Wheels and Tires, Let's get this discussion centralized Options

[Tom_T]

So, I have eight wheels for a 914. One set of four lug Fuchs with black paint on them and one shiny set of other ones that are gas burners I think, also with black paint. Am I correct in thinking neither is factory spec? Of the two sets I prefer the Fuchs. How best can I restore them to new, or should I ask that question in another thread?
Many thanks
Richard

Richard - either or both could be painted factory wheels, so pull one or all & check for part nos. in the cupped insets in the back for ones starting with 914-xxx-xxx-01.

Fuchs 2Ls would be correct for your 73 2L, unless you have a Certificate of Authenticity or original window sticker &/or dealer sales invoice stating it had opted for the Mahle baby-gas-burners. If no Porsche 914 p/n, then they're repros.

Here's a pic of the Fuchs p/n on backside -


Here's the proper OE finish on Fuchs 2L's -


Mahle 4-lugs were painted silver -


There are more & better pix of these earlier in this thread.

Cheers Again! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)
Tom
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[RichardFDR]

Finding it a bit tricky to find my post and reply to Tom's helpful comments about identifying the 2L Fuchs. But this is a note of thanks. I'll be taking a look when I go to the garage where the car is stored.

What would someone suggest I use to get the paint off and bring the wheels back to looking new?

[Tom_T]

Finding it a bit tricky to find my post and reply to Tom's helpful comments about identifying the 2L Fuchs. But this is a note of thanks. I'll be taking a look when I go to the garage where the car is stored.

What would someone suggest I use to get the paint off and bring the wheels back to looking new?

Assuming you're taking it to bare metal to refinish either/both - try acetone, soak a few minutes, then patience & a soft touch with a soft-ish cotton rag (Q-tips in corners), may take several times depending on how the surface was prepped, paint coats, etc., but it will take it to bare metal with minimum damage to the surface.

Then assess what need be done to restore the semi-polished/satin background under anodized finish on the Fuchs @ls, or to prep & repaint silver on the Mahle 4-lugs.

If you were here in the US, I'd just suggest sending them to Al Reid in Anaheim CA or Weideman Wheels in Oroville CA, who both do a superb job on factory finish wheel restos! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/drooley.gif)

PS - you're welcome, & just use the page number boxes at the top or bottom left of the posts to go back/fwd through the pages of posts to find your/other old posts.

[Pat Garvey]

So, I have eight wheels for a 914. One set of four lug Fuchs with black paint on them and one shiny set of other ones that are gas burners I think, also with black paint. Am I correct in thinking neither is factory spec? Of the two sets I prefer the Fuchs. How best can I restore them to new, or should I ask that question in another thread?
Many thanks
Richard

Richard,

It depends on the year of your 914. Fuchs are good for any year after '72. Gas burners were 914-6 wheels. Yours appear to be Mahles, which will work with most early & later 914's. Gas burners were magnesium 5 bolt Mahles.
Pat

[Tom_T]

So, I have eight wheels for a 914. One set of four lug Fuchs with black paint on them and one shiny set of other ones that are gas burners I think, also with black paint. Am I correct in thinking neither is factory spec? Of the two sets I prefer the Fuchs. How best can I restore them to new, or should I ask that question in another thread?
Many thanks
Richard

Richard,

It depends on the year of your 914. Fuchs are good for any year after '72. Gas burners were 914-6 wheels. Yours appear to be Mahles, which will work with most early & later 914's. Gas burners were magnesium 5 bolt Mahles.
Pat

Pat, some folks refer to the 4-lug Mahles as "Baby Gas-burners" & I think that's what he meant.

His is the black 914 2.0 in the pix on the previous page here, & is a now pranged/deceased 73 from which he's using parts to transform his 72 1.7 to a 2.0 look-alike - per his comments at another topic in O&H on bumpers.

He's in the UK, so 914s are more scarce there & harder to buy another 73 2L or repair his pranged one, although I suggested looking into that option too.

[tod914]

Last two that were available from Porsche. 74 + style steel wheel. Date code of 1/80 on them.

[RFoulds]

Wow! Interesting that the backs are not black as most of our originally equipped wheels are. In refurbishing mine, I would have preferred to finish them as yours are.

[tod914]

Randy did you try the wurth silver to see how well it matched? I thought you made mention you went with a white/silver? I was surprised they didn't have black on them too.

