I finally restored my wheels (Fuchs 7x16 and 9x16 for '88 911M491) which had been chromed. I spent considerable amounts of time on this forum learning about the trials and tribulations of this task and studying photos. I learned a lot from those who have tried this as well as from the experts. I finally took on the task after repeated warnings and verbal abuse from my friends.
The wheels are original Fuchs from April of '88 (date stamped). 7s and 9s by 16 mounted on a 911 factory Turbo Look Carrera Cabriolet, Black ( some would say a rare car ) The wheels were chromed I assumed by either the dealer or the initial owner. The wheels had begun to flake on every wheel, some worse than others and in particular badly on the rims. This was not only unsightly but there were some areas that were bubbling. These areas were the worst because of what was happening to the aluminum under the chrome plating. These wheels were a real mess and would be a shame and expensive to lose to corrosion or for any reason.
The plan was to return the wheels to what was probably original: Polished rims and black centers. The overall plan for the car is to keep it as stock as possible.
So here are restoration steps
Step one: Strip chrome
Step two: Polish rims to a high gloss (looked almost like a mirror chrome finish). Also remove as much pitting as possible without distorting or sanding too deep. Centers were dressed lightly to remove any dings or pitting.
Step three: Anodize - clear. This resulted in a polished satin "cloudy" appearance exactly like an original finished reference wheel provided by a friend. I was afraid that the clear anodize would result in a high gloss polished look like chrome similar to what the rims looked like before anodizing but it didn't.
Step four: tape off polished rims and stem holes
Step five: scuff centers with scuffing pad, wipe down with degreaser and blow clean.
Step six: spray light coat of VHT black satin on inside, back, centers and caps.
Step seven: spray multiple coats (10 mins apart) and dry for 3 hrs
Step eight: remove tape and clean any leakage and lug bolt holes with lacquer thinner.
Step nine: allow to cure (couple days) then mount tires, balance, mount to car and torque.
Considering what I started with and how they look now, I am very impressed with the outcome. I could not not have done it without the input from this forum and the friendly prodding. I also could not afford the cost of the known service providers who also gave me inspiration to go it on my own.
I would like to offer this wheel restoration service to forum members. Let me know if you are interested.
Let me know what you think and if you have questions about the steps I took to bring these Fuchs back to life.
Here's the car before I began the restoration process:
The Chrome's been stripped and the rim has been polished to a mirror finish:
Model number:
Fuchs date stamp:
Here are the finished products!
