seat shims & gray phosphate

[Gary S.]

According to the 70-72 TIM, the rectangular seat shims should be gray phosphate. While I have seen black phosphate, I can't recall seeing the gray phosphate on anything. Can anyone describe this?

Secondly, is there any product out there that gives a reasonable gray phosphate finish? I am trying to restore, not replace or reproduce, my seat shims and they are pitted from too much time in the well without any attention. The pitting I can live with but the metal appears to be raw steel. I can probably talk myself into believing that there is a finish to these and it is somewhere between light gray and battleship gray. If I scrape the surface with a dental pick I can see shinier metal underneith. However, the material has enough pitting, about 40% over each of the four shims, that there is a visual detraction. Any suggestions on restoring these? I do not intend to send them out for replating/refinishing so I want to do this it home. Paint is probably out but what about other materials or finisheds?

Thanks,
Gary
72 LT1

[Joe L.]

Re: seat shims & gray phosphate

Gary-----

If you're talking about the seat shims that are supplied in the muslin bag for owner installation, I don't think that they were gray-phosphate finished. I think that they were painted with a metallic gray paint (like rally wheel paint).

[Terry M.]

Re: seat shims & gray phosphate *TL*

Gary,
Gray phosphate is the same coating that is on your hood latches. The seat shims usually stay cleaner due to their protected location (except for water which accumulates in the storage compartments, especially on convertibles). 1968 and 1969 are natural finish, but 1970-1972 are gray phosphate.
Terry

[Gary S.]

Re: seat shims & gray phosphate

Terry, thanks for the information. I took the shims down and compared them to the female side of the hood latches - those on the hood itself. The latches are a medium, flat gray while the shims are a very light gray. When I compare the shims to a new steel washer, the shims are two shades darker than the washer but certainly much lighter than the gray of the hood latches. I will assume that this difference in attributed to old steel versus the new steel in the washer.

Back to the original question then. Does anyone know how to reproduce the gray phosphate finish of seat shims or hood latches? Eastwood plating kit perhaps?

Gary
72 LT1

[Terry M.]

[Gary S.]

Re: seat shims & gray phosphate

Great response. Thanks. I think I will leave them alone and bite the bullet on the minor deduction. It certainly isn't worth all that work for a point or two.

Gary

[Robert C.]

Re: seat shims & gray phosphate

Gary, as Terry says, You cannot correctly reproduce phosphate. The plating process leaves small "diamond like sparkles" in the finish. Easily seen in sunlight. Phosphate can range in color from light grey to very dark. Lots of metal plating co's do phosphate on a batch basis weekly. It's very easy to remove all the hood hinges and latches, shims, pullys etc from the car and have it all phosphate plated as a batch. Bob

[Gary S.]

Re: seat shims & gray phosphate

Thanks. I have seen these "sparkles" on other items but I was thinking it was the dark or black phospate. I keep learning here. Thanks guys and gals.
Gary

[Juliet P.]

Re: seat shims & gray phosphate

The Eastwood electroplating kit does not do the sparkles unfortunately. It is too smooth metallic of a finish. And it buffs to a high shine if you take the time to do that. The Eastwood black oxide does a good job darkening bolts and gives even some of a rainbow sheen. After the black oxide I spritz them with some matte clear to get a finish pretty close to the black oxide original finish. I don't use their 'sealant' cuz it smells really bad and takes forever to dry. The clear spritz is tons easier. I haven't found anything which gives those sparkles. ~Juliet

http://corvetteforum.net/c3/1970registry/