Dino Saga 080601 _ Too Much Bling?

Dino Saga 080601 _ Too Much Bling?

Got the tires on on Thursday and life is good again. Funny wiggle of the car when running straight is nicely gone. Thank God. A month of that will drive you crazy and I was just under the limit. Both front and rear now have equal stiffness sidewalls and both ends stick like glue. I like the Falkens so far. The variable pitch tread blocks do cut down the noise on grooved concrete. Why do the concrete guys leave such a mess?

Anyway, the wheel appearance continues to perplex me. Shiny aluminum is nice lots of places but the aluminum of my wheels is dead soft and everything scratches it or stains it. The original finish was either “fine steel wool” or “fine Scotch Brite.” I am used to it and think it looks good no matter what the light or state of cleanliness. No one notices one more scratch or smudge or spot of mud. Cleaning is hosing off while using a stiff brush. Every six months or so I will hit the hub to brighten it up. Hub is a different alloy than the spinnings. Probably old beer cans melted down, sand cast and machined on the faces. The spinnings are probably Al 6000. Dead soft, spun and annealed as needed. Alberto, the “cracks” you saw in the inner spinning were the edges of the added aluminum the welder put on the inside of the wheel. He added about 1 mm over an area of about 3” x 6” so they could get a smooth inside surface to push against when trying to get wheel round and concentric. Surface was sanded down smooth but the edges were retained as markers. Lips on the outside edges of both front and back had big divots missing here and there. Welder filled these too and then sanded things smooth.

There is no finish on the polished surfaces so I can do anything I want from here. Took the car out to the parking lot and shot from different directions with the sun at different angles. Old wheels look bright all over at any angle. Polished wheels reflect the surfaces near by. Or the sun directly. Highlights are too bright, just burn out in a picture. Not much of a roadway reflection because of the shapes. Rest of the wheel stays fairly bright reflecting the general area or the sky. Have no intention of keeping up a bare polish so need to either coat the wheel with a clear UV proof plastic or get out the Scotch Brite, knock the polish back and go from there. In any event, the idea of a coating of some kind sounds good. Would be easier to clean if there were no sharp grooves for dirt to nestle into. I imagine that something like the clear that is over my paint would do fine if it would stick to the aluminum. Should be a way.

If the wheel passes some driving tests in the next week or so, I would like to refurbish the other three wheels. Right front will leak slowly sometimes and bolts are rusting. Other two hold air just fine but have not been apart in 20 years. Bolts and center seal could take a good inspection if nothing else. As per usual, you get smarter later.

The pictures tell a number of stories. I would appreciate comments and recommendations. Take a look.

John
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i dont have much to add to this thread, other then to say absolutely gorgeous pics and car! i love santa barbara! im still planning to take mine for a nice cruise up pch, hit up a service at the mission, and maybe drive a few of the twisy roads out there. your pics remind me i gotta do that soon

 

John,

Go to www.roadsters.com, then click on the 'Gibbs Brand penetrant' link. This might just be what you need to tone it down a tad, yet preserve the fine finish. Take a look at these magnesium wheels (not mine!) after emery cloth and Scotch-Brite massage followed by treatment with Gibbs.

What do you think?

Coop
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NICE!
The natural toning color of magnesium is striking.

 

I used the Gibbs on a set of custom polished alum wheels before. The stuff actually works pretty good. It won't protect against scratches, so you still have to be careful when washing, but it does protect against water spots & oxidation. After a while, you will have to do a light re-polish by hand or buff-ball if you want the freshly polished, real shiny look.

 

I actually don't mind the fully-polished look. My first thought was "nice aftermarket wheel" though, because I've never seen a Dino with wheels that shiny before!

Either way, the car will look great.

jds

 

Thanks for the testimonial, Brian. Since your wheels were aluminum, as are John's, that'll give him a good comparo. The magnesium wheels on the Gibbs site are stunning; it's nice to know that the same results might be expected with aluminum.

Coop

 

I bought this stuff a few weeks ago. I was told by my body guy that you can strip a car down to the bare metal and if you put this on it will keep it from rusting for a long time (2-3 years). I am going to try to strip the paint off my car (plastic or baking soda not sure) myself and apply Gibbs and keep it in bare metal until I decide what paint color I will do. I am very curious on opinions here. Thaks

 

The Gibbs spray looks good but I wanted something with more build. A 10-20 thou coating would provide some impact protection, fill crevices and last a reasonable time, e.g. 10 years. Gibbs looks like the coating is in the micron range.
I sprayed some clear and some Dull Cote laquer on the wheel and clear looks fine but will it last? NO! Need something with lots of UV protection, and need a good clear primer. Gibbs might be the primer? What is the clear coating?
John