68 RS hinges and cover plate finish

[Dockroger]

Does any one know what the proper finish would be for the RS headlight hinges and cover plates?
My car is an 04D Los Angeles build.I believe that the parts are original and look to have a natural finish
However all the photos I have been able to find show the parts as a semi gloss black
Also the headlight housings look to have had a gold plating and again photos I have seen of other cars show them as semi gloss black
Thanks in advance for your input
K

[Steve68]

K

Have you looked at this report?  http://www.camaros.org/68rs.shtml.  About half way down there are two pictures of the backing plate.  They are not gloss.  I would call them semi.  I'm not sure what you might be seeing that has gold plating.  The plate on the left is on a late May LA car and the one on the right is on an early June NOR car.  This part may have been changed in design or may have come from different suppliers.  Hope this helps.

Steve

[1968 Z28]

Also the headlight housings look to have had a gold plating and again photos I have seen of other cars show them as semi gloss black
Thanks in advance for your input
K

K....are you talking about the housing  behind the headlamp and the headlamp retaining ring attaches to it thus enclosing the headlamp?  I notice that they are called "buckets" and they are indeed painted black in the catalogs.
 
My standard 68 buckets had the gold looking finish on them....however I soaked them in EvapoRust to clean them and the gold finish dissolved leaving a galvanized finish.  No sign of paint whatsoever.  I have wondered about this also but have not seen it brought up before.

Maybe someone else will chime in that has seen this also.

[Dockroger]

There were two issues:
Steve
I did look at the report photos and they are a semi gloss black.
Mine show no sign of ever being painted even in concealed areas including the back side of the cover plates
where they wouldn't be exposed.

The other issue was the headlight housings or "buckets"
I have no reason to beleive that they are not original and they apear to have been a gold chromate finish
Can anyone confirm this
Thanks
Ken