<VV> CORRECT FAN COLOR?

[Chris & Bill Strickland]

I started buying Corvairs in about 1971, not a record but I was still 
pretty wet behind the ears -- I do not recall ever seeing an original 
fan that was not coated. The paint on the steel fans came off with use, 
especially in coastal or dusty, gritty environs.  The mag fans were also 
coated, but it was some sort of special coating, and it was originally 
black -- I always thought it was an anti-corrosion, fire retardant 
coating of some sort. 

With use, the fans collect a coating of whatever is in the air, and that 
generally abrades, attacks, whatever, etc the original coating.

Seems like somewhere in the literature the coating on the mag fan is 
addressed by someone much more knowledgeable than myself.

There is a current paper on 'FAILURE OF MAGNESIUM ROTORS IN 
MOTOR-OPERATED VALVE ACTUATORS' by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission 
where both general and galvanic corrosion of "magnesium motor rotor fan 
blades" (whatever they are) are discussed -- 
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/gen-comm/info-notices/2006/in200626.pdf

Current common practice for magnesium parts is to apply some sort of a 
chromate conversion coating  prior to painting to control its relatively 
high corrosion rate.

Speaking of literature, did you know the SAE has a 1961 paper titled 
'The Corvair 95-ChevroletS Space Age Panel Truck' -- 
http://www.sae.org/technical/papers/610208 ?

Cheers!

Bill Strickland