TECH - Magnesium wheel "restoration"

Shakey, if you are puttin these on the puddin I just might cry. They will look baaaad on that car. Not too bronze/gold, not too silver - Goldilocks.

Nice tech post too.

Please post photos when you mount these up!

 

Puddin is now sporting magnesium wheels all the way around.
The rears are different than the restored ones in the tech post.
They are single pattern 16x13 Halibrands and completely natural mag. Polished years ago and allowed to age.

 

awesome tech article. i have some et's for the front of my 55 f100 and 10x15 american mags for rear and want them to be the same color when im done. i hope this works..... thanks

 

puddin, have you tried getting the graphite wet?? just wondering if it will run off and smudge when wet??

i use that stuff around the house and on my snowmobiles, never seems to hold toooooo well.

 

No I haven't. As you can tell, I don't wash my car...lol

 

Lookin awesome, sure would like to see it in person

 

"In the warm Arizona sun?!"
It's freeeeeezing here in the NE! You tease!
Cool tech! Thanks!

 

water reacts with the magnesium and will destroy it! Think like steel rusting for 50 years occuring in 2 days (if submerged). I have a recipe for a mag dip that will make em anywhere from a golden amber to a dark charcoal black.

 

What about something like this ??

 

Great tech, I have some american racing torque thrusts I'll have to try this on.

 

Those look like great candidates for shot peening.

 

Here's another pair of magnesium wheels that cleaned up nicely:

Before:

 

No "during" photos, but I spent about an hour with a brush and the etching mag cleaner, followed by a coat of Gibbs. I also removed the junk tires.

After:

 

Those look great man...

Im trying that brush and cleaner.

 

Make sure to wear some rubber gloves. That stuff is TOXIC!!
Thanks

 

Good thread !!!!!

 

Good thread and your car looks great with them.
I have a pair of 16 by 12 Halibrands that need some maintenence too for my rail.

Steve
Hosting- 8th annual Nostalgic Show & Go! March 27, 28, 2010 Phoenix

 

I just got a set of mags back from shot peening and they cleaned up nice (although the pitting is really noticable now) but they look like they were painted silver instead of coming out the dark gray color?

 

Puddin, I bead blasted mine too, but I also took them to a transmission shop and had them put in a shaker deburring machine that the transmission cases are deburred in. I then cleaned them in the Dishwasher and Cascade (my wife was shopping) with the drying cycle. I sprayed Gibbs on them and turned darker like yours. The Gibbs dried with no waxy feel or leaves finger prints. They still look great after two years without touching them.

 

Riceman,
Wow, that's pretty daring. lol

They look awesome!

 

man i would not wanna be stuck between 2 magnesium wheels on a slingshot....

 

Thanks for all the info.....I've got some wheels that will be getting the treatment!!!

 

We've also become more adventurous when it comes to welding magnesium. My buddy who did the TIG welding on my 55 has become very comfortable doing magnesium.
I've had a couple pairs of wheels that needed rim screw holes filled, and the last pair I bought had a nice chunk missing.

 

Here are some pics of the wheels before and after shot peening. As you can tell from the pics the pitting is really noticible after the shot peening. I`ve been told the pitting is way to bad to polish out so I was thinking about having the wheels chrome plated instead. Good or bad idea?

 

Rainman,
I would just etch them now. No way you could polish those.
When they're darkened up, the pits should not be as noticable.

 

Chrome plating would never fill the pits plus you would ruin there value.

 

Finally got my wheels finished and thought I`d post some pics. The wheels were shot peened then sprayed with Eagle One Mag Etching and then sprayed with NAPA Dry Graphite Film Lubricant to give them that dark look.

 

Here`s the pics....

 

Excellent!!!
Is there much upkeep to maintain that look?

 

killer info will try this on some old aluminum slots