Corrosion on Stag Alloys

[baxterhouse]

Forgive me if this a naive question. I am new to Triumph big saloons and new to the club.
When I bought my 2500S last year it had on refurbished Stag Alloys in wonderful condition.
I have not had it out since there has been salt on the roads and it has been garaged over the winter.
I went to it the other day and the shiny alloys have some corrosion on them. It is not too severe on the rears but enough to think I may need to have them professionally refurbished, again and sealed.
I had minilite type alloys on a previous car and didn't have this problem.
I had assumed that whe allos would have been laquered to seral them but it would appear not.
I had used Auto Glym alloy wheel protector spray on them. How do others avoid this please.
Stan

[Mike Stevens]

While the original alloys were protected, the modern refurbished ones are not (well, mine aren't anyway!). They therefore need careful cleaning and polishing to preserve them, especially if you've been out in the wet!

I have in the past cleaned, painted and lacquered these Triumph alloys but they never seem to last very long before corrosion sets in again. Maybe it's the way I did it.

Cheers,
Mike.

[johnnydog]

I'm sure you should be saying 'S' alloys on this forum!!!
I restored my 'S' alloys many years ago as they were suffering from the usual alloy corrosion. I did it by hand, first using nitromores to remove the original lacquer and the paint, and then used wet & dry with plenty of water, progressively moving to a fine paper to achieve a smooth finish, then a good polishing with Solvol Autosol and then a finer alloy polish called Peek, brought them up like glass. I ended up with no fingerprints for a week or so at the end of it all!!! However, I didn't use any lacquer, but cleaned them regularly and used a good quality wheel wax. The problem with lacquer is that water can get under the edges and corrode the ally and once that happens there's not a lot that can be done other than removing the lacquer to deal with the problem. I had these wheels for many years and any discolouration can be easily polished out, and if there are marks in the alloy, they can be flatted out with wet & dry, finishing off with an alloy polish.
I never used them in the winter on salty roads, but then again, I don't use any of my Triumphs now in the winter!
I had a set professionally refurbed about twelve years ago, and asked that they weren't lacquered. These are still on my 'S' today, and don't look any worse for wear - as long as you look after them as above!!!

[Graham]

That's better, S alloys.

Just spray some WD40 on a clean cloth and wipe them over with that. Works a treat.

Graham

[Alan Chatterton]

I had a set professionally polished to almost mirror finish, then they were clear stove enamelled.
10 years they stayed perfect, with only washing with water.
Car now sold, but I think they are still ok.

[torque2me]

While the original alloys were protected, the modern refurbished ones are not (well, mine aren't anyway!). They therefore need careful cleaning and polishing to preserve them, especially if you've been out in the wet!

I have in the past cleaned, painted and lacquered these Triumph alloys but they never seem to last very long before corrosion sets in again. Maybe it's the way I did it.

Cheers,
Mike.

Mike, I am of the opinion that it is the quality of the alloy that is problem causing the issue. Once, at a show, I asked the owner of a Stag which had immaculate wheels on how he kept them in such excellent condition. He replied that they were a new set and were used only when showing the car. Nice one!

I do as suggested in the post by Graham, but powder coating is a better solution.

Kev

[CAR]

Last time I saw them Alan the wheels were perfect still, unlike the body

Colin