Polishing Fuchs, Don't want to ruin my rims Options

[Ian Stott]

My Fuchs just got dropped off and I bought the Mothers Power Ball and Mothers Power Metal ( Aluminium ) Polish. Going to power wash the rims first then I thought I would check with club members before I did anything else just in case there is a chance I could do more harm than good. I read in a previous post somewhere that a fine grit sandpaper had been used, I am scared shitless to do that for some reason. All comments appreciated even the smart ass ones!

Ian Stott
Moncton
Canada

Candidate for slowest restoration ever!

[agent9]

ya, im in the same boat. PO painted em, they look ok, but i think they would look amazing with the paint removed and polished. so any more advice on how to get from here to there would be appreciated.

i am assuming this can be done while still on the car, or at least with the tire still attached?

here is a shot of what im dealing with:

(IMG:http://www.mashinenoise.com/914pics/wheel.jpg)

also anyone know what kind of rim this is? is it factory or aftermarket? i was told it was one of the lightest 4 lugs made, but who knows.

[beech4rd]

ya, im in the same boat. PO painted em, they look ok, but i think they would look amazing with the paint removed and polished. so any more advice on how to get from here to there would be appreciated.

i am assuming this can be done while still on the car, or at least with the tire still attached?

here is a shot of what im dealing with:

(IMG:http://www.mashinenoise.com/914pics/wheel.jpg)

also anyone know what kind of rim this is? is it factory or aftermarket? i was told it was one of the lightest 4 lugs made, but who knows.

These are Pedrini wheels, original equipment on some 914s before 1973. They were made in Italy and are sand cast, unlike Fuchs, which were die cast. As a result of the casting process, the surface of these wheels, when stripped of paint, is far from being smooth, in fact, under magnification, the surface is a mass of pits, a result of the sandcasting process. One of the reasons the wheels are as light as they are is a result of air trapped in the metal during the casting process. You can polish these wheels until you are blue in the face and they will never shine as a Fuchs will. So, get some paint stripper, remove the old paint,carefully file and sand any dings off the rim, buy a couple of cans of the Wurth silver wheel paint and you can return the wheel to the appearance it had originally. They will look quite handsome.