I have had a number of responses to my query on the origin of the "S"
valve cover. The most common response seems to be that it was an
early option for either "racing" or to commemorate Le Mans. Just to
muddle things up more, I asked Rick at Sunbeam Specialties today. He
thought that he was told it came on the Rapier!
As to the polishing, leaving it to a professional was a very popular
answer, followed by Simichrome. Other responses included mag wheel
cleaner, Simple Green, 600 wet/dry sandpaper followed by a buffing wheel,
and something called "Oaters" (a pre-soaked pad). With painting, I got
two opposite responses - one for, and one questioning the ability for
paint to stick to aluminum for any substantial period of time. The best
response as to doing it yourself (from Don Mathis of AT&T Bell Labs, with
a '61 MGA and a '37 Bentley) must be repeated:
"If you really want to do it yourself then buy Simichrome, put it on
a soft rag, and using your index finger start polishing. When your index
finger is the same length as your thumb, change to the other index finger."
Jay Laifman
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Sep 05 2000 - 09:17:43 CDT