Coating for nuts and bolts?

[Jeff Wilk]

Starting to reassemble entire front end and clip on our 59 after total dissassembly and cleaning and soon painting of many parts.  Also degreased and or wire wheeled all nuts and bolts. What do you paint or coat these with to meep from rusting again?

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

These nuts / bolts were cadmium plated. 

In the earlier 50's cars they were "silver" cad plated which changed circa
1957 to a gold cad plated.  It's not an expensive process, the platers who
do this work charge by the pound.  They rope all of the pieces on a steel wire
and dip them in the plating solution. 

It's the finishing touch that makes your "under hood" detailing stand out.

Mike

[Grant Owen]

Jeff,
Most of the parts were originally Gold Cad plated apart from some rods etc.
What I do is put the parts in a solution of 1/2 water & phosphoric acid to remove the rust Keep an eye on it so you dint pit the parts stir it occasionally never leave the parts in the solution for hours (you will have to remove Paint, Grease & any sealers first) Rinse solution off with water, then since you have a blasting cabinet Glass bead the parts with a fine glass bead then they will be ready for replating. If you dint know where the parts go take notes before you pull apart. I would Barrel roll all the small nuts bolts etc larger items hood hinges large brackets etc will need to be hung.
The last 2 59 Cadillacs I have been restoring I have replated over 3000 parts per car the bead blasting took about 3 weeks of solid work per car. Here in New Zealand it only costs me about $80 to replate all these parts for one car.
I would not paint these parts it will look cheap & horrible you can never tighten a painted bolt without chipping off the paint.
I hope this helps.

[Grant Owen]

I have owned about 20 or so 59 60 Cadillacs some very low milage cars all the nuts & bolts have always been gold,
some of the  silver parts I have noted , Corbin clips used on Vacuum , fuel & heater hoses some times, Tower Clamps radiator hoses, Trans linkage rods silver But I have seen gold ,  Park / fog light housings Sliver but the attaching Brackets on these Gold , Headlight buckets , washer bottle bracket is both Gold & Silver Bracket is riveted on after plating, Trans lines Gas lines brake lines but I have seen both gold & silver nuts on these, Trunk catch, some wiper motor parts , Window tracks.
Their are also parts that had different plating processes like Vacuums the rear part was Galvanised & the front silver.
Some other parts were tin plated like the Fuel Tank neck, Gas tank.
Some large parts like the Diff head Drive shaft had nothing at all & were not even painted.
I could write a book on what was original on 59 Cadillacs but at least this is a start.