Not to put too fine a point on it, but the items listed by akydakyx from Dennis McCann's website are for "CAM END COVERS," which if you look at his website, are different from "CAM COVERS." Dennis doesn't have any MAGNESIUM CAM COVERS listed. The prices listed on his website for CAM COVERS range from $175 to $275, not the $35 to $90.00 listed for the CAM END COVERS. This raises an interesting question. If Dennis has any MAGNESIUM CAM COVERS, I'd like to buy a set for my car. By the way, Anthony Curtis' book, "Ferrari Dino," has a full color reproduction (slightly reduced at pages 56-57) of the pages from brochure N. 41/70 showing the black cam covers (whether painted or not).
Dave - Thank you for posting the photos. Did they come from N. 41/70 or from the Curtis book? Or, somewhere else? Mark
Mark, All of the Dino 206GT and 246 L series that I have ever seen have had magnesium cam covers. I suspect that the 2 liter Fiat Dinos also have magnesium covers also. If you want to buy one, there is one on ebay right now, and judging by its appearance I would say that it is magnesium rather than aluminum. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4527771324&category=34202 Brian Brown Patrick Ottis Co.
Brian - I've got to admit that the cam cover listed on eBay does look a lot like some of the "powdered-out" magnesium alloy wheels and other bits and pieces of magnesium alloy that I have, but it still doesn't look very much like the cam covers shown in N. 41/70. Those still look like they have been painted. They have a gloss or sheen on them doesn't look at all like the eBay cam covers. To the best of your knowledge, were the magnesium covers painted? Or were they treated with something else? My experience with true mag wheels is that they powder-out quickly unless painted or clearcoated, and are pretty porous -- they certainly don't hold air for more than a few days. And, for street use, they also seem brittle and prone to failure (along with stories about fires at accident scenes where water sprayed on the wheels and tires simply intensified the fire). The odd thing is that I still haven't been able to find an official Ferrari reference to magnesium cam covers on the Dino. Mark
Mark, The magnesium cam covers where not painted, but the may have been chemically treated or coated with something to prevent corrosion. I see that the high bidder on the ebay auction was 1974dinogts, is that you? If so, I would be interested to see what you think of the cam cover when you get it. I don't know if there is a conclusive test for magnesium, I guess you could shave a little bit off and see if it burns! Brian
I'm currently searching for clarification on this matter. I'm currently involved in the restoration of a 206 gt Dino (European LHD). From what I've seen so far it would seem the cam covers are painted satin black, although there has been images/etc that seem to give conflicting information. Can anyone help me out to seek 100% clarification on this matter? Cheers Alex
Sorry, but I don't have anything to add regarding the finish on early cars. My 72 (S# 4004) has natural Aluminum valve covers and, from all appearances, they have always been natural. I plan to leave them that way! OK, now I have a question regarding wrinkle or crinkle finish paint. Do those of you that have crinkle finished Al or other metal have any brand recommendations that I might try on Zinc diecast metal. Is there really a "powder coat" process for crinkle finishes? I've tried VHT black and gray in a rattle can with very poor results. I've walnut shelled the part but not degreased. Is degreasing necessary after walnut shelling? I've been curring the part with a heatgun and will try an oven at 200 degrees F next. Appreciate any comments! Thanks! Bill
Aloha..here's my valve covers...206 GT...sort of a dark grey and pretty smooth.....Dennis McCann rebuilt the drive train in the early 90's......... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I know that the 206GT and early 246GT cars have magnesium cam covers and they were treated with DOW 7 chromate conversion coating which gives them their greenish-grey color. If your covers are indeed magnesium, find a local company who can recoat them. I live in the Seattle area and Protective Coatings Inc. (www.potectivecoatingsinc.com) did mine when I restored my Dino in 1999. Given the use of magnesium products in the aviation industry (and Seattle=Boeing), these guys have lots of experience with DOW7 and they did a good job. Don't expect them to look like jewelery when they are done, they'll just look right.
My Euro version 1973 246 GTS have uncoated/unpainted cam covers that are exactly like this, some white spots with greying tones. I've had a Vintage restoration shop tell me these cam covers age and behave just like magnesium they have seen used in othe vintage Italian cars. MY USA version, just 310 S/Ns later has painted cam covers.
I acquired a set of 206 cam covers, really to hang on a wall, and was surprised they are not the same length (see photo). Pardon my ignorance, but is this true of 246 covers as well? The covers on my 246 seem the same length, but my eyes could be playing tricks on me. By the way, these covers are magnesium - they're very light - and did come unpainted, but with a dark, matte grey/black finish, probably to protect the magnesium. They have "Fiat" stamped inside. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The Dow Chemical Co. no longer offers Dow #7 which is the dichromate process used to protect magnesium. There are others in the aerospace/aviation industry that provide the modern equivalent, but I do not know if it is the same color as the old Dow #7.
Simple way to keep them clean is to buy some satin clear paint from your local hardware store. Krylon makes some that does not yellow(not sure how long it lasts) and protects without adding any gloss to the cam covers. I would make sure to thoroughly clean them and only apply a few light dusting coats to the parts
To answer my own question, yses, the front and rear cam covers are different lengths. I had a 2.4 engine for 22 years and never noticed! On treating magnesium, I described a procedure on the treatment of magnesium wheels (using Alodine) on this forum, which might work on magnesium covers. On untreated covers, spraying them from time to time with WD40 might help. I have aluminum covers, so corrosion is not as problematic as with magnesium
