Well I missed TR Fest in San Ramon. After a look at the admittance price,
and as I am in the process of buying a house with a two car garage (my
first) which I can not afford, I decided my time would be better spent
actually sprucing up the 6. After the reapirs from H's recent "rear ending
Incident" the body and paint looked great but the minilites needed
help...without annual attention oxdation quickly gets the upper hand with
pure magnesium. Alas I was negligent... cancerous looking patches of the
spokes were devoid of paint and the outer rings were gray with oxidation.
Remaining paint needed to be removed and each wheel sanded, steel wooled,
spokes primered and painted black. Outer rim needed sanding, steel wooling,
and clear coat. All phases required masking. Each wheel took almost a day to
complete. I started last weekend while I was still planning on attending
TRFest. Well, the final result was a quantum leap in the look of the 6. The
minilites equipped with two winged spinners, sporting the Joe Curry triumph
logo decals with laurel wreath in blue, green and chrome transformed the
whole scene, though I did have to trim the decals right down to the edge of
the laurel wreath to get them to fit in the spinners' center recess. The
official Joe Curry Triumph Mail List decal in the lower right front screen
completed the picture. I was so inspired that I cleaned polished and waxed
the beast, thoroughly cleaned the interior, treated all vinyl - seats, dash,
doors, top, tonneau. and car cover, cleaned out the trunk and changed the
oil and all filters. To top it all off (apologies to purists) I added a Jag
style pinstripe to the fenders and doors at the bevel. LO! A VISION OF
ROADSTER GLORY in Signal Red and black! Good lord these cars look
unbelievable at their best! Now that I could truly make an appropriate
entrance to the Fest...it's over. Ah, but at least I get to look at it and
its now prepped for the winter. A late Sunday afternoon drive through the
vinyards of Sonoma County, the air ripe with the rich aroma of fermenting
grapes and a stop for a light snack in the Alexander Valley was all the
reward I could ask.
Anyone with any suggestions for keeping magnesium shining? I'm not real
happy with the polyurethane clear I used...dulled up the burnish a bit.
Anyone have any experience with a product called Simichrome? JOE...thanks
again so much for the work on the decals, they really are the finishing
touch that these Minilites have needed for 30 + years. They look GREAT!
Deano
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