Optional 914 wheels

[SCor914]

I just acquired a bone stock '74 1.8 w- 62K.

The steel wheels got a little rusty in Ohio, where the car spent its first 34 years. The local wheel repair guy here in Phoenix wants $125/wheel to refinish. I like the idea because the car then remains stock. I could also purchase a set of 2.0 Fuchs or Pedrinis (is my '74 "a later hubcentric" setup??). I think the 2.0 Fuchs may look a little shiny for a 1.8 with painted bumpers.

Any recommendations or thoughts?

[racer]

'73 was the beginning of "hubcentric" wheels. I had painted bumpers and black/polished Fuchs on my '70 (1.7) and thought it looked good. the Fuchs are the lightest wheels (only 15lbs) available for the 914-4.

Not sure I would spend $500 to refinish "steel" wheels since Fuchs will cost you about the same money. You might just want them beadblasted and then finish them yourself with some spray can silver

914 wheels over the years were Steelies (a couple of styles), Pedrinis, Mahles and Fuchs.

[SCor914]

Thanks.

The bead blasting is an interesting proposal. I'm no mechanic, but I can clean/detail/paint. I'm not real eager to be putting $500 into wheels, cuz I really want a front sway bar which, installed, is gonna be $750 and I've already got over 8K into this marvelous little car.

I'm quickly coming to terms with how costly it's going to be to try to re-create my beloved '73 2.0 from 30 years ago. I'm torn between maintaining my SC and 914 or commiting to one model. I still have the '79 SC that forced the 2.0 out over 20 years ago.

[p914]

$125 per wheel sounds a bit steep. Find a Media Blaster ( I used plastic beads on my Fuchs) in town and you should get that service for about $150 max for 4 wheels. The flat finish is actually really nice. If you want to paint or polish find a company that polishes 18 wheeler wheels and they might cut you a pretty good deal.

[PCA7GGR]

Deja Vu! Your car is a twin of my son's first car. It was a CA car with a cat equipped "belch-fire" 1.8.

While concur that you should just rattle can your steel wheels, here's what your car would look like with a set of Fuchs.

[Tobra]

You can get the steelies bead blasted and paint them yourself, or use chemical stripper, primer and paint yourself. The fuchs wheels have a sort of satin finish on the shiny part, flat on the area around the shiny petals. They look fine with painted bumpers.

[jhora]

Holy Cow!
$750 for a front sway bar and $500 for refinishing painted steel wheels....I need to move the shop to Phoenix....
A good used stock sway bar with new bushings will be just fine ....sand blast the wheels and rattle can paint them...they will look great....you can do all of this yourself easily...you don't need to be a mechanic to do either one....if you can jack up the car and take the wheels off you qualify...get out there and do it.....save yourself $$$$ lots of money....
Nice looking 914!!

John

[Tobra]

http://www.pelicanparts.com/techarticles/914_wheel_types/914_wheel_types.htmIf you were in Sacramento, I bet I know a guy who would let you bead blast them in his box for nothing, maybe $30-40 worth of paint and voila! Seriously I just took a wire wheel to the ones on the bug that look pretty much the same and they turned out pretty sweet. You can get the little plastic caps for less than $20 for the set from midamerica

[Tsunamiboy]

I cleaned and painted my steel wheels. Have a little fun and paint with abandon!! I used Chrome paint. I am also thinking of getting my steel wheels fabed to 7" width to take a little wider tire.

[jhora]

Very Nice!!

[bandjoey]

If you want alloys, be patient and watch ebay. After about 60 days, I found a great set of Perdini's for $250 + $45 shipping. (ship wheels DHL ground...it's $50 cheeeaper than anyone else and I don't work there)

[SCor914]

Wow....you've attained some very nice results. I think I've decided to clean and paint the original wheels. Would you be willing to walk me through the process?

We sure have similar tastes.....my SC is a '79 Grand Prix white, w- blk sport seats, full lea and factory spoilers F/R.....162K and runs great (-:

[RazorbackFan78]

Tsunamiboy,

I have these same steelies on a 1.7 I bought earlier this year. I REALLY LIKE the black with chromed lip and cross section. Do you have any pictures of them on the car? I'm about to try some wicked "photoshopping" with your picture to see what they'd look like on a car.

I see this is an old thread, just hoping you still out there and have a picture handy.

Matt
Arkansas
73' 1.7 Fuel Injection

[David McLaughlin]

Wheels are so easy to redo. Have them media blasted to get rid of the rust. Prime after you get all of the grit out of the cracks. Smooth out and rough spots and gouges with a filler (bondo). Prime. Paint. This is what any body shop would do. It can take a little time but there is little skill required.

I just did a set of steelies for a Rometsch that were a bit rough. Now they look great with just a but of elbo grease.

[RazorbackFan78]

Originally Posted by David McLaughlin

Wheels are so easy to redo. Have them media blasted to get rid of the rust. Prime after you get all of the grit out of the cracks. Smooth out and rough spots and gouges with a filler (bondo). Prime. Paint. This is what any body shop would do. It can take a little time but there is little skill required.

I just did a set of steelies for a Rometsch that were a bit rough. Now they look great with just a but of elbo grease.

David, it's never occurred to me to use filler. Do you have a pic of the steelies you did? I'd be interested to see the results.

[David McLaughlin]

I can get pics Monday.

Wheels are just like the rest of the body. If there is a big chunk missing, use all-metal or JB Weld. Then apply filler to smooth out the rest as needed. Just make sure you prep everything well with correct sanding. I've done these steps on wheels for a Mercedes Gullwing, Dodge Super Bee, Porsche 959, various BMWs, etc. No mater the car, the process is the same.

[JRhea]

While hub-centric's provide better wheel alignment, is there a safety factor by reducing the load on the lug bolts.

I have a 73 2.0 with Revolution wheels, and the fronts are hub-centric but the rears just hang on by the lugs. That seems like a lot of load on the lugs.

[David McLaughlin]

forgot to post pics of the Rometsch wheels until I downloaded my camera. Better late than never.

Other than media blasting, priming and painting, no other work was done. This is just a quickie project.

before

after

[sketch483@aol.c]

Tsunamiboy,
I'm planning to paint my wheels with Chrome paint. yours look great!
Can you tell me the Brand name of chrome paint you used?
Thank you.....Dave

[azbanks]

Tsunamiboy hasn't been on the forum since May of 2018. You might try sending him PM.