speedster]

Originally Posted by darrin

Just to confuse things a bit, on some earlier fuchs (including the 7R) the cutout adjacent to the valve stem and closest to the rim has a small protuberance that makes it heart shaped. These are referred to as fuchs with hearts -- see, e.g. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads16/Fuchs+7R+15x7+w+Heart+02a1266007294.jpg

Are Fuchs with Hearts more desirable than those without?

[safe]

Early 4.5" fuchs don't have any stampings at all, just a dye stamp. The stamp could be lost after 45 years.
4.5s are very valuable at least 5k in usable state (not necessarily pretty).

[PropellerHead]

Originally Posted by Jim Egan

I have a set of 4.5x15 "Fuchs" wheels that I bought used in 1985 to put on my 1966 911. I've been trying to determine if they are "originals". I've read the above and there seems to be some doubt about the markings on the really early wheels; I've just cleaned my wheels up and they show the following markings, all the markings are in the indent nearest the wheel opening: three of the wheels have "770" stamped in the indent and one has "670", two have the letter "F" stamped in an adjacent indent, one has the numeral "0" at that location, three have the number "41" stamped in a recessed "oval". All stampings appear to be from the same "script". Any ideas on what this means in determining originality?

Jim,
I believe the "770" and "670" are the date codes on those wheels. Indicating a July, 1970 and June, 1970 respective production dates. Typically these dates precede the vehicle production date slightly. I believe later wheels had a 4 digit code (week number and year) like "4585" indicating a week 45, 1985 production.

That said, I'm not familiar with a 15x5.5 Fuchs on a 1971 model year car though. I thought the wheel options in 1971 were (4) --> steel, Mahle 15x5.5, 14" Fuchs and 15x6 Fuchs. I see Harvey noted that the markings are consistent with service parts available through 1970, so this makes good sense!

[PropellerHead]

Originally Posted by nine11speedster

Are Fuchs with Hearts more desirable than those without?

There is a transition period with the 15x6 'deep six' Fuchs. Early production versions had 'hearts' and later production versions did not. In reality, the non-heart 'deep six' 15" Fuchs are more rare and should be more valuable as a result.
The real value is found in condition and date code matching with vehicle production dates. If your car was built in the range of 'heart' Fuchs, they should be more valuable to those who put a premium on absolute 'correctness'. If your car came with 15x6 deep six wheels and was produced after the cut-off for 'hearts', you will have a more difficult time finding non-heart 'deep six' wheels which are correct for your car (because they made fewer of them) making them more valuable in a supply vs. demand environment.

That said, a matched set in original finish is quite valuable in either case to the right buyer. Perhaps a slight premium for non-heart 'deep six' wheels based on rarity.