67 seat tracks plated

[Keith B.]

on page 39 of the new manual it says the tracks are plated with a dark gray oxide. I am working with a plating outfit in Delaware to do some work and I would like to get the tracks right. what exactly plating is that. thanks

[Gene M.]

Re: 67 seat tracks plated

Keith,
Those tracks have an unusual appearance to them, unlike anything else on the car. I would agree with the manual, it's some form of oxide. My guess it is a phosphate oxide rather than a dip. The gray coloration is very smooth unlike the texture of phosphate. A common oxide in the day was black oxide, I wonder if this is the same without the black dye. It was smooth and without any thickness.

[Gerard F.]

Re: 67 seat tracks plated

Keith, Gene,

I think it was more of a painted finish in either gray phosphate or olive drab green phosphate primer. I do the gray or black phosphate plating on small parts in a crock pot.
But I think the original seat tracks were more of a painted primer type finish. I don't think in 67 that they took the care to gray phosphate dip the seat tracks.

Here's a post when I redid my original carpets:

https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthread.php?63313-67-Carpet-Cuts-Revisited&highlight=seats

Correct or not, I refinished my seat tracks with a gray phosphate primer.

Haven't been dinged yet, and I could be wrong.

[Keith B.]

Re: 67 seat tracks plated

anybody else

[Gerard F.]

Re: 67 seat tracks plated

Keith,

Here's a thread about disassembly of the 67 seat tracks with a post (with pictures) by Steve Lavigne and how he painted his with Krylon Olive Drab Green:

https://www.forums.ncrs.org/showthread.php?62889-67-Seat-rail-disassembly&highlight=Seat+Tracks

Not sure how he did at judging but they look like the originals from the photos. (Steve, please chime in)

As I mentioned above, I do gray and black phosphate plating, mainly on bolts. It is not really an electrolysis plating, it is just a protective corrosion process with a dip in a hot chemical solution. I use a crockpot (Somebody called me Crockpot Jerry on this forum ) I have found with gray phosphate that the longer you keep it in the dip, the darker it gets. You can even add a little black oxide or phosphate to get it darker.

However, to do phosphate plating, you will need to bring the part down to raw metal finish. Which means for a seat track, you or the plater will have to disassemble it to plate it. Bead blast it, then burnish it and do an acid dip. The results are all in the prep.

For me, I thought it was too much trouble. So I found a gray phosphate primer that I thought was similar to the original finish. Steve used olive drab green.

Remember it only has to look like the original finish in judging. I'm sure you can find a phosphate primer that will fit the bill of dark gray oxide.

As always, just having fun

[Russ S.]

Re: 67 seat tracks plated

The bottom tracks that mount to the floor are the gray phosphate as stated in the manual. Just judged the interior of a very original top flight car this past week that used to belong to Chip Miller.

[Gerard F.]

Re: 67 seat tracks plated

Russ,

The older and new 67 manuals state "dark gray oxide" which I have assumed meant "gray phosphate".

[Marco H.]

Re: 67 seat tracks plated

Keith,
My plater calls that finish "phosphate manganese". It is a dull gray plating that has the quality to retain oil. Peninsula metal Finishing in Orlando FL. They have a web site where you can look at the finishes.
Hope this helps,
Marco

[Russ S.]

Re: 67 seat tracks plated

I have to admit I often use these two terms interchangeably although there is some difference. The ones I judged this past week weren't what I would call real dark. I would say they were a lighter color that I would call black oxide rather than black phos

[Gerard F.]

Re: 67 seat tracks plated

I wonder if this stuff would work:

http://www.eastwood.com/ew-zinc-phosphate-aerosol-12-oz.html