What was the original finish on rear wheel hubs? If this has been covered (bad joke intended) I couldn't find it.

This is from 1970 914-6. Inspecting before, during, and after didn't yield any useful evidence. My best guess is raw steel? If so, then maybe I wipe them down with Gibbs so it has some protectant from rusting again.
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Thanks.

Yes, early ones were bare metal, at some point they put black oxide on them.

Thanks for the confirmation.

I'm really curious what Porsche was thinking. It seems really irresponsible to have uncoated steel parts on a production car. Particularly on the exterior.

Some alloys are formulated such that the rust covers the surface and becomes the protective layer. Much more common in architecture as @wonkipop can confirm.

I can’t say for sure in Porsches use case, but this is a common practice on driveline parts

Gibbs won’t keep steel from rusting, at least not for long. It’s better for aluminum or mag but it’s really only a step up from wd-40.

You can try LPS 3, it is a wax type sealer. About $20 a can.

Ah. Good point. I had originally bought it for the impeller housing which is magnesium.


Thanks for the suggestion. I had not seen it before. Is it preferred over something like Cosmoline spray?

Yes, similar. Cosmoline was used on our cars for overseas shipping back in the day. LPS 3 is similar to Boeshield which was developed by Boeing for aircraft but I used it on boats in salt water that I had owned and is commonly available in marine stores. It sprays on like a light clear and colorless lubricant but dries leaving a thin waxy coating.

I removed the studs on a press and sent out both the hub and stubs to be plated. Even if you don’t like the plated color, it’s a great base for paint.