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Correct Wheel Finish for 1986 928 Flat dish wheels?
My '86 came with a set of staggered wheels from an S4 - with 7x16 in the front and 8x16 in the rear.
They are in good shape but I'm going to have them redone.
My question is - what's the correct finish for these wheels. I've seen many pictures with Chrome flatdish, and I've seen the argent silver style.
These wheels have a bit of a reflection to them - they are clearly not chromed, nor do they look like they are polished. I can't say I've seen exactly this sheen on a wheel before.
What is the correct process to have them redone? Would love any advice.
The wheels are anodized.
It's expensive to have them refinished in Australia, about $3000.
Someone from your side of the planet should be able to help with pricing and contacts.
I was lucky. The previous owner had the wheels on my 87 re-anodized before I purchased the car, along with a lot of other expensive work.
IMHO the wheels look great anodized. There seems to be a lot of chrome wheels out there and apparently it was not unusual for a Porsche dealer to have the wheels chromed.
The 1986 year type ( year model ) was the first to have the Brembo brakes & because of wheel to brake caliber clearance, the older cast / painted telephone style Porsche 928 wheels were dropped & in their place fitted the much more expensive the Fuchs forged ( manhole covers in USA speak ) as standard and they were ( as GP has mentioned ) in a satin silver anodised finish
In the correct anodised finish they do look quite exotic ( expensive ) , if polished or painted they just look like cheap hubcaps
I just had mine powdercoated. I went with Platinum Grey with a matte finish.
Thought it would look something like below, but unfortunately they came out a lot lighter than I imagined.
I'm gonna put them on tomorrow and see if it grows on me, if not, I might try plastidipping.
I looked into re anodizing, but that was kind of a dead end, as it was either too far away or too expensive.
As others have noted, correct finish is anodized. Either silver or "platinum" which is sort of a goldish/bronzeish color. In good shape, it's a satiny, semi-gloss color.
Caustic cleaners can very easily damage the anodized coating. Best practice is gentle soap and vaseline.
Redoing the anodized coating can be a bit difficult. Not that it's a difficult process, it's just that some of the stuff used is rather nasty material. So finding a place that's equipped and approved to do it can be a challenge. As with any other coating, prep is key.
There were chrome plated versions of the "Manhole Cover" wheel (AKA flat disc) available. Some find them gaudy, others like them.
Personally, I have a set of polished aluminum ones. Takes some effort to keep them up, but when they are clean & shiny, they look pretty cool IMHO).
06-13-2016, 02:23 AM
Correct Wheel Finish for 1986 928 Flat dish wheels?
