Lars, You can see the before photo of the cleaned parts in my prior post in this thread for comparison. It was and is dark brown. As the coating wears off, you can see more of the mag color underneath coming through, this is what you are seeing. Notice the inside of the end caps where oil has sloshed it off vs the outside of the filler which was “static oil protected” and still had a good coating. The coating on the outside of the end caps had completely worn off and some pitting had occurred but it cleaned up well and is barely noticeable. The new dow7 coating feels soft and I’ve no doubt it will develop more of a sheen as it’s handled more and look more like the before photo. best, Andrew
Andrew, you are probably right about that. The coating is soft and will gradually wear off. The early brochure picture of the #1150 engine in post #17 shows the medium brown color that I am referring to. I believe that is the correct original color for all magnesium parts in the Dino.They were never gray originally, from what I have seen. My own M-series valve covers look similar to Peter´s in post #37 (second photo). That medium gray finish is actually oxidation after the Dow 7 coating has worn off, I believe. But given the difficulty, expense and uncertain outcome of getting a new coating, I think I will keep the covers the way they are. I just clean them with petroleum based non-abrasive cleaner. They do not look that bad, and they match the surrounding aluminum areas, just a bit darker. One could say that they look correct for their age! So they will stay that way, I think. Best, Lars
Lars, Agreed, mine were uneven, worn and many areas were unprotected and pitted so my main motivation was to protect the metal. When I did my L-series, I was convinced by others to paint the covers and it’s something I regret as the bellville washers under the fasteners cut though the paint leaving the magnesium exposed. Best Andrew
[QUOTE My own M-series valve covers look similar to Peter´s in post #37 (second photo). That medium gray finish is actually oxidation after the Dow 7 coating has worn off, I believe. But given the difficulty, expense and uncertain outcome of getting a new coating, I think I will keep the covers the way they are. I just clean them with petroleum based non-abrasive cleaner. They do not look that bad, and they match the surrounding aluminum areas, just a bit darker. One could say that they look correct for their age! So they will stay that way, I think. Best, Lars[/QUOTE] I small hint regarding conservation of old original DOW treatment. I have stopped using WD40 oil on my valve covers as it attracts moister. I'm now using Carnauba paste wax from Poorboys with great success. The wax makes the old treatment shine nicely and it protects it to some degree from corrosion. On top of that it smells really nice..- Love your car Lars, and great respect for using it at this time of they year. Best regards Peter
only a four year gap between comments! Further to the use of WD40, I have read that the oil used in air tools is better. Water Dispersant 40 draws moisture to it and therefore keeps dampness near the magnesium. There is also a great shot of a 246 engine on the production line in this 1970 BBC documentary. Of course colour in an old video cannot be 100% relied on but it gives a good indication of what Dow treated cam covers looked like at the factory
Not to digress too much but I just reviewed this thread and it reminded me of the great information and dialogue seen on F-Chat a few years back. Things in the Dino section seem to have died down quite a lot with fewer threads and little engagement. Truly a shame but a sign of the times I suppose.
Anyone know of a modern treatment for magnesium castings? e.g. blasting and passivation? Image Unavailable, Please Login
