[Fot] Advice on Silverstones

[Shane Ingate]

Dave Y. asked:

> I have an original set of American Racing, magnesium Silverstones on my
TR4.

My advice is to store them AS FAR from the ocean as possible,
preferably in the driest part of the continent.  The driest
in the US is any altitude above 7,000; in southern New Mexico.
It just so happens I have a vacant spot in my garage.

Seriously, this is not a daft suggestion.  When I lived in
San Diego near the ocean, my Pantera had mag Campagnolos that
I polished.  Polished mag is a sight to behold, and is completely
different to polished alloy which looks cheap and shallow by comparison.
The polished mag had a depth and luster that needs to be seen to be believed.

At first, I needed to polish them EVERY weekend - 2 hours of work.  In one
week, corrosion had started and the wheels lost their gleam.  2 months later,
the wheels would look like I'd never cleaned them in 10 years.  Sigh.  I got
sick of that after a while, and opted for the 10-year old look.

Remember, San Diego is pretty dry, but I was close to the ocean.

There is really not much you can do.  I tried wax, I tried WD-40
(suspiciously
sounds like the Eastwood product), I tried clear-coat (will not adhere to
polished mag).  Best bet is a thick coating of wax and bag them with
dessicant.

You could backfill the bag with nitrogen....

Shane Ingate, its so dry here you could film Lawrence of Arabia, in NM


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