samrh1

For a 1980/1981 928S (mine is European market), were mirror polished wheels a factory option or aftermarket only?

I’d like to have a factory spec wheel finish, which could be standard fit or an option.

Many thanks in advance. 😀

joejoe

I believe they were polished after the original anodize was ruined in some way.

samrh1

Looking at the various images in brochures from 1980-1981 there appears to be darker and lighter versions or is this just the reflection of the environment the car is in?

Were they always anodised rather than painted during this period?

Would a satin lacquer over paint would create the same effect as anodising?

Anyone know the paint code by any chance?

linderpat

The factory did not polish or chrome. Some dealers did, and aftermarket wheel shops. They were anodized from the factory, but many owners didn’t know how to take care of them, and ruined the finish. Some had a bronze hue to them from the factory as well. The way to clean a good set with the anodized finish still intact is to use petroleum jelly and polish gently with it. It cleans the surface.

to be clear, I am only referring to the flat dish forged wheels. The phone dials were painted at the factory.

samrh1

Many thanks for this info, I wonder if a satin lacquer over silver paint would give a similar effect to anodising?

8cyl

Early S cars had the choice of silver anodised or platinum anodised, which is the gold and brownish hue. I believe the platinum finish was dropped in 1983, possibly due to the costs. Later on the flat disks were a solid/matte light silver tone, which the S4 adopted but I believe started with the S2's standard 16s. The earlier finishes were a satin sheen. A really nice and practically impossible finish to replicate with paint. This is why when many of these finishes were ruined by caustic wheel cleaners owners had the rims painted or chromed. The only true restoration is to have them re-anodised by a professional. Not cheap as I understand it.

The phone dial wheels also had different finishes. They started out as a darker silver matte on the earliest cars, and 1980 saw the introduction of a clear glossy silver finish which is very nice. This ran up until 1986 when they were no longer offered as an option. The phone dials were painted cast items, and not as 'lux' as the forged anodised flat disks. Both were made by different manufacturers as well; phone dials were either made by Porsche themselves or ATS did them (someone here knows) and the flat disks were by Fuchs.

Whilst not original, I think your wheels look very nice and not out of place. Your car likely had the silver satin anodised finish, however it could have been the platinum too. As already mentioned, if you wanted to restore the right finish it is difficult to do so and you will need a professional who can accurately reproduce the right anodised look. It can be done, I've seen someone in the US achieve a perfect replication.

samrh1

This is brilliant thank you 8cyl. After looking at these Porsche brochures and one magazine from 1980 and 1981, it’s great to know that silver and platinum were options on the early 928S.

It appears that Porsche were typically favouring silver on lighter coloured cars and platinum on darker coloured cars. Which I guess is understandable to ensure the car stands out in images.

I’m going to try Arctic Silver L92T (vs the lighter L92U) with a satin lacquer and see how that turns out.