I have the aluminum storms/screens you mention, but they don't have weatherstripping, as that would interfere with them opening in their tracks--mine have a sort of rubber channel in one side which allows the panel to slide a hair (hopefully) so it can be removed--most of the time it doesn't really work. Personally, the aluminum is going to suck heat right out of the house no matter what, so trying to weatherstrip them is worthless. Buy the screening and spline and let go with that. I've never tried the low-e films, but all films are notoriously hard to get to adhere, and with the metal being such a poor insulator, I think it too would be a waste of money. If you were to put it on the interior wooden windows, that might be a better choice. Just a side note, I"m going to be replacing my aluminums with wooden storms this year--made by me--I'll let you all know how it goes.

norar il, From your description above, it is obvious you need new replacement windows installed, storm windows removed and discarded and the outside area around the window opening needs to be capped in aluminum and fully caulked. This will greatly help with air infiltration. I think a 100 year old home looks beautiful with new vinyl replacement windows. And they'll save you money on heating and cooling bills. Remember when looking at vinyl replacement windows, make sure the aluminum capping is part of the job. It is here in Northern NJ, not an extra. It is definitely not practical to keep your old storm windows in place. First of all, how would you clean them? The new insulated glass caratridges that come with the new windows have better values. The storms are really in the way of a good installation. Lastly, I believe your house may need insulation. Consider blown in cellulous. It runs about 1.15 per SF of wall area. It's a small investment with real big savings. Food for thought, The PorchGuy Here is a link that might be useful: My Album

The metal polishes should help coat the aluminum with a sacrificial layer that will keep it from oxidizing as quickly, but uncoated aluminum is going to oxidize. Depends on the paint as to what works best. If you really want to keep them, pulling the glass and media blasting them is probably easiest.

How old are the units again? I realize that you do not want to replace all of them, but more often than not, the condition of one is indicative of the condition (or impending condition) of the rest. In this case, it is not like this unit was behind a tree, bush, or subjected to any more weather or moisture than was likely experienced by the other units. Might be time for a careful inspection of the remaining units and look at the project, unfortunately, in more totality. This is not the rule, just an observation. Hopefully the other units are just fine at the end of the day.