Dow 7 history lesson

[marksar]

Ok I have some questions about dow 7 and it's application. My first question is why on the Cobra wheels do only the centers appear to have the golden/brown tint but not the rest of the wheel? I've seen some pics of Ferraris and GT40s where the entire wheel had the golden/brown tint and I personally like the way that looks better. Would it be considered 'incorrect' to make the entire wheel golden/brown on a Cobra? Does anybody have pics of what that looks like because I can't find any. Thanks.

[Jim Maxwell]

If you are referring to the knockoff spinners being gold colored, that is because many of the knockoffs are steel and they rust, giving them a gold color. No Dow 7 that I know of on the knockoffs. I had mine clear cadmium plated not long ago to stop the rusting that immediately occurred every time I washed the car.

[strictlypersonl]

The original GT40-style wheels were magnesium, which required some kind of coating all over when they were run on the street. Later (aftermarket) wheels were aluminum, and didn't require coating. Coating the centers was an aesthetic choice, not a functional one.

[ERA Chas]

My magnesium Halibrands were not Dow coated. The centers were as cast and the rims were machine cut. The Dow coated wheels were probably coated then machined on the rims.