Orig parts finish quality

[SS427]

With regards to the cottage cheese effect, research shows that this is a process created by the heat treating. If you look at an untouched original sway bar you can actually see various shades of black mixed within the cast color. This is not paint but rather caused by the heat treat process. After many hours of trial and error, I was able to closely replicate that process but this can cost several hundred dollars on a fairly inexpensive part. Only for the hard core resto freaks in some of us.

With regards to dipping, many parts were done this way as you've both stated. They include A.I.R. brackets, alternator brackets, misc clips, I believe steering columns, power steering brackets, A/C brackets, and many other parts.

On a survivor LS-6 I am restoring, the hood appears so have been hung sideways during spraying and there are large drips running from the center towards the sides. During the restoration, I left those drips intact. The list goes on and on.

[DjD]

Thanks for the info! Was there a process used to minimize the drips and runs when dipping parts?

...Dennis

[T Billigen]

They did not worry about drips and runs back then, just doing it the cheapest way!

[x44d80]

the dipping of parts in paint really does work. it takes a bit of experimenting to get the paint the right thickness so it doesnt run off or glob up if its too thick. if you come across parts that still have the factory black paint look close, you'll see small runs, drips, bubbles etc..another mistake i made was restoring my brake booster..i blasted it with glass bead then had it plated locally. the plate doesnt cover the rough texture of blasting. it looks ok, almost if it is a few years old, but probably would look better if i had sent it to one of the guys that specilizes in restoring boosters.

[SS427]

x44, in addition to sending it to someone who specializes in plating such as www.brakeboosters.com , make sure the piece gets buffed before sending it in. They will only buff it if you request it and will charge you for it. You want the piece to be as smooth as you can without actually 'polishing' it.

[CopoCrunkus]

If you don't want the drips, Bubbles etc on the parts that you dip, Try using a Gear Motor to pull the parts out of the paint slowly...this should take care of most of them. I find the easiest way is an old Fishing reel (Conventional Style) and a few pulleys will do the job also.


-Frank

[Terry Nelson]

x44,after sandblasting my booster , I rubbed it out with a real fine steel wool before plating. Turned out great! Even the owners of the shop that rebuilt the internals were impressed. Terry