Refinsihing Cookie Cutters

Guys.

I am in the process of refinishing a set of 15x7 cookie cutters with black paint finish that I took off of a 75 911 I parted out. My intention is to refinish them to the silver finish used in 1973 so that I can put them on my 73 911.
However, now that I have chemically removed the paint, I notice a very rough surface finish from the casting process. Did all cookie cutters have this rough finish or only the ones painted black? Were the original silver cutters machined to a smooth finish or were they simply painted silver. I have never seen an original 73 cookie cutter up close so I need some information and advice. What are my options with these wheels if I am going for the 73 OEM look? Better question: What was the 73 oem finish?

Thanks

Caproader
73 S with Sporto

Hmmm. Are you sure these aren't repro Fuchs wheels? The factory wheels are forged so there shouldn't be any signs of casting. Look on the back of a wheel and let us know what it says and shows.

Sherwood

The "cookie cutter" rims were made by ATS and they were cast, not forged, so the surface finish is not as smooth as the Fuchs.

I don't think I've ever seen any "original silver finish" OEM cookies from 1973 (weren't they all 6" rims that year?), I have only seen black centers with a polished lip. If you're trying to paint them, they will probably need several coats of a hi-build epoxy primer with 180-grit sanding to smooth out the porosity before the final color coat. I would consider powder coating them, as the electrostatic coating does a good job of filling surface imperfections, and there is a wide range of colors available.

Hi Tom,
Thanks for the correction. I overlooked "cookie cutters" and assumed "fuchs". I agree with your solution of powder coating them to fill in the casting porosity.

Sherwood

Guys,

Guys,

Thanks for the help and thoughts.

So far I am in the pre-design engineering and procrastination stage of setting up a committee to investigate the alternate possibilities- otherwise known as checking the budget to see if I have enough pictures of dead presidents to finance the operation. Your help gives me the idea that maybe I can do this myself.

Thanks

John, aka caproader

Quote:

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Originally posted by caproader
Your help gives me the idea that maybe I can do this myself.

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John-
Certainly, you can do it yourself, and you will have the satisfaction of accomplishing an improvement on your car with your own hands. But I sometimes cringe when I hear about the number of hours people have spent refinishing their wheels by hand. It can be quite labor-intensive. When I consider that a local shop here in SD will sandblast and powdercoat a wheel for $40, and I factor in the value of my time, it's a no-brainer for me.
YMMV,
TT