[RFoulds]

I use Wurth Silver Alloy on modern Porsche and BMW wheels. Its a perfect match for Boxster/Cayman/911 OE wheels, but it s little too gray for the 914 steelies. Although it produces a very nice look, its not the OE finish.

The Wurth White Alloy is actually very silver, a brighter silver than the grayer Silver Alloy. Since I had perfect OE spare to guide me, I went with the White Alloy, which was a perfect match.

I sprayed the satin black on backside first, then the White Alloy on the face to duplicate the slight overspray on the backside of wheel.

I was lucky enough to speak to a guy who worked at Porsche factory during the early 70's and he described how the wheels looked when they arrived from VW. It matched the spare I had, he even described the "sloppy job" of spraying that produced the overspray on the backside.

He is now a partner or manager at an indie Porsche shop here in the desert and has been a source of good info for my project todate.

[tod914]

That's great information. And a fantastic resource to have. If you could walk me through the entire process, that would be great. I might end up refinishing 2 used ones to match the nos ones. The original wheels and tires are going into storage. What sandpaper grit, polish, etc. did you use to get such a nice end result? Thanks. Oh.. what tires did you end up going with?

[RFoulds]

For Tires, I went with the Vredesteins, purchased from Coker Tires.

The wheel process was simple. I had a body shop media blast and then prime them for me. Thye did an excellent job, and all 4 wheels was only $100.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/img.photobucket.com-10656-1310142307.1.jpg)

Next, I sprayed the backside with 3 light coats of Wurth Satin Black, being careful to get as little of the black on the face side, to avoid any uneven buildup when I spray the face. I smoothed out any small runs or debri on backside with 0000 steel wool.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/img.photobucket.com-10656-1310142307.2.jpg)

Then, I cleaned the face again with a very light 0000 steel wool, and sprayed 4 light coats of Wurth White Alloy. Between each coat, I lightly rubbed them with 00 steel wool, just enough to smooth out any imperfection.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/img.photobucket.com-10656-1310142308.3.jpg)

After final coat, I slowly smoothed it with more 0000 steel wool, and checked the backsides to be sure there was just enough of the overspray look. All 4 wheels looked just like the spare.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/img.photobucket.com-10656-1310142308.4.jpg)


At that point, I was tempted to spray clearcoat on them, but since the OE didn't have clear, I resisted. Instead, they got a light buff with "3M Perfect-it" light hand rubbing compound, and a finish polish with 3M glaze.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/img.photobucket.com-10656-1310142308.5.jpg)

After that, I checked that the Vredesteins had no blemishes, cleaned them with a very mild soap and water to avoid stains, and then had the tire shop very carefully mount then on the wheels.


Thats it!

[tod914]

Perfect end result. With the steel wool, do you use any kind of compound with it?

[RFoulds]

Perfect end result. With the steel wool, do you use any kind of compound with it?

No, just the steel wool. and I forgot, after steel wool, blow them with compressed air and wipe with tack cloth again.

rubbing compound and glaze were applied with a micro fiber cloth.

[tod914]

x

[dcheek]

Here's a little tip on spray painting wheels; Buy a cheap "Lazy Susan" or, for lack of a better term, a "turntable", that is big enough to support a wheel. That way you can spin the wheel and keep the paint source (rattle can or spray gun) stationary. Your paint job will come out much more even and reduce the risk of runs. Also, to prevent scratching, mount the tire BEFORE your put the final finish on the face. Yeah, I know it requires more taping to prevent overspray but, there's no touch up required. This was a tip I got from a professional Porsche restorer.

Dave

[tod914]

Thanks Dave. I encountered that issue once I had the tires mounted. 3 out of 4 isn't bad I suppose. One when they balanced it, got scratched up and needed to be resprayed. See you at the Aircooled event!

[RFoulds]

Here I go with wheels again. Different car. 1971.
Any chance a chromed, steel wheel with hub caps was an option?

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/img.photobucket.com-10656-1352868828.1.jpg)

[Tom_T]

Here I go with wheels again. Different car. 1971.
Any chance a chromed, steel wheel with hub caps was an option?

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/img.photobucket.com-10656-1352868828.1.jpg)

PM Pat G, he can give you the lowdown & probably ID those wheels.

[RFoulds]

he did indeed an early year dealer installed option

[orthobiz]

For the Wurth White Alloy paint, are you talking about a rattle can? A quick look on the web and I could not find the paint by the quart or gallon...

Paul