<VV> engine lid support

[Marc Sheridan]

Joe,
I tried your magnet test and sure enough, the magnet stuck to my shiny 
engine lid support. So then I went on to test other things. The magnet 
was attracted to all the stainless trim from my Corvair, that is now in 
a pile in the garage while my car is in the body shop. After that I 
headed to the kitchen, the magnet would not stick to my stainless steel 
sink. From that, I could have decided that the magnet test is valid and 
the trim on my car is not stainless, but I searched out a pan that had 
"stainless steel" stamped right in it. The magnet stuck!

So now my conclusion is that many stainless steel items, like Corvair 
trim parts, are not 100 per cent stainless, but an alloy that has enough 
regular steel in it to be attracted to a magnet. Is my conclusion correct?

Marc Sheridan

N. Joseph Potts wrote:

>Expect your support assembly to tarnish/rust rather quickly if you're in any
>proximity to salt or moisture. If you want to know whether it's stainless
>(it isn't), apply a magnet to it. If the magnet does not attract, it's
>stainless (or brass or nickel or something else unlikely). If it does
>attract, then it's almost certainly not stainless.
>     If you like polishing stuff in your engine bay and then watching it
>re-rust, polish up your fuel lines and the balance tube. They're all the
>same stuff.
>
>Joe Potts
>Miami, Florida USA
>1966 Corsa coupe 140hp 4-speed with A/C
>
>-----Original Message-----
>
>A while back I asked the list if the engine lid support is made out of
>stainless steel. Some said no, some said maybe. Whatever it is, it
>polished up pretty good. The inner sliding part has a better finish
>after the polishing. The outer part had some undercoating over spray on
>it that seems to have pitted the metal and it didn't polish out. The
>button for the release looks like it is chrome plated.
>
>Thanks to all that replied.
>
>Marc Sheridan