Fuchs restore Question?

[klober23]

I just got some 74 fuchs...they are black inside with a chrome outer rim...The black is pealing off...How can I repaint these? Is there a way to safely remove the center caps without buying a cap removing tool? Thanks

[II6]

I bought some fuchs which I had to be re-finished, I just rattle-canned them satin black. They look wonderful. Unless you are going for a concours car, in which case you need to have them anodized.

look in the 911 Tech area on how to do this, and there are already some posts about this, just do a quick search.

You can pop the centers by tapping them with the wooden handle of a hammer, from inside the wheel. Go SOFTLY!! They're just slightly pressed-in.

[83911sc]

II6 -

Other than a good cleaning, did you do anything else to prepare the wheels? How long ago did you do this and how have they weathered?

That sounds like a great quick fix, and I have no hopes of concours, but I would like to know that I'm not going to go from dingy black to peeling mess in 6 months

Thanks

Adam

[steve911]

talk to the guys at www.carcareonline.com. they're very knowledgeable and know their stuff. Decide what type of black finish you are looking for on the wheels - they were originally shipped from the factory with wurth matt black. once they are painted, you can wax them to keep them looking good.

[Bob Goding]

Just watch out for cap locking rings. you wont tap them out, need a little allen key. I think they are aftermarket---mine had some with --some without.

Bob

[david914]

While we're on the subject... I'm planning on refinishing my 6 + 7 x 16's sometime soon. I'd like to take them someplace and have them de-anodized, bring them home and polish the lips and paint the centers black. There's a local plating company that does anodizing, that I assume can do the job. What I'd like to know is what's the best way to get a clean masking line around the lip to prep for painting. I'm also considering powder coating as we also have a local powder coating company. Any thoughts?

[Ron,K]

I've just finished refinishing my Fuchs. You can either sand through the anodization which takes a very long time, or make a "deanodizing" solution of water and lye. I used about two gallons of warm water and added about 4 tablespoons of lye. I cleaned the wheels and stripped all paint from the wheels prior to dipping them in the lye solution. Cleaning is important since any contamination will prevent the solution from working. On the first wheel, I pulled the wheel from the solution every five minutes to check progress. You'll want to leave the wheel in only long enough to remove the anodization. Too long and you could develop pits in the virgin aluminum. With this strength solution, it took about 30 minutes per wheel to remove the anodizing. Once done, make sure you thoroughly rinse any residue off with plenty of water and a scotchbrite pad. Once the anodizing is off, sanding becomes immeasurably easier.

[CamB]

Blowing my own trumpet:

Fuchs refinishing - my experience (very long, lotsa biggish pictures)

I used Wurth matt black - looks nice.

[II6]

Sorry for the long delay...

Basically CamB has it nailed down to pretty much the same method that I used. Judging by the pictures, it seems to have come out nice too! I forgot to mention that my wheels were ex-racer wheels, and had previously been sand or bead blasted. There was no anodizing to remove, only paint. I used commercial paint stripper, and wax/grease remover afterwards. I had to re-polish the rims, but it was very easy as the surface is smooth and constant. I did not re-polish the centers before re-painting and you wouldn't be able to tell otherwise. The paint hid every little imperfection. I would not recommend having your wheels bead or sand blasted, as I don't know what YOUR criteria for porsche part "purity" is (ie. "Oh, well if it's NOT original then...), but I would not cringe at doing it to my own wheels if I had to. In fact, I think my re-finished wheels look better than the original ones I have in the front, and those are only 2 years old!

I used 3M green masking tape, made specifically for bodywork. DO NOT used ordinary masking tape. you will be waisting time + $$. Good Luck!