BBS Wheels

[North Coast Cab]

As so many of us do, I have a set of gold BBS wheels on my 1984 Cabriolet. The gold portion of the wheels has faded on the outside and even more on the inside parts of the wheel. What can I do? I've spoken to several other owners who have the same problem and all I've discovered is that a strong cleaning solution accelerates the fading. Who can help? And yes I'd like to get my hands on a set of fuchs.

JG

[TimT]

You could have the wheels disassembled, and have the centers refinished, perhaps powdercoated, and polish up the wheel halves while your at it.

[North Coast Cab]

What would you think of a chromed set of BBS wheels?

[Don Plumley]

Originally posted by North Coast Cab
What would you think of a chromed set of BBS wheels?

I believe that would be the "Bling-Bling"

You can repaint BBS centers fairly easily yourself. I did it years ago. If your car is black/dark, consider black centered BBS. Here's an embarassing picture of me from more years ago than I want to admit:



I painted the wheel centers myself (factory was all silver) and they looked good (at least in the mid 1980's) and lasted a long time.

[Emission]

Hey, I had those exact shorts... back in 1984!

[makaio]

My old Captain has those same shorts, and he still wears them .

[CEO]

Hey what size are your wheels. I might be interested in them if they are 16's.

[North Coast Cab]

They're 16x7 and 16x8. I've considered repainting but I was a little concerned about taking them apart. Will they be as round and true as when new?

[expat]

Don Them are THE shorts....cooool!

Mark

[Don Plumley]

If I would have known how many fashion critics the board has, I would have photoshopped that photo!

Yipes, that's coming up on 20 years ago, I'm way too young to be that old.

[Emission]

I would not suggest taking the wheels apart unless you know what you are doing. Most BBS wheels will have gaskets between the the 'pieces' that will need to be replaced. Make sure you get a gasket (or gasket material/goo) before you start unscrewing. Why don't you call one of those 'wheel restoration shops' (that true bent wheels) and ask for their advice?

[wdarner]

I used to take the 16" BBS wheels apart on my previous '78 911. It requires a VERY STRONG hex (I think) wrench. The seals between the halves were $40 in the early 80's. I used silicone sealant successfully in place of new seals. I dug out the mushed rubber O rings of the seals and put silicone in it's place. I don't remember a problem with them being out of round after re-assembly.

[Jim T]

They are very easy to repaint, you don't need to take them apart (you are talking about painting the gold centers, right?).

Use Wurth Wheel Lacquer, followed by Wurth Wheel Clear. Its available at most BMW dealerships, and anywhere that sells Wurth. Gold, Silver or Black.

Don, love the 80-83 320is. Had one myself, and really loved it - 15 inch Alpinas, Bilstein suspension - it was hot stuff in the early 80s!

[North Coast Cab]

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately economics play a big part and I think I'll head down the repaint path until Santa brings the Fuchs.

JG