Hardware restoration
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,930
Likes: 15
From: Calgary Alberta
Hardware restoration
I find it hard to believe that even the richest corvette restorer on this forum replaces every single nut on bolt on their cars. I am replacing the bulk of the fasteners on my vette with new ones, but for the ones which are still in fairly good shape and are uncommon thread sizes I am going to sandblast them in my cabinet and then coat them with a protective coating. I want a coating which will not chip or rub off when I am installing them on the car with my sockets and wrenches. What type of coating should I use? Will common spray paint suffice for this job...or will it just last until I have to install it on the car and then scratch? What do you guys use? Eastwood has a kit which electroplates them...has anyone used this http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?i...mType=PRODUCT? What were the results like?
What do you guys use to paint your hardware?
What do you guys use to paint your hardware?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,231
Likes: 65
From: Seattle WA
St. Jude Donor '14
If I have to reuse hardware, I've been using the black anodize kit from Caswell. There are other choices there as well...but paint is basically useless for a fastner.
http://www.caswellplating.com/
http://www.caswellplating.com/
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,930
Likes: 15
From: Calgary Alberta
Is this the kit you use...
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/black.htm
What have the results been like?
http://www.caswellplating.com/kits/black.htm
What have the results been like?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,231
Likes: 65
From: Seattle WA
St. Jude Donor '14
That's the kit. I was generally very happy with the kit - metal prep is VERY important (as with everything 
I found the best results NOT using an etch conversion coating before the black anodize.
This stuff has held up pretty well on everything I've used it on for the last few years.
There are some pictures at the link below - bottom of the page - for a FAQ I wrote on another board. Those photos include an etch step, which again I found to be detremental to getting a deep anodize.
I found the best results NOT using an etch conversion coating before the black anodize.This stuff has held up pretty well on everything I've used it on for the last few years.
There are some pictures at the link below - bottom of the page - for a FAQ I wrote on another board. Those photos include an etch step, which again I found to be detremental to getting a deep anodize.
Pro
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 518
Likes: 12
From: Panhandle
This is an OLD post, but haven't found "THE" solution yet.
Anyone have any experience with the technique described in the link?
http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/ru..._derusting.htm
I have a good media blaster and would love to find a technique or a GOOD coating product that will keep the rust away. Spray or brushing would be ideal!
Anyone have any experience with the technique described in the link?
http://www.stovebolt.com/techtips/ru..._derusting.htm
I have a good media blaster and would love to find a technique or a GOOD coating product that will keep the rust away. Spray or brushing would be ideal!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 7,032
Likes: 2
From: Newburgh NY
For stuff that is not visible I blast it, paint it with either Eastwoods cast blast or black anodized paint but that's about it. No matter what you do it's going to look like !@#$ in some amount of time if it gets wet not to mention just wrenching on it.
Stuff that is seen, I'm ****, and spend the money for either new stainless or new Zinc plated. Even that doesn't all last but I don't ussually drive em in the rain so they last looking good quite some time.
But, with a little effort and time, I have heard some of the plating systems as mentioned do work but I just don't have the patience for that.
It's so much faster to just grab a box/bad marked Rear Upper Shock Mount install kit instead of trying to look through a box of chewed up blasted hardware. But you are correct. There is a price to pay for that. So it comes down to personal preference, budget, time available, and patience.
As you can see, I was recently putting someones 69 Z/28 together and all the hardware is laid out in sections and spread around the garage so I can just grab it and slap it on. I'm lazy. He paid! PLus in this case more then half the original stuff was missing anyway.
Stuff that is seen, I'm ****, and spend the money for either new stainless or new Zinc plated. Even that doesn't all last but I don't ussually drive em in the rain so they last looking good quite some time.
But, with a little effort and time, I have heard some of the plating systems as mentioned do work but I just don't have the patience for that.
It's so much faster to just grab a box/bad marked Rear Upper Shock Mount install kit instead of trying to look through a box of chewed up blasted hardware. But you are correct. There is a price to pay for that. So it comes down to personal preference, budget, time available, and patience.
As you can see, I was recently putting someones 69 Z/28 together and all the hardware is laid out in sections and spread around the garage so I can just grab it and slap it on. I'm lazy. He paid! PLus in this case more then half the original stuff was missing anyway.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 3,930
Likes: 15
From: Calgary Alberta