Hazy Wheels

[jaudette3]

The wheels on my '73 S were done by Al Reed a couple of years ago, a few months before I bought the car. They have always looked great - until now. The car was stored over the winter in my old shop while some odds and ends were worked on (mainly the MFI pump - that took forever!). We're finally getting some good weather here in Central Oregon and I'm driving it and giving it a thorough cleaning.

The problem is that the wheels look like they have a milky film on them in places. In other places they look like they did last Fall. It looks almost like something has been splattered on them. The highway department uses magnesium cloride on the roads here in the Winter, and the car was driven a couple of times. Could that be the culprit? If so, is there any remedy that I can use?

Thanks for your help.

John Audette

[pwd72s]

John, Magnesium Chloride is a corrosive substance, much like sodium chloride. I hope you can save your wheels. You might try the old rubbing in vaseline & buffing trick, see if that helps. Why magnesium chloride spray? So the idiots on TV news shows can say that the highway spray trucks aren't using salt... Technically true...but...it'll eat metal just like salt does.

[Eric911S]

Hello: Another thing to check is if you have a cat or dogs. If the little animals water your favorite wheels or fan housing you will get really bad corrosion. I've seen a magnesium fan housing that was totally ruined from cat pee. So don't blame the road dept. just yet. Thanks Eric

[jaudette3]

Hello: Another thing to check is if you have a cat or dogs. If the little animals water your favorite wheels or fan housing you will get really bad corrosion.

Eric....

Nope, no cats or dogs. The surface does not feel corroded at all. It's very smooth, just cloudy.

Thanks,
John

[nullh20]

I bought a set of fuchs a few years back with very cloudy anodizing, assuming that they would beed to be redone.

Buffing vaseline into the surface almost completely removed the cloudiness however.

[RickS]

Try rubbing some Mother's Mag Wheel Polish on one of the effected areas very gently and see if it starts to lift.