[DeTomaso] Original Magnesium Wheel Failures?

LS lashdeep at yahoo.com
Tue Mar 6 19:52:11 EST 2012


I'm having trouble finding a failure of any magnesium wheels...and I know a lot of vintage race preparers that haven't annealed any wheels, many of them originals. They are inspected for cracks and other damage and dealt with accordingly, but never any maintenance annealing by itself.

Please tell me more about my dismantling chassis!!

Thanks,
LS

 



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________________________________
 From: "MikeLDrew at aol.com" <MikeLDrew at aol.com>
To: lashdeep at yahoo.com; detomaso at realbig.com 
Sent: Tuesday, March 6, 2012 7:18 PM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Original Magnesium Wheel Failures?
 


In a message dated 3/6/12 16 00 2, lashdeep at yahoo.com writes:



How many instances of original magnesium wheel failures are out there?
>
>I'm interested as I've discussed the annealing process that I've heard about with some Ferrari and Lambo restorers. Many of them have not performed this even when prepping vintage race cars.
>
>How many times has this happened in a high speed or high stress driving situation?
>

You will hear people speak of the dangers of such things with Pantera wheels.   Yet you will look high and low and probably never find a single instance of a genuine failure.   I have one that developed a crack (apparently as the result of hitting a pothole or curb) and would leak air.   But as for wheels blowing apart and flinging their cars over cliffs in a burning fireball of death and destruction?   Never happened--at least not as far as I know.

Yes, you can do things to preserve the original wheels; annealing them etc. is probably a good idea.   But probably less than 1% of the Pantera wheels out there have had this treatment, and the other 99% seem to be hanging in there just fine.

Your wheels (GT5-S) are much newer and were produced using much more modern techniques, so are even less likely to suffer.

I'd be more concerned about the chassis ripping apart where the lower suspension mounts to it, a very real possibility with a GT5-S unless suitable modifications have been made.   THAT is something to lie awake worrying about, until it's dealt with....

Mike


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