Anodized wheels - what'sat mean?

[mannikinfreezta]

Dear 928 gurus:

The oldest generation of our family just passed on a 1984 928s to us. Gratefully, it's in pretty good shape. I am a newbie to auto maintenance so I thought I'd try to shape up the exterior before trying anything under the hood.

So I've decided to polish up the wheels. Trouble is, I keep hearing about ANODIZED wheels and how they require special polishing. I'm not sure whether our wheels are anodized or not. I've attached a photo of the wheel type. If anyone could lend a suggestion as to how this type of wheel can be beautified, I'd be most grateful.

Thanks and Peace.

[DPW928]

Not a tech wizard but as I understand it anodizing is similar to plating except an anode is used to change the composition of the outer layer. This is done to achieve a different color or as a protection from oxidizing. Most of the older Porsche wheels were anodized or painted and clear coated. Your wheels appear to anodized due to the gold cast. This can be taken off with acid or by sanding. Most sand, prime paint and clearcoat to refinish their wheels.

[928ram]

The anodizing becomes part of the aluminum, so there's no clear seperation of layers as in plating. The surface is much harder than the core aluminum so it will take a little heavier hand when cleaning as long as you avoid acid or caustic cleaner which can streak and spot it. For cleaning, I'd try a heavy-duty cleaner like Simple Green and a soft-bristled brush. BTW; those wheels are definatly anodized.
Since these type wheels were used on 911 and 924-44 series, you might try cross posting to those forums or the Off Topic to see if the other owners have any "hot tips" for other products/methods to get them cleaner.

If the wheels are too far gone finish-wise, I've heard (but never tried!) that the orig formula of Easy-Off oven cleaner (lye based) will slowly and gently dissolve the anodized layer. Take a look at www.nichols.nu/tips.htm for more ideas; one owner there had good luck smearing Goop hand cleaner on his.
Also if the finish is too far gone and you have to strip or sand it off, the reward of a well polished set of flats will be worth it; the polish up like mirrors and are pretty easy to maintain once polished.

[mannikinfreezta]

Thanks for the replies, both of which have pointed me in the right direction. I'm going to try the Goop and Vaseline process first. If that doesn't clean them satisfactorily, then I'll sand and refinish them.

[..P]

For crying-out-loud, be careful with the heirloom that's been cherished for years and "handed to you", and lose the idea of sanding those wheels.

I'd use a little Gibbs Brand on em, and let em show the fact that they're expensive anodized wheels.


Here's a set of Club Sport anodized forged aluminum wheels. If someone took a sander to these guys the value would drop like a rock. As they are now, with anodized finish showing a little wear, they're worth around $1000 each. Sand em, and you can have em.


Here's a link to Gibbs, which I highly recommend.
http://www.network54.com/Forum/426130/message/1131585629

P

[DPW928]

P,

Used wheels like that sell for less than $400 at 928 Intl and even less on EBay. I recently bought a set (all 4) of S wheels for $142. Gibbs may be a good product but it won't get rid of curb rash or any other defects. I will take a polished set of wheels over one that has just been sprayed with a petroleum based penetrant any day. BTW the set of 928 spider intakes shown on the link are polished and not treated with Gibbs.

Dennis

[..P]

Originally posted by DPW928
P,

Used wheels like that sell for less than $400 at 928 Intl and even less on EBay. I recently bought a set (all 4) of S wheels for $142. Gibbs may be a good product but it won't get rid of curb rash or any other defects. I will take a polished set of wheels over one that has just been sprayed with a petroleum based penetrant any day. BTW the set of 928 spider intakes shown on the link are polished and not treated with Gibbs.

Dennis

Hi Dennis, Wheels like the first photo may well sell for that, but the wheel I posted is the forged Club Sport, and I think if you check, you'll see the difference between those and the popular (and much cheaper, but similar looking) "Design 90". The Club Sports are hard to find, and expensive.

Gibbs won't remove any mechanical problem, as you note, and it won't polish your intake for you either, lol. It's not a mechanic in a can, but it's a good "less greasy" penetrant alternative to WD-40. I like the stuff, it keeps metal looking great.

In the sound-byte world of today, people are way too quick to crack a can of paint and paint over mahogany trim in an old house for "instant gratification". They're too quick to strip a priceless antique for refinishing, only to find out later they devalued the piece by thousands of dollars. In the same token, sometimes (not always) with a vintage piece of equipment, it is better to leave the blemish and the anodized appearance, rather than to look like a NFL basketball star with bling.

I would proceed with caution when taking a sander to a set of expensive wheels. In the event they're really looking like crap, then of course they'll look like crap at a PCA meet too, whether you squirt Gibbs on them or not. Just beware, people in the know will "see" that anodized wheel and appreciate it for what it is, and sometimes people will look at a polished wheel with disdain, in the same manner they'll look at a priceless steinway piano some bubba thought would look good after taking a Black and Decker to it, lol.

Many of the museums would rather take their examples with the tarnished wheels. It's a personal choice of course, and if the wheel looks like crap, then perhaps polishing would be in order. IF so, follow up quickly with Gibbs, as raw aluminum corrodes like mad.

As for the intake manifold in the link, yes of course, it's polished.

P

[DPW928]

P,

Couldn't agree more about wood or wheels in good condition. On my old buggers the curb rash and loss of anodizing due to acids/bases were all too common. The phone dial wheels on my 78 5 speed 928 are polished and require very minimal maintenance to keep looking good. The spiderwebs on my 931 were half goldcast and half grey when I bought the car. I polished the outer rim and painted the center black, except for the center cap and they look 1000% better. Not sure about an antique collector but the judges at the 2004 Cimarron Tech concourse liked them and didn't deduct for being nonstock.

Guess what it all boils down to is the condition of the wheels. If the curb rash is minimal and the anodizing is still good, just treat them as you suggest. If worse, they should be refinished.

Dennis

[..P]

I agree with you Dennis. My point in posting was to put a little caution into the polishing of vintage equipment without thinking about it a second time. In the event the equipment really looks poor, it certainly can benefit from a refinish or polish job.

I can tell you, however, if you have a 1953 550, you're going to be better off with the stock wheels, tarnish and all, than something that looks like it just came out of the detail shop down on "Autoparts Row". I prefer the satin anodized look, but I suppose any nicely done polish job should look good on a 928. They're still modern enough to look good either way. Great cars!

All the best,

P

[DPW928]

P,

How did you know I had a 550 in the garage with tarnished wheels? Actually I have 2 928's and a 931 and none are garage queens. My daily drivers are a 78 5 speed (silber metallic like yours) and my 81 931 (guards red). My black 78 euro 928 AT is in need of some TLC (more than wheels) before it hits the daily driver rotation.

Checking your sites I see that you are in/from Nashville and also have a Berkley site. That appears to be a long commute. LOL

[mannikinfreezta]

For what it's worth, the suggested combination of Goop and Vaseline to polish the anodized wheels worked pretty well. The Goop was on for a couple of hours and I left the Vaseline on for a few days. The discoloration (yellowish/brassy) seemed lessened afterward, leaving a more continous mute silver finish.

Thanks to all those who sent suggestions!