Fuchs Restoration-Ed McNamee

[lopena]

I recently sent one of my Fuchs to Ed in Silverado, CA for restoration (it was in ‘well-used’ condition). Today I received the restored wheel and I’m very happy with the results.

The whole process, start-to-finish, took only 43 days and the total cost was $444...I opted for the ‘concours’ restoration, a $75 upcharge.


Alan
N.J.

[mfitton]

Looks like he painted the lug holes, that's a big no-no!

[blucille]

I’ve had a few sets done by Ed, and they have held up well...I’m surprised Alan’s set took 43 days, but I guess a lot of that was shipping time.....my last set was done in a couple of weeks. RSR finish, no problem...great work, fast turn around, attention to detail, all good stuff...and a very fair price.

[lopena]

Looks like he painted the lug holes, that's a big no-no!

I plan on covering that particular faux pas with some large black bolts.

Alan

[Bullethead]

I plan on covering that particular faux pas with some large black bolts.

Alan

It's more than a faux pas and shouldn't be covered up... the lugs won't tighten properly so long as that paint is there. No paint on the backs of the wheels where they contact the hubs either, same reason.

PITA for sure, but you must remove paint from those areas because you really don't want to experience what can happen if you don't.

[lopena]

This is my first time dealing with the restoration of Fuchs wheels so please bear with me.

I am trying to understand why a thin coat of black paint might cause my wheels to fall off. If the wheel nut is properly torqued to 95 ft-lbs, why would the paint cause a problem?

Is it because the paint acts as a lubricant allowing the nut to eventually work itself loose? It would seem that regular checking of the wheel nut torque settings (much as you check tire pressures) would negate this problem. I do this regularly as a matter of course.

Or is it because the paint acts as a lubricant during initial torquing and prevents an accurate torque setting?

I’ll remind you that many 911 owners recommend the use of anti-seize on the shoulder of the wheel nut to prevent galling and fusing of the aluminum mating surfaces, which could make subsequent removal very difficult. If anti-seize is okay, why not a little paint? Or both?

Please educate me further on why paint on the lug holes poses a risk.

(I fully understand why you wouldn’t want any paint on the mating surface on the back of the wheel...a dollop of paint could induce wheel wobble).

Many thanks, as always...

Alan
N.J.

[Bullethead]

You're on the right track, Alan... that layer of paint is effectively a very thin gasket. You can torque properly but it's as likely as not a lug (or three) will back out a 1/3rd of a turn or more (at first) and then what?

You haven't noticed anything yet, so keep on driving. And while you might avoid catastrophe, it's a hell of a lot easier to clean the lug surfaces. Regular re-torquing won't fix the issue.

[lopena]

So, Russ, does that mean I shouldn’t use anti-seize either?

Alan

[72targa]

Best way to clean off the undesirable paint?

[blucille]

https://www.fuchsrestoration.com/