I have a correct distributor for my 73 that I'm refurbishing and restoring to original. I'll be painting the outside black (above the hold down part). Question: should I paint the interior? On the one hand I'd like to preserve the cast iron, but on the other hand I don't want paint to chip off some day and cause trouble with the operation.

 

Another option could be blueing it. I have a bottle of fluid that I use for putting a black oxide finish on hardware and other small bits. It would protect the cast iron and make it darker without having anything that could flake off.

 

When I had my factory T.I. Distributor rebuilt, it came back after having been soda blasted down to the bare metal. The outside surfaces were all repainted to look like new on a GM vehicle.

The only place I have seen any real corrosion inside of distributors was on the newer MSD Billet Distributors on their base-plate and other parts inside of them.

Your solution of simply Blackening the hardware is brilliant! I have the blackening fluid from Eastwood and it is easy to do with no negative effects. Nothing to flake or peel off...

Plating kits from a company called Caswell Plating and they cater to hobbyists. They sell all sorts of plating kits. I have used their Tin, Copper, Bright Nickel and Blackening plating kits. For some of my hardware I simply cleaned the part and made it smooth. Then I would put several layers of Copper and buff it out. When done I would plate the part in Bright Nickel which looks like Chrome (with a Bluish tint). The surface is less porous than Chrome and it resists corroding better so it is a better choice over Chrome. The best part is that you can safely do it at home in your garage with basic materials. Caswell also offers Anodizing kits in any color for aluminum parts. All you need to have is a large variable power supply to be able to plate parts in your home.

Thanks for the great idea! I appreciate your time and help here!

Merry Christmas to All!

 

Factory housings were bare inside. Mine only have very slight surface rust and nothing to worry about.
If you were to paint it, just make sure it's clean of oils and use Rustoleum or the like.

 

Maybe use etching primer if you are going to paint so it sticks better.