Fuchs Question

Dave R · 03-18-2002, 04:47 PM

Hello all. I recently purchased a '78 911SC which I am very happy with. But the rims have seen much better days. She has 15" Fuchs with the black center and spokes. The car has the chrome trim so I feel that the black rims are kind of out of place. I would like to have them stripped and have a clear anodized finish put on like I have seen in Wheel Enhancement advertisements. Well, I was wondering if there are any places that do this type of service in the New England area. I have done some searching of previous posts and could not find much info for places in the area. I would just rather get them done closer by if I could instead of sending them across the country, also I am a college student so cost is an issue and Wheel Enhancement is a little expensive. Thank you in advance!

Dave

jbripps · jbripps's Garage

Hi Dave,

Congrats on your purchase, AND WELCOME ABOARD!! You will get nothing but great advice and input here (well, maybe a joke or two here and there). Anyhow, with regard to your issue, I believe that Wheel Enhancement are pretty much the best, and most pricey too. I'm pretty sure that they will send you the wheels you want, and you can simply send them your wheels as an exchange, so you won't be without a ride. All they ask, is that your wheels are true and strait, doesn't matter what they look like. I think they take a deposit too.

Also, you may want to run a search (top right of the thread pages) of this subject, as I know this has been discussed dozens of times. You'll benefit greatly from the previous posts.

Anyhow, If it's cost you're concerned with, you better fasten those safety belts, b/c things can get worse later on. Hopefully, you can do stuff yourself so you can save a dime or two. I'm SLOWLY beginning to see how some things can be done, as I'm sick of emptying my wallet every other month.

BEST OF LUCK, AND MOST OF ALL, HAVE FUN!!

REGARDS,

Jack Olsen · 03-18-2002, 07:40 PM

Wheel Enhancement charges an arm and a freakin' leg for what amounts to a pretty simple job. Do a search for "Al Reed" and "Fuchs" and you'll find a guy who will do a great job on a full set for something like $250. If you're planning on taking the car to concours d'elegances, then Wheel Enhancement might be appropriate. But if you plan on driving the car in the real world, I think it's wasted money. In my opinion, it makes sense to pay a premium for stuff that makes your car handle and/or perform better, if you have to. But don't pay "Porsche prices" for stuff that's only cosmetic, or you'll be broke when the first snapped head stud shows up.

Argo · 03-18-2002, 07:55 PM

FWIW, I just stripped, repainted and polished my Fuchs (and hand painted the crest caps) for about $25 in supplies. It's a little labor intensive but you can get a real nice result and it kind of personalizes the car.

Argo
88 Targa

Dave R · 03-18-2002, 08:28 PM

I want to thank you guys very much for the responses. I have a feeling I might be asking more questions along the way as I learn new things.
Jack, I will do a search on that, thanks for the suggestion. $250 is soo much better than about $800 I was quoted by W.E. I would attempt it myself, but I just don't have the hours of time neccesary to do a good job, plus I don't think I would have the patience. Altough I know patience is probably a good thing to have when working on these machines, I have heard some horror stories

I really appreciate the warm welcome on this board, thanks once again!

Dave

RoninLB · 03-18-2002, 09:22 PM

I would bet Argo's wheels will look better than a WE set bought today in 2-4 years.

chuckr · 03-19-2002, 03:59 AM

Have you tried contacting or are you a member of the local PCA ?
Most major cities have a shop that does wheels, here in Austin we have a local shop that repairs and restores wheels, although the best shop for Fuchs is in Dallas, but that is still fairly close.
Ask some local PCA members about places that they use.

Jdub · 03-19-2002, 05:36 AM

Argo:

To strip, did you go the Lye route (that is, Easy-Off oven cleaner)? Or did you try another method?

Thanks,
John

Gspin · 03-19-2002, 05:52 AM

I would HIGHLY recommend Weidman's Wheels in Oroville, CA 530-534-7903. Harvey did my wheels and they are show stoppers. There are few sources that can anodize the wheels most will either polish or chrome. If you want your wheels to look factory fresh he is a great source.

Argo · 03-19-2002, 06:27 AM

Jdub - I got lucky - the PO had already stripped off the anodization; I just needed to use an ordinary paint stripper to get the black off.

Lucky - here's the answer to your question: I've heard of some using Wurth's matte finish, but I used Wurths Black Satin and it came out looking great and just like the original finish. Some notes - if the anodization is still on, I've heard that oven cleaner will take it right off (rather than hours of sanding). Mine had the anodization stripped off before I bought it. Use any good stripper to take the paint off - apply stripper, wait and wipe off with steel wool. Scuff any areas that you're going to paint with some fine grit sandpaper and then apply a coat or two of self etching primer (any auto parts store will have it). I used pinstripe tape to get a real fine line around the curves and then cover the areas not to be painted with pages torn out of one of those glossy magazines (newspaper can leach paint through onto the tire and non-painted parts of the wheel). Then put on 3 or 4 coats of the Black Satin and let it dry before you remove the tape. You'll be pleased at how good they come out. I opted to polish the aluminum outer ring - a little extra work but it really makes the wheel look stunning. I just got a polishing wheel for my power drill and used Mother's wheel polish. Pretty easy. If you're really dedicated and have a good eye you can hand paint the crest caps. Just get some real fine brushes and paint from an arts and crafts store. Nice project while you're sitting around watching tv. I taped off the rest of the cap from the the painted crest part and painted the crest with a few coats of clear seal to protect it. Some think this is too much extra work, but you only have to do it once and it looks good for life. There are several threads and tech articles on this bb that go over this whole process so do a quick search for more info. I'm sure you'll be real happy you spent the effort on this project - it's a real nice finishing touch for the car.

Actually, I found this whole process to be less work than I thought and well worth the effort. They came out beautiful and I had next to no experience in doing this kind of thing before I started.

Argo
88 Targa

PFAMCO · PFAMCO's Garage

I just finished striping and polishing my wheels, and have a couple of tips. Do the striping and polishing out doors, I made a dusty mess of my garage not to mention the P car.

I used liquid Drain-E-ze to help soften the anodizing. Apply with a solder brush and let sit about 10 minutes, flush with water and repeat. Use eye and hand protection.
If you plan on painting the centers, as I did, now is the time to strip, sand and prep for painting so that you won't mar the finished outer rims.

I used a 3M rust and paint remover wheel with my high speed drill to remove the anodizing. This wheel is the mesh and grit type found in most auto shops. I used this wheel to also remove any scratches in the wheel. Use dust mask and eye protection.

Now start sanding. I used masking tape to section the wheel into 4 sections marked 1,2,3,4 when you start sanding and you can't remember if you did an area or not this will help. I used the following grit papers in this order: 320, 600, 800, 1000, 1500. I first sanded with the paper dry, removed the dust and resanded with the same grit wet. Clean the wheel between grits with water and paper towels. Continue sanding through all the various grits. Great for your fore arms and fingers.

With a buffing wheel attached to my drill, I then Buffed the wheel with brown rouge, then white and finally red. Clean the buffing wheel often. The wheel should be looking pretty good by now, but don't stop yet. Finish this off with some hand polishing with Eagle 1 Alum. Wheel polish and buff with a cotton rag.

If you are painting the centers mask off the newly polished part of your wheel using plastic tape, it stretchs and sticks to the curves of the wheel. Mask off the remander of the wheel using glossy pages out of a magazine. Wipe down the area to be painted with laquer thinner and finish up with a tack rag. I used wurth's black Matte spray paint. It is the best spray paint that I have ever used, well worth the extra $$. I finished up by waxing the polished section with a good paste wax. Look to spend about
5 1/2 to 6 hours per wheel.