Campagnolo wheels

I just purchased my '73 Pantera and the previous owner had the original 15x8 and 15x7 Campagnolo rims polished. I obtained copies of all the receipts ($13,000 in 5 months he spent (& the previous owner had it 22 years), my seller ran into some 'need for cash' had just purchased a $50,000 'crate' twin turbo motor for his 6 passenger Cessna he was restoring to aircraft specs, worth $350,000, when completed, an aircraft mechanic, and my Pantera was stored in an airport hanger at John Wayne Int'l Airport, his Cessna restoration project had some landing gear problems, landed on it's belly and he had an insurance salvage job with profit potential, and he was neck high into this investment, so it was down to the aluminum skin on his plane with new riveting happening, gotta respect that: knows all the aircraft spec parts vendors...)
Anyway, the wheels were polished, look like the 'Campy clones' you see advertized. But these original Campy's are magnesium, so they had to be clear coated, to avoid tarnishing again, he knew that, did it and was never intending to sell the '73L. The vendor is Al Reed Polishing, somewhere in So-Cal. Cost about $300 to do the polish & clear coat for all 4, total, but gotta add in mount, dismount, balance. He had all the receipts stapled together and when flipping them to make copies for me (had to keep the original receipts for tax purposes) he cut off the address, with a Visa sales ticket....
Also had new P195/50R15 put on front (lowers the front end, tire is about 2.5" pavement to outer rim) and P295/50R15 on the rear (raises the rear end, tire is about 5" pavement to outer rim)
This'll do for now for me, until next year, then I'm gonna budget for 16x8 front and 17x11 rear plus new skins!!!
Also got adjustable shocks, so front is further lowered and rear is raised, but not enough for me!!
If I didn't have adjustable shocks, I'd go with removal of the spacers on the front and keep the spacers on the rear Koni's. See www.panteraplace.com and look for the topic addressing GTS Panteras. There you'll see Michael Murhy's GTS Pantera at a Pantera event in Vegas. That's my goal! No spoilers needed and when you really get into it and check the info from the factory wind tunnel testing done 30 years ago and see that the Factory Pantera has lift of 145 lbs in front and the rear has no lift at 150 mph, you'll see why I want to do this. No lift at 150 mph w/o a front spoiler when the stance is lowered in front and raised in back like Murphy's (note the level of the roofline contrasted to the roofline of stock Panteras, see also the levelness of the rocker panels measured at the lower door jam), and w/o scraping the front valance, like when you have a spoiler in front(expensive).
The Pantera doesn't need a rear spoiler b/c the air is pushing UP thru the grill behind the window and never even touches the rear wing at 150 mph (see speed test of Hall Pantera at Utah Bonneville Salt Flats). Rear wings are just for looks on Panteras.
It looks HOT. And that's why horns honk at me on the freeway, and when I look over and wave hello, they're flashing photos, and not just A photo, a WHOLE ROLL of film!! When are they ever gonna have a chance to see THAT again???
Makes ya feel like a MOVIE STAR!!!!
I RECOMMEND IT!!!!

IMHO, polishing magnesium wheels is an extremely high-maintenence move. Your 7 & 8" x 15 wheels are not particularly valuable either way, as the lack of high-speed-rated tires is forcing the whole Pantera community to switch to 16, 17 or 18" wheels made of aluminum. Magnesium is SO chemically reactive, it will corrode as you watch, may react with rainwater to form hydrogen and then burst into flame, and other endearing qualities.Thats why the stock wheels are first treated with Zinc Chromate corrosion- preventive, then overpainted with aluminum paint. Expect to either wax your shiny wheels weekly, or plastic clear-coat them (which may last a whole year before it cracks or yellows & needs re-doing). And (referring to your post-name) if you're using them on a Mustang, be aware that all wheels flex in corners, more so with heavier cars, and coarse-cast magnesium builds up such stresses until they become cracks. An occasional stress-relief heat cycle is an excellent idea, can be done in Mom's oven but will discolor all paints and clear-coats.

