Zinc Phosphateing of Hood Hinges, Catches, etc

[CamarosRus]

I spoke with a local commercial vendor that would zinc phosphate MULTIPLE pairs of hinges at a (what I thought, but cant recall) reasonable price.
In my conversation with him, he stated that I would have problems there after with surface corrosion (i.e. RUST) .
I have seen some hinges that appeared to have been oiled after phosphating and others look "dry"
Interested to read, what others from this site observed at SCR9.......
For those that have been involved in this restoration detail, what will you share
For that matter, who just PAINTS there hinges with there own secret concoction, and calls it good???

Thanks for sharing,

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

My phosphating is showing some light surface rust. I think that's understandable since it's been about 6 years since they were done, and I don't have a climate controlled garage. I have not done anything to preserve it either, but will plan to get the items replated in the future.

[SS4Real]

Chuck,

I had my hood hinges replated with the correct zinc phosphate 4 years ago. The plater suggested that I put WD40 on them (as well as the springs) once a year to keep them from rusting. They still look as good as the day I had them done and have zero rust. For my hood catch (the part that bolts on the hood) I painted that and it's almost a perfect match with no maintenance necessary except for a little white lithium grease on the end.

[SS427]

I either soak mine out very heated dirty engine oil (darkens them up a little) so the oil is absorbed into the pores of the parts or the easiest is to coat them in Boe-Shield. You have to be careful soaking the parts depending on what they are. I don't soak springs for instance. Dave Miner (mrrec) has some great advice in the past on finishing/plating.
Rick

[kwhizz]

I glass bead the hinges and springs and use "Cast Blast" rattle can paint.....looks pretty good and is durable.....Not correct for a perfect restoration job, but it looks pretty good........

Ken

[Woj]

I used OEM Paint's dark gray zinc phosphate paint. It looks great and has held up beautifully for the last 5 years. No oiling required to preserve it.

The bad news. They charge about $50 for one can. Personally, I think it is the best stuff out there, but you can buy a decent Eastwood black phosphate paint for $10. I've used that too and for dark phos surfaces, that might be better.

Phil Woj.

[m22mike]

Yo Phil What is up?
To the original post, you are supposed to coat the new plating with some sort of oil, again this is what most of the platers will say.
Since alot of us like to play with paint, let me tell you about my lastest experiment with hood hinges.
After a coat of epoxy primer I sprayed a set with Dupli Color DARK cast coat ( Auto Zone ). They were OK but way to shinny, they set around for a few days and I thought this is not going to cut it.
I de pressurized about a 1/4 full can of the same paint and let the gas vent for awhile, I then put the paint in my Badger airbrush with a large tip, I added about a tablespood full of Dupont flattner to the paint and dusted on a couple coats of the brew. All I can say is , the best painted hinges I have ever saw , There real flat.
The next time I do this I will have some darker paint made for the base, there still a little to light, but better than light cast blast.
OK go play !
Mike

[firstgenaddict]

I Sprayed the original phosphate on the black 69 Z with cosmoline after cleaning them. They have been washed a few times and still look great.

[SS427]

One trick you can use if you are spray canning your parts is to dry spray them. After applying a complete coverage, let them dry (almost completely) and then hold the part about 18" away. Rapidly pulsate the spray nozzle causing a dry spray. This not only gives the part a duller finish but also a slightly textured one not unlike the original phosphate texture.

Another trick I use if I am spray bombing them is to prime them in black first, apply a lighter coat of the phosphate colored paint so that the black "bleeds" through. This has given me an overall darker phosphate color then right out of the can. They are very hard to distinquish from originals.
Rick

[mrrec]

We think alike, Rick! The dry spray thing does work good on a variety of finishes. The Eastwood spray Zn Phos. looks pretty good if you want the very dark look. The real thing varies considerably in shade, but I've almost never seen anything quite so dark - most is much lighter gray.

As far as real zinc phosphatizing goes, it will remain nice for many, many years if done properly. I have and have seen orig pieces with little rust after 30+ years. I usually double cook mine to thicken the coating and with climate controlled storage, I have no fear of corrosion.

The gun guys recommend WD-40 or oiling Parkerized (ZN phosphating) finishes for the ultimate in corrosion protection. I don't like the look and GM certainly never did it.
Dave