Restoring - General discussions that span across many different groups of years and models > Suspension

Finishing 1966 11/16 sway-bar insulator brackets

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Maksim27:
Guys I was wondering if the sway bar insulator brackets need to be bare metal or darker.  I have a set that got zinc phosphated a few years ago and not sure if that is correct.

Also have unrestored brackets that seem to show bare metal underside of them.  If in fact bare metal then I'll just RPM them after removing surface rust.

Jan 66 C4 200 San Jose

Bob Gaines:

--- Quote from: Maksim27 on October 24, 2022, 08:45:34 PM ---Guys I was wondering if the sway bar insulator brackets need to be bare metal or darker.  I have a set that got zinc phosphated a few years ago and not sure if that is correct.

Also have unrestored brackets that seem to show bare metal underside of them.  If in fact bare metal then I'll just RPM them after removing surface rust.

Jan 66 C4 200 San Jose

--- End quote ---
I believe that they were bare steel from the factory. Zinc phosphate is maintenance friendly and helps hold oil on the part to protect against rust. With that said there are different shades of zinc phosphate some of which are light in shade and close to bare metal look. It typically has to do with how long the part is cooked in the solution. The longer the darker typically. You should always use oil or your preferred rust protecting product to keep rust at bay regardless of if zinc phosphate or not..

Maksim27:
Yeah I also have the assumption that the brackets were bare metal to lightly phosphate then oil.  I don't know if I should lighten up the finish as a plating shop zinc phosphated the brackets.  Was also thinking of using RPM afterwards.

Bob Gaines:

--- Quote from: Maksim27 on October 24, 2022, 11:50:48 PM ---Yeah I also have the assumption that the brackets were bare metal to lightly phosphate then oil.  I don't know if I should lighten up the finish as a plating shop zinc phosphated the brackets.  Was also thinking of using RPM afterwards.

--- End quote ---
Yes they look too dark in the pictures. I typically lightly blast them and then tumble them in stainless steel shot for about 20 minutes and they come out looking factory fresh.

J_Speegle:
Bare steel like new steel is the look. How you get there is part of the fun and challenge. If they are in good condition you should still strip and refinish them unless they are perfect. Looks like yours are very nice for ones to start with


You might also consider stripping the rust chemically, working the surface slightly to reduce any slight pitting or scares that may have taken place and I like to use gun bluing repair fluid on steel wool to slightly color them and take the metal color back to original. You can see examples of bare steel at any good hardware store where they sell bars of steel for making brackets and such. Sheets are often treated so be wary of those

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