Fuel Injection rebuild - parts finish and plating 1959 900R

[Ian G.]

Does someone have a good list of the proper finish and plating for the various parts of the fuel injection units on C1? I've specifically got a 1959 900R unit. I know the intake and doghouse are aluminum and some sources to refinish those. I'm wondering about the air meter (aluminum?), air meter venturi cone & ring, fuel meter, fuel meter covers, bellcrank, accelerator linkage, acellerator return spring (not blue), vacuum lines, vent lines, oil lines, and the various screws and bolts. I've heard some of these are zinc castings, and I can see some tubes appear to be aluminized, while others are copper plated or copper. An example of conflicting parts on sites shows the oil line to distributor both raw steel and copper plated. So I'm wondering what should be "raw" (intake and doghouse for instance), cadmium plated (bellcrank and linkage, some bolts etc), zinc plated (if anything), copper plated (oil line?) or aluminum plated (vent tubes?).

Thanks for your help!

[Richard M.]

Re: Fuel Injection rebuild - parts finish and plating 1959 900R

Ian, At the suggestion of a friend who had been doing fuelies for many years, I had all steel pieces cadmium plated.

Before...


After aluminum refinishing...


After Cad plating...


Done....

[Don H.]

Re: Fuel Injection rebuild - parts finish and plating 1959 900R

Rich, Did you send the aluminum out? Don H.

[Richard M.]

Re: Fuel Injection rebuild - parts finish and plating 1959 900R

Rich, Did you send the aluminum out? Don H.

Don, Yes, Fred Hudson in Oklahoma City. Awesome work.

[Ian G.]

Re: Fuel Injection rebuild - parts finish and plating 1959 900R

Do you know of anyone on the west coast? Reviewing the board I see the following people only, all east coast:

Jerry MacNeish www.z28camaro.com MD
lamar walden lwaengines.com GA
Ken Kayser www.kayserspecialty.com FL

[Dan H.]

Re: Fuel Injection rebuild - parts finish and plating 1959 900R

Yes, Chuck Smith, in the Driveline, or Gary Hodges, 503 588 3883
Dan

[Ian G.]

Re: Fuel Injection rebuild - parts finish and plating 1959 900R

Thanks Dan! I'm in between both of them lol. I'll check prices...

www.garyhodgesramjet.com in Oregon
www.chucksmithandco.com down near San Diego, CA

[John D.]

Re: Fuel Injection rebuild - parts finish and plating 1959 900R

Richard, Very nice job you did. Love the pics also.
Question: The tach cable. Are both ends of that cable assembly steel? Both nuts so to speak.
One time years ago I had a customers tach cable replated. The nut on the one end was aluminum. There was hardly anything left of it after plating. Customer was not happy so I bought him a new one. LOL John

[Richard M.]

Re: Fuel Injection rebuild - parts finish and plating 1959 900R

Richard, Very nice job you did. Love the pics also.
Question: The tach cable. Are both ends of that cable assembly steel? Both nuts so to speak.
One time years ago I had a customers tach cable replated. The nut on the one end was aluminum. There was hardly anything left of it after plating. Customer was not happy so I bought him a new one. LOL John

Hi John, I'm on the road so may no spell so good...

Yes the ends are aluminum or pot metal. The shop that plated the cable masked them with something to protect them.

Thanks for nice words. You and Jim Lockwood helped me a bunch with that one. Chuck McSheehy and I did that one together. It was his last fuelie. I dedicated it to him.

RIP Chuckie. My good friend.

[Ian G.]

Re: Fuel Injection rebuild - parts finish and plating 1959 900R

Sorry to hear about your friend, Rich... I've hit the age where I've started seeing friends and family pass on as well.

I've bought some aluminum cleaner, some kind of acid mix and I've been giving the intake a lot of elbow grease. It looks pretty good. Not polished, just good and clean. Have you hear of anyone getting away with that for judging, or everyone always sends their stuff of for the special proprietary acid bath/vibration tub treatment?

John, Do you typically see the oil tube to the distributor raw steel or copper plated on original units? or does that part not usually make it to your shop?

[Richard M.]

Re: Fuel Injection rebuild - parts finish and plating 1959 900R

Sorry to hear about your friend, Rich... I've hit the age where I've started seeing friends and family pass on as well.

I've bought some aluminum cleaner, some kind of acid mix and I've been giving the intake a lot of elbow grease. It looks pretty good. Not polished, just good and clean. Have you hear of anyone getting away with that for judging, or everyone always sends their stuff of for the special proprietary acid bath/vibration tub treatment?

John, Do you typically see the oil tube to the distributor raw steel or copper plated on original units? or does that part not usually make it to your shop?

Ian, Not sure about judging. Just be careful with any acids as it can darken it. I ruined a valve cover using engine foam once long ago.

Rich

[Ian G.]

Re: Fuel Injection rebuild - parts finish and plating 1959 900R

Point of interest since I like to try and use yellow cad on my car when I see signs of it. While most of my screws seems to be zinc replacements, some of them look possibly original and those slotted machine screws show signs they were yellow cad. Also the pivot tang on the choke and the choke cover hold-down washers look like it was likely yellow cad as well. I also found a few screws that look like they were black phosphate or oxide... the screw on top of the choke cover and the countersunk screws for the fuel meter cover and air meter flapper. Has anyone else seen yellow cad hardware on their original fuel injection units for C1?

[Richard G.]

Re: Fuel Injection rebuild - parts finish and plating 1959 900R

Could it be cadmium dichromate?

[Ian G.]

[John D.]

Re: Fuel Injection rebuild - parts finish and plating 1959 900R

Sorry to hear about your friend, Rich... I've hit the age where I've started seeing friends and family pass on as well.

I've bought some aluminum cleaner, some kind of acid mix and I've been giving the intake a lot of elbow grease. It looks pretty good. Not polished, just good and clean. Have you hear of anyone getting away with that for judging, or everyone always sends their stuff of for the special proprietary acid bath/vibration tub treatment?

John, Do you typically see the oil tube to the distributor raw steel or copper plated on original units? or does that part not usually make it to your shop?

Ian, Seldom does that part come to me. And if it does its mutilated. On the later FI's the part is definitely copper plated steel. Just like Henry Ford did on the early Ford V8's. Not sure on your unit. I only supply the bare one or today the silver colored lines as you have a really hard time finding bare 3/16 lines. Auto store sell Black lines. Some sell Silver. None here sell bare.
Ask Don Baker that question. He did your distributor years ago. He's not on the DB and doesn't care for emails. SO call him.

Rich. Who did the gorgeous cadmium plating for you? I am not concerned about how much the cad costs. Only concerned with high quality.
We will always miss Chuck. Thanks, John D