Tin-Zinc plating on your old parts

[joeceretti]

Just a short post showing my success using a very inexpensive tin-zinc plating system I bought. I don't have a shot of the parts before I used the grinder/wire brush but they were rusty with a lot of dirt and hardened grease and flecks of paint. Very bad looking.

[las39]

Looks great. Heard that using DC from a battery will give a even nicer finish than the ripple AC from a battery charger. Can you confirm?

[Gene Beaird]

So it's an Eastwood kit?

[joeceretti]

Not sure about the difference in finish from an ac adapter as I have only used the batteries. Yes, it's an Eastwood kit. I did a bunch more parts and they all turned out great. One part, I had missed a spot when cleaning. Re-cleaned and re-plated and it looks fine.

[las39]

A kit is available in UK has a two different passivate , a  Yellow/Gold and a Blue/Clear. The Yellow/gold is also called Cadmium Yellow and supposed to give the look of Cadmium plated.
Which color are you using?

[joeceretti]

On the Eastwood.com website for usa they have a kit called tin zinc plating for around sixty dollars I think. That's the one.

[Jeff Wilk]

There is also a next level up kit if you want bright zinc plating and gold cad. Its called copy cad and i used it on my entire engine bay restoration. Just google copy cad. Works awesome

[Jon S]

Jeff -

Looks very nice!

[las39]

Jeff
thanks for showing me the yellow cad. Now I know what not to get

[Jeff Wilk]

To each his own Mo!  Thats whats great about these forums. Some like their restoration to be original (like this) or others dont. FYI.....the gold cad below was my first trial piece. You control the brightness and darkness of the yellow. After about 6 tries you have "your mix" all set to go.   Beauty is that you can do the parts as you need them and they only take 20 mins per batch including degreasing and stripping. 

[pauldridge]

I'm using the Caswell Copy Cad system myself.  Currently refurbishing the entire suspension and under carriage of my 1953 Nash Healey LeMans Coupe, and very pleased with the results.  Admittedly, some people want everything to be exactly as original.  I've learned that at the Pininfarina facility, after the cars were assembled, they just sprayed the entire under carriage with the typical black undercoating, but I just couldn't stand that, so am leaving all the hardware natural (and much of it in the definitely un-original but attractive cad plating finish).  To each his own!

[Scot Minesinger]

I use powder coating to simulate the various metal finishes.  You are a purist - very nice results.  The powder coating withstands 85lb-ft of torque required for tightening upper control arm shaft to frame bolts provided you use a 6 sided 3/4" socket on it.  Yours looks better on gold cad, but the clear zinc looks close. 

One advantage of powder coating is you can fill in pits with multiple coats and sand - works well for valve covers and oil pans.

Enjoy your Cadillac!

[las39]

To each his own Mo!  Thats whats great about these forums. Some like their restoration to be original (like this) or others dont. FYI.....the gold cad below was my first trial piece. You control the brightness and darkness of the yellow. After about 6 tries you have "your mix" all set to go.   Beauty is that you can do the parts as you need them and they only take 20 mins per batch including degreasing and stripping.

Exactly Jeff
But I don't think the yellow coloring is correct for prewar cars. Wasn't in the sixties they started this?
The original cadmized parts on my cars are not yellowish, but more like brushed zinc like Joe is showing. I wonder why they call the yellow stuff copy cad?

[Brad Ipsen CLC #737]

They call it copy cad because it is not cadmium.  It is zinc I believe.  Cadmium salts are not a friendly substance to have at home.

[las39]

They call it copy cad because it is not cadmium.  It is zinc I believe.  Cadmium salts are not a friendly substance to have at home.

Thanks for the info

[joeceretti]

I think the zinc'd parts look very nice installed.

[RobertM]

Would a float charger be sufficient for the Eastwood kit?
Bob M
'54 60S

[joeceretti]

I don't know what a float charger is. The batteries work fine. What is a float charger?

[RobertM]

A trickle charger I guess.  It keeps a full battery at full charge. What batteries did you use for the kit?

[joeceretti]

It comes with a battery holder for D size cells.