You got the Midas touch! The brake parts look like they're gold plated. Sent from my LG-H831 using Tapatalk
Pic #3 looks amazing. Really shows off the great body line and finish! The only thing missing is the Boxer paint scheme. ;-)
Love this Thread! keep it up. Thank you. I respect you for pulling the trigger. I would LOVE to do that to mine but wouldn't know where to start!
Really really beautiful work. Maybe this has been asked before, but is the cad plating no too gold compared to the factory cosmoline?
Actualy I was thinking of the brake calipers in the pics. I remember reading that the plating method used back when gave a much lighter color but is illegal now. That current plating leaves a more vivid brighter finish, and there was some talk of it making parts brittle. No criticism, like engine intake manifold paint color, just curious. Looks great.
What is going to go through your mind the first time you drive it and a little bit of dirty gets on it?
The calipers are plated from new in yellow zinc which is what they are now. The cosmoline you talk of is an anti-rust coat thats sprayed onto the belly and suspension. As for hydrogen embrittlement I asked about that a long time ago when I first started plating parts. Ill have critical bolts and brackets normalized but things like nylock nuts cant be and according to the plater its not an issue like it was years ago. The chemicals used now are not the same due to health reasons, banned substances etc and according to the plater, the amount of hydrogen present isn't a factor. 15 years later I still haven't had even a plated screw fail.
The black feature line appears to be spray painted. I have always wondered/thought the factory brush painted the black. Is that just good brush painting in the photo or was the line masked and sprayed? (It is also a much flatter sheen than I expected; flatter than engine compartment black.) (All this said by someone with negligible restoration experience!)
The boxer trim is sprayed including the channel all at once which connects to the rear inner fenders and frame etc etc. The inside of the channel without boxer trim clearly has a tape line on the underside overhang which also connects to the rear inners and frame etc etc. On this car the black is all the same although the photos may show a different sheen.
This is the left side cabin and part of the left door with original paint. On the door you can see the jagged edge which has happened to me in the past when the tape is pulled off and it effects the sharp line. Note how different the paint line is from the door to the cabin not to mention how inconsistent the depth of the channel is. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Interesting. Thanks for the explanation. Mystery solved. (I have some inconsistency in sheen on my black trim line that I want to correct some day.) ('83 308)
Paul, hydrogen embitterment is still a very serious concern. It's only an issue with hardened parts (fasteners) and should be taken very serious. I've spoken with several platers about this and baking is part of the process. Normalizing hardened fasteners is not something that should be done as it's essentially a form of annealing which can change the mechanical properties of the fastener. Most hardened fasteners are mechanically plated vs electro plating. Not having a screw fail could be purely luck Regardless, the stuff looks great
They referred to the baking process as normalizing even if he used the incorrect term. I figured he's been doing it for 35 years so he must know more than I about it. How he has survived this long in a chemical cloud that I can barely stand for 30 seconds boggles my mind. Regardless, anything critical has been baked whether it was warranted or not.
I fully agree I deal with many, many platers and my buddy in SC is the only one that has a shop that does not look like the gates of hell
Just some more pics Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Paul that is SOOOO nice. This is Diamond upholstery work right? They always impress me with their work.
Some more before an afters then correct hose clamps, orientation etc. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
