Topic: Rear Tailight Housings (Buckets) - 1968 San Jose

[bullitt68]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I am wondering what the original finish was on the rear taillight housings  (Buckets). I thought it was zinc but it could have been cad, so I want to be sure before I plate them. FYI I removed the previous plating with muriatic acid and then used a fine glass bead to remove the residue.


Thanks

[jwc66k]

The housings were probably cad plated. Businesses that do cad plating are under EPA pressure to cease that method. The best substitute is to use dull zinc plating. Dull zinc is a relatively new process, about 7 to 10 years old, and most plating shops have the capability. Consider dull zinc as an alternative.
The housings look to be made from multiple pieces, which may have been plated separately then assembled. If that's the case, there is a possibility that if rivets were use, they were not plated.
Jim

[bullitt68]

The housings were probably cad plated. Businesses that do cad plating are under EPA pressure to cease that method. The best substitute is to use dull zinc plating. Dull zinc is a relatively new process, about 7 to 10 years old, and most plating shops have the capability. Consider dull zinc as an alternative.
The housings look to be made from multiple pieces, which may have been plated separately then assembled. If that's the case, there is a possibility that if rivets were use, they were not plated.
Jim

Thanks Jim. I think there is a place that does Cad in my area. I have seen some of their work and it looks good. That makes sense re the rivets. The rivets could have been zinc however