I've had my Z bar sandblasted. It looks like it is an aftermarket one. It seemed to be a silver color. Can anybody please tell me what color the original Z bar color was in a 1969 Dart?
Z Bar Paint Color
- Thread starter Franko
- Start date
-
Rocky_JS
'cuda
I dont think they were painted, but plated, gold zinc if memory serves correct.
If it is gold zinc has anybody found a paint that looks similar for a correct appearing restoration?
Trying to remember 40 or so years ago....I don't recall there being ANY paint or plating on them at all. I do remember them being rusty. Just because an aftermarket manufacturer plates them doesn't make it right.
DaveBonds
Garage Trash
I've seen most of them have trace amounts of zinc plating left on them, in areas that didn't get hammered with salt and weather.
Zinc plating (which is silver in color) over media blasting is going to be as close as you will come to an original finish, but the media blasting usually leaves a dull finish that a plating won't exactly take out of it.
I don't know how wild you are going with the details, but if you were going to enter a high prize show or something, you'd want to fix the haze from blasting and pitting from rust before plating it, which means you'd have about a 500 grit finish on it for the plating to have more of a reflective quality, or step up to a new one.
If this is going on a driver of sorts, just hit it with some zinc colored paint. It dries fast and it's cheap.
Cad plating is gold. Cad paint kind of sucks. I've used it, but it's not worth the price that Eastwood wants for all of the colors. You use zinc as a base, then the cad gold, and a transparent red and green to hit it from a distance.
Each can isn't terribly expensive, but combined plus shipping and you've got a typical plating shop minimum that would likely toss in a few other bits to have replated for little or no extra cost.
If you can't find zinc colored paint, go with the lightest color of silver you can get, without the high solivent "chrome" finish and it will look close, as well as dry after about 2 minutes.
Zinc plating (which is silver in color) over media blasting is going to be as close as you will come to an original finish, but the media blasting usually leaves a dull finish that a plating won't exactly take out of it.
I don't know how wild you are going with the details, but if you were going to enter a high prize show or something, you'd want to fix the haze from blasting and pitting from rust before plating it, which means you'd have about a 500 grit finish on it for the plating to have more of a reflective quality, or step up to a new one.
If this is going on a driver of sorts, just hit it with some zinc colored paint. It dries fast and it's cheap.
Cad plating is gold. Cad paint kind of sucks. I've used it, but it's not worth the price that Eastwood wants for all of the colors. You use zinc as a base, then the cad gold, and a transparent red and green to hit it from a distance.
Each can isn't terribly expensive, but combined plus shipping and you've got a typical plating shop minimum that would likely toss in a few other bits to have replated for little or no extra cost.
If you can't find zinc colored paint, go with the lightest color of silver you can get, without the high solivent "chrome" finish and it will look close, as well as dry after about 2 minutes.
Rocky_JS
'cuda
doing a little research last night I came across a couple NOS torque shafts (Z-bar) and those were black. They had the appearance of being painted (thick chips) but they are 66 or earlier.
the most compelling is this one
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-Mopar-1...Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item4abe2e6685
it appears the ball stud and bracket, fork, and rods are silver zinc as most "claim" this to be the correct finish.
the most compelling is this one
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-Mopar-1...Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item4abe2e6685
it appears the ball stud and bracket, fork, and rods are silver zinc as most "claim" this to be the correct finish.
Factory installed bare metal. Replacement parts were painted black. Who would pay for a rusty new part.
Rocky_JS
'cuda
Oldman, the whole shelf stock thing I thought about that also.
DaveBonds
Garage Trash
The Z bar that I have came from a '74, so it's possible that they started zinc plating them later on for the same reason they painted replacements.
Edit:
For what it's worth, the Rust-Oleum Stainless Steel color paint duplicates mild steel color pretty well. Wherever we have a car that we're restoring that gets overspray on bare steel or something like that, we use that first, before overspraying the color that goes on over the bare steel and it holds up on low temp stuff.
Edit:
For what it's worth, the Rust-Oleum Stainless Steel color paint duplicates mild steel color pretty well. Wherever we have a car that we're restoring that gets overspray on bare steel or something like that, we use that first, before overspraying the color that goes on over the bare steel and it holds up on low temp stuff.
When I take this 69 Swinger to local car shows it won't be judged for points. I just want to get it as close to original as possible. Since the Z bar was rusty and I had it sandblasted, I tried to match the color on the brackets. I ended up using VHT High Temp Cast Aluminum, which came pretty close to matching the brackets. Thanks to all of you gentlemen for your input.
Hey Franko, are you planning on going to some of the cruise nights in Jackson this year. Last Friday of the month?
Might see you there.
I only live about 13-14 miles from you.
Might see you there.
I only live about 13-14 miles from you.
I might Bad Sport. Maybe I'll see you there.
-
