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Does anyone know what you'd call the original silver finish on the bed side tool box latch? I'd like to get one refinished but I don't know what to ask for. both of the ones I have are in decent shape so I can see what it was, but the finish just doesn't resemble anything I'm familiar with.
I have a couple and they look like raw galvanized, like you would see on new flat mount truck latches or farm/ranch gate hardware. I thought of painting mine body color. I have seen chrome ones but i believe ours aren’t flat, rather concave a little.
That's kind of what I think too, but there is no texture like galvanizing. mine have just kind of turned a dingy gray color.
I just want to make sure it's not too shiny or it will look strange. there's a galvanizing outfit in Spokane that will help on restoration projects maybe I'll talk to them.
Poke around Eastwood Co's site. They may have something in a spray can that will work or you can spring for the $75 tin zinc electroplating kit if you are going for a more permanent solution.
I always thought they "should" look good in matching truck color, but most of the paint jobs I've seen where they painted the latch just made them look cheap and crappy. Even if the rest of the truck looked nice, the latch stuck out like a sore thumb.
I'm still assuming that if the job was done right, it might look OK. But any complementary color would probably be ok. Something like a spray can of "cast iron gray" or something similar would be workable.
Sounds like you're willing to go all the way and do it right though sixpack. Definitely let us know how it comes out!
I found a guy in CA who says he can do clear zinc pretty reasonable. I'm not sure if that's totally correct but it may have to do.
It would be my choice as most hardware of that type was supplied by third parties and it probably would have been chrome, black or zinc. Nothing I've ever owned has been in good enough nick to spring for chrome nor wold black look right where zinc is one size fits all.
I tried the Eastwoods finishes and it looked okay, but now that my pickup is being repainted it's going to bug me . I think I'll get it clear zinced unless I get it there and he tells me it's something else. there is a gray phosphate I guess and that might be it.
I never even thought about chrome, but I bet that would look great!
I'm not actually much of a chrome guy traditionally, which is probably why I never thought about the latch being chromed. But a certain amount of chrome does look very much in style for our older trucks.
I never even thought about chrome, but I bet that would look great!
I'm not actually much of a chrome guy traditionally, which is probably why I never thought about the latch being chromed. But a certain amount of chrome does look very much in style for our older trucks.
Paul
Back in '77 I ordered a new F250 Ranger XLT. The one I ordered was black, never came in. I got tired of waiting so just picked one off the lot. That one was copper metallic and Indio tan. A few months later I painted it black and while I was doing that I had the latch chromed. It looked pretty good against the black.
Hesitant to say for sure without seeing a well preserved one but most likely original was silver cadmium as it had a good appearance and "cad" was still being used widely in the 70s in the automotive industry. Since cadmium is very hazardous to humans, silver zinc plating has become the acceptable substitute for the past 30 years or so in the auto restoration hobby. Cad is still available but very few places do it and its very expensive. Zinc is available in yellow (gold cad substitute) or silver. True cadmium offer superior protection vs zinc but in most cases its not a factor that justifies the use of cad.
Gray phosphate plating was used but it offered the least protection and typically wasn't used on parts that were on the body exterior because it would not last more than a couple years especially in the salt belt, plus it did not have good aesthetics vs cad. Typically gray phosphate came in a dull medium gray or dark grey. It was used commonly on fasteners and GM used it widely on things like hood hinges and occasional bracketry under the hood and chassis.
I suspect it was originally cad or gray phosphate. one of them I have is off a pickup my dad bought new and it was never very shiny. the back looks like new and it's just not very bright. but it has a finish that just can't be duplicated with paint.
Zinc is probably going to be the closest finish that's available today it sounds like. sometimes close is as good as it gets.
I know originality isn't important to most people on pickups. but it's too bad because one day there won't be any examples of a survivor or concours level ones left , and mine won't be there either, by the time anyone cares it will probably be too late. I have no interest in 2wd's but I'm tempted to buy one of the super clean survivors I see now and then while I can just for this reason. save a few while they're still cheap and available and poke them in the back of the barn.
I think they are cad plated...when I was restoring my 79 F350 a couple of years ago I polished my latch with mold polish I had. It turned out pretty nice considering what it looked like before. I thought of getting it chrome plated but I wanted the "original" look.
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