Can Campagnolo magnesium rims be chrome plated? I was thinking about keeping 15" fronts on and 17" rears for fun, just to have something to swap around, or to just drive the skins off of last year's tires? I'm gonna try the combo for looks and performance, but know that after the tires wear out, the 15" wheels are just gonna sit in the garage, for back up. Or new for 2004, maybe new clear coat, some tire paint, cut a nice thick piece of glass into a rectangle or oval, and presto, a Campagnolo 15" rim coffee table! Only one in town.

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Originally posted by jack deryke:
IMHO, polishing magnesium wheels is an extremely high-maintenence move. Your 7 & 8" x 15 wheels are not particularly valuable either way, as the lack of high-speed-rated tires is forcing the whole Pantera community to switch to 16, 17 or 18" wheels made of aluminum. Magnesium is SO chemically reactive, it will corrode as you watch, may react with rainwater to form hydrogen and then burst into flame, and other endearing qualities.Thats why the stock wheels are first treated with Zinc Chromate corrosion- preventive, then overpainted with aluminum paint. Expect to either wax your shiny wheels weekly, or plastic clear-coat them (which may last a whole year before it cracks or yellows & needs re-doing). And (referring to your post-name) if you're using them on a Mustang, be aware that all wheels flex in corners, more so with heavier cars, and coarse-cast magnesium builds up such stresses until they become cracks. An occasional stress-relief heat cycle is an excellent idea, can be done in Mom's oven but will discolor all paints and clear-coats.

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Originally posted by 6t6tang:
I recently purchased a set of 2 slot Campagnolo Wheels, the finish on them is okay but I was thinking of having them stripped and then polished. The surface does not look too smooth. Has anyone had any experience with this process? They are 15x7 & 15x8. Would this be hurting the value of the wheels? Thank you.

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Thank you one and all for your comments, this is going to take some careful consideration. For now I think I'll run them "as is".

Campagnlo makes very sophisticated and expensive bicycles and bicycle parts. A cross country bicyclist was extremely interested in my car at the ski resort yesterday (where they run the chairs year round) and even knew that the Dodge Viper wind tunnel test produced a Coefficient of Drag measured at 0.32 and the new Corvette had a Coefficient of Drag of 0.31 (after I told him the Pantera had a Drag Coefficient of 0.29 and the Ford GT-40 had a 0.28.

I was informed that Magnesium does not 'catch on fire when wet,' but can 'flash' which of course can cause a fire, but is not the same as catching on fire. I'm sure it would get rid of the water. And I don't usually park my car in standing water or let the rims tarnish to the point of the obvious.

I'm told Campagnolo bicycle parts made of magnesium are plated with Stainless steel by someone who apparently is very knowledgable about Campagnolo and magnesium.

Of course, it's cheaper to just keep the Pantera's original rims with the factory paint on them. But mine came either polished or plated, and I assume the people who did it knew what they were doing, given their qualifications, years of experience, professions, etc.... I haven't checked to see whether they were plated or polished. I was told they had clear coat on them. They look great. Look like chrome to me, but what do I know?

But, as I said, I'm going with Campy clones, 16x8 & 17x11.

It can be done. Noboy answered your question about what it does to the value, but I've had inquiries about selling them when I upgrade to 16" & 17" rims by a Pantera Guy who has painted Campagnolo rims. I don't want to sell them.

[This message has been edited by ron norman (edited 06-23-2003).]

IMHO, a '66 Mustang would look better with Shelby rims, correct for the period, but if it's not a Shelby OR a Pantera, the GT rims are only correct upgrade for that vehicle, which wouldn't improve it's value anyway. These matters are only done for persoanl taste, without regard to cost. The Harley Davidson Guy doesn't ask whether he'll get his money back out of his Harley for all the modifications he made, he did it because he loves his bike, and isn't planning on selling it. Same with the homeowner, a bathroom or kitchen remodel doesn't even return 100% on the 'invested dollar' when it comes time to sell. Pantera owners don't plan on selling their toy, look how few are for sale around the world on any one day vs. how many are actually in garages around the world on any one day. I'll give you the answer. Maybe 100 Panteras for sale at any one time vs. about 6,000 to 7,000 existing.
Don't 'polish your rims because it's gonna increase or decrease the value of your car or rims. You gotta ask your heart why you're gonna do something or not. Invest in something you know something about, and cars usually cost you money, not make you money. Consult a financial planner, dude. Those rims are for your love of life and automotive engineering feats, not for your investment purposes!