Early BBS mag motorsport question

[Chino]

I assumed early (thin mesh) BBS E50 magnesium race centers were all sold in gold. Anyone recall if they were ever sold in bare unfinished mag?

Thanks

[Arlo911]

Hi, I donīt know if they were sold unpainted in period, but I know a guy here in Belgium that bought a lot of NOS BBS magnesium
centers, most if not all unpainted.

[Chino]

Arlo thanks for the info.

[stownsen914]

I bought some older NOS BBS centers recently. They were painted the usual gold.

[Evan Fullerton]

I can't speak to back in the day but when I was putting together a bunch of E07s for Cup cars 10 years ago, BBS stocked the centers raw and didn't paint them until there was an order so they didn't end up with inventory in the "wrong" color...... we were always in a hurry and didn't want to wait for BBS to paint them so ran them raw but then being Aluminum rather then Mag, not really an issue.

[Chino]

Stownsen914, Evan,

Appreciate the feedback. A Local N CA shop has set, thought they might've been stripped.

Thanks

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Given how reactive magnesium is to air, if unpainted, i would think they would have to have some coating or protectant on them when sold.

[Chino]

Shaun,

I'm wondering if bare mag would be darker if clear / protectant coated. I'll have to check my old set, to compare the unpainted mounting surface to the ones for sale.

Thanks

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Magnesium is a pretty bright silver (just sand it to see) that only turns grey when oxidized. The more oxidation, the darker the grey. If the coating were slightly porous to air, I could see them turning dark over a long time.