Ignition Coil Bracket Finish

[68camaroz28]

Chick,

  Your springs are raw steel then?

Mike

They would seem that way but had very little rust other than some surface rust here and there and would think totally raw steel would have rusted up a lot.

[Mike S]

 That's why I wonder if they were indeed phosphate and not oiled over their lifetime to cause surface oxidation.

Mike

[68camaroz28]

That's why I wonder if they were indeed phosphate and not oiled over their lifetime to cause surface oxidation.

Mike

Mike, to obtain a better view of color contrast here is a view of when I installed one spring back in the hinge. It's a light gray and contrast well against the hinge.

[69Z28-RS]

My observation from nearly 50 yrs 'playing' with car parts..   I'm not sure why, but 'spring steel' is not as prone to rust as regular steel or iron parts...

[Buzz1967]

I'm sure glad I started this thread. I'm learning a LOT about metal and phosphate.

Mike, would it be alright to send you a P/M?

[Mike S]

 Hi Buzz,

    Sure, feel free to do so.

Mike

[70z28lt1]

If you are in the Dayton Ohio area bring them by and I can do the hinges and latch assembly.  I have 10 gallons of the Palmetto stuff mixed up.
Only local stuff.  I don't want to deal with shipping etc.  Glass bead it ahead of time.  I use a SS single bowl sink on the barbeque grill.  It works great!

Great idea, but how did you seal up the drain hole??? 

I traced out a pattern from the hole on a piece of stainless steel sheet metal, cut it out, ran a bead of gasket rtv and then pop riveted it in place. This was my second try. First sink was a paper thin cheapie that I tried TIG welding and blew so many holes in it I threw it away. Got them both on Craigslist for 15 and 25 dollars. You need this big to do the hood latch and hinges on a '70.

[70z28lt1]

There has been much discussion about the color of the hinge springs being darker than the hinges themselves. Not sure there is a definitive conclusion.
I am going to try the manganese phosphate and see if it is too dark.
There is a question of hydrogen embrittlement, I think it can be addressed here:
http://www.smfi.net/portfolio/hydrogen-embrittlement-relief/
I made a set of "spring spreaders" which are special bolts placed inside the springs and then "unscrewed" to expand the springs. Then the glass beading and plating can get in between the coils.

[69Z28-RS]

If you are in the Dayton Ohio area bring them by and I can do the hinges and latch assembly.  I have 10 gallons of the Palmetto stuff mixed up.
Only local stuff.  I don't want to deal with shipping etc.  Glass bead it ahead of time.  I use a SS single bowl sink on the barbeque grill.  It works great!

Great idea, but how did you seal up the drain hole??? 

I traced out a pattern from the hole on a piece of stainless steel sheet metal, cut it out, ran a bead of gasket rtv and then pop riveted it in place. This was my second try. First sink was a paper thin cheapie that I tried TIG welding and blew so many holes in it I threw it away. Got them both on Craigslist for 15 and 25 dollars. You need this big to do the hood latch and hinges on a '70.

So the RTV seal held up to the heat (underneath) and the 200F chemical in the sink??   Interesting...  I might try that.

[70z28lt1]

Seems to be holding up well.

I've used it twice and no effects on the seal.

Permatex Ultra-Grey and 8 equally spaced pop-rivets.

[Buzz1967]

[Buzz, do a search for palmetto phosphate and read some of the threads explaining how easy it is! And confused since you plan on doing large parts which needs both large container and solution. If you have a glass bead cabinet and can boil water you can do those small parts with ease.

I've changed my mind and I just might do this on a small scale for the smaller parts. I know it's easy because a friend of mine did some parkerizing when he restored his '49 Harley. I see there's a couple phosphating videos on Youtube which could serve as a crash course. Then if I decide to go bigger, we have an old grill. All I need is a single bowl kitchen sink from Craigs list or eBay. Thanks for the sink tip guys!

[Edgemontvillage]

Lloyd,

   You are saying manganese with the understanding of the difference between zinc (phosphate) vs. manganese solutions, correct? If so then I now have a use for the unopened bottles of manganese parkerizing solution!

Thanks,
Mike

Yes Mike, I'm speaking from experience, I've used both zinc and manganese parkerizing solutions extensively.

[Buzz1967]

Lloyd,

   You are saying manganese with the understanding of the difference between zinc (phosphate) vs. manganese solutions, correct? If so then I now have a use for the unopened bottles of manganese parkerizing solution!

Thanks,
Mike

Yes Mike, I'm speaking from experience, I've used both zinc and manganese parkerizing solutions extensively.

Does the one solution color up to the grey finish associated with the hood hinges and latches, while the other solution is darker in color like the many bolts are cars are assembled with?

[68camaroz28]

Lloyd,

   You are saying manganese with the understanding of the difference between zinc (phosphate) vs. manganese solutions, correct? If so then I now have a use for the unopened bottles of manganese parkerizing solution!

Thanks,
Mike

Yes Mike, I'm speaking from experience, I've used both zinc and manganese parkerizing solutions extensively.

Does the one solution color up to the grey finish associated with the hood hinges and latches, while the other solution is darker in color like the many bolts are cars are assembled with?

Yes, exactly! Some items were the darker manganese finish and some the dark gray. I used both solutions for different product on our car but again, the hood hinges I did not do but everything else I did. Some things learned, a new batch of manganese will give a very dark finish and parts will darken more if kept in for longer periods of time. The solution can be saved and used several times but like many things it seems to weaken and the finish is not as dark compared to new. In many cases I preferred used solutions due to the manganese being too black looking when using a fresh batch, but that is simply my preference and nothing more. After removal from either solution you have to give the newly phosphate parts a good cleaning and Palmetto suggests using WD-40. That portion of the process is important that you do not end up with white spots (salts) on your hardware. I found over the past couple years what worked best was the old red Mystery Oil. Just put them in the oil, take them out, and brush with a soft brush (old toothbrush works well) and sort of dry off. As just like a paint job, the preparation is key so I normally glass bead what I'm going to manganese/phosphate immediately prior. You can purchase a cheap ceramic coated pot/s at WalMart or some old stainless pot or pan not used by a family member or at any flea market/Goodwill store, etc. Hardware does not need a large container and I found taking time with small batches at a time worked well for me. Again, a lot of information is available concerning Palmetto products if you complete searches here or on team Camaro.

[70z28lt1]

The process that I used after phosphating was a quick rinse with tap water (garden hose for larger parts) blow dry with an air hose and then a quick spraying with Boeshield for rust prevention.  Fluid Film is also recommended, but I haven't tried that.  WD-40 is often recommended but maybe that is due to it being so easily available.  I haven't found WD-40 to be a great rust preventative.

Also, wear the disposable nitrile gloves after the glass beading to keep any skin oils from the part.