ConcoursMustang Forums

1st Generation 1964 1/2 - 1973 - Questions & general discussions that apply to a specific year => 1967 Mustang => Topic started by: 67gta289 on August 07, 2015, 08:23:45 AM

Title: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: 67gta289 on August 07, 2015, 08:23:45 AM
I looked through several posts, and some questions were answered from 65-66 and 69-70 discussions.  However, since I have more questions I figured it was time to post.

1. In the first three pictures you can see that there were multiple finishes involved. That is consistent with other posts.  It does look like the arm for the inner door handle release is gold on one, silver on the other.  More cleaning is in the works for the weekend.  I did do some cleaning last night, after these pictures were taken, and it is cleaning up very well.  However, since the part that shows through the door looks like it was sandblasted (in 1980 by the shop where I had it painted), I'll have to refinish.  The various rivets look like something I don't want to mess with, which leads me to question #1.  When you get these plated, do you plate the whole assembly after removing the plastic, rubber, and springs?  If so, in silver cad or zinc?

2. Switching to the post and shims, the easy one being first, shims are clearly gold cad.  Is that a correct assessment?

3. Now for the post.  Silver cad or zinc?  Also for the first time I noticed that there is a split cover or something.  Is this spring loaded?  What will I find under it?  It appears that perhaps there will be two parts to plate here.

Thanks, John
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: ruppstang on August 07, 2015, 09:18:27 AM
John you are correct that multiple finishes were used making them very difficult to properly restore. The back plate that you see through the body and latch arms is galvanized. The body is most often found in silver zinc but as noted in this post can be a light zinc dichromate.   http://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=11544.0 The difficult thing is to replate only the body and arms and not the back plate, inner arms and springs with out dissasembly.

The shims were zinc dichromate and the studs were silver zinc.
Marty
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: krelboyne on August 07, 2015, 12:08:28 PM
From your pictures it looks like you have mis-matched latches. One has the provision for mounting a door ajar switch.

One possibly has a longer door lock tab. The longer tabbed ones are what is typically found on 1967's and into 1968.
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: Bob Gaines on August 07, 2015, 02:25:51 PM
John you are correct that multiple finishes were used making them very difficult to properly restore. The back plate that you see through the body and latch arms is galvanized. The body is most often found in silver zinc but as noted in this post can be a light zinc dichromate.   http://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=11544.0 The difficult thing is to replate only the body and arms and not the back plate, inner arms and springs with out dissasembly.

The shims were zinc dichromate and the studs were silver zinc.
Marty
Thought I would clarify a little so that there is no confusion .As Marty indicated ,shims are Zinc dichromate which is a gold finish but NOT gold cad which is a different looking gold finish.
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: 67gta289 on August 07, 2015, 03:00:29 PM
Thanks for the clarification on the gold color plating
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: 67gta289 on August 07, 2015, 03:01:56 PM
From your pictures it looks like you have mis-matched latches. One has the provision for mounting a door ajar switch.

One possibly has a longer door lock tab. The longer tabbed ones are what is typically found on 1967's and into 1968.
Good catch - I'll dig into that further.  I do have a few extra parts lying around.  The date stamp should tell the story.
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: 67gtasanjose on August 07, 2015, 05:26:46 PM
From your pictures it looks like you have mis-matched latches. One has the provision for mounting a door ajar switch.

One possibly has a longer door lock tab. The longer tabbed ones are what is typically found on 1967's and into 1968.

Can somebody use ARROWS? I do not see the difference, I know where the door ajar switches go, I see no provision in either latch looking at the views currently displayed.
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: 67gta289 on August 08, 2015, 09:39:41 PM
Richard, I put together the attached document rather quickly, but identified some difference that I see.

I'm cleaning the early 1967 parts now (late 66 made) and it sure looks like most of the latch parts are galvanized.  Later 67 and 68 are plated differently as discussed in this thread already.
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: 67gta289 on August 08, 2015, 09:42:00 PM
Also can I bring this one back up?  Referring to the picture, does the post come apart into a few pieces?  Looks like rubber below a thin metal strip.
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: krelboyne on August 08, 2015, 10:06:58 PM
I put together the attached document rather quickly, but identified some difference that I see.

I'm cleaning the early 1967 parts now (late 66 made) and it sure looks like most of the latch parts are galvanized.  Later 67 and 68 are plated differently as discussed in this thread already.

Nice work on the document, John. I did not know that they were dated. Good tip.
I have been researching those latches at work. Sometime in 1968, the one tab got shortened.

The one marked Y5K08 is for 1969-70. Sept 1968? date.
Has a hole without an angled tab for the 1969-70 door ajar switches. Believe it or not, there are 8 different door ajar switches used from 1967-70. 1967 right and left, 1968 right and left 1969-70 right and left, and black or white color.
Not much difference between 1967 and 1968 switches. 1968 marked ones have the mounting hole drilled through and through.
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: 67gta289 on August 09, 2015, 12:11:08 PM
Door posts/strikers are also dated.
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: 67gta289 on August 09, 2015, 12:40:09 PM
Some more pictures that show the extent of galvanized metal for much of the content on the early 67 latches.  Some of the gold zinc dichromate has "washed off" but you can still see some.  Note the green paint on one of the rivets.
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: Bob Gaines on August 09, 2015, 02:16:55 PM
Some more pictures that show the extent of galvanized metal for much of the content on the early 67 latches.  Some of the gold zinc dichromate has "washed off" but you can still see some.  Note the green paint on one of the rivets.
It is important to know how the insides are assembled but I would not lose sight of what is most the import vantage point which is what you see exposed in the door when it is opened. I am concerned that others reading my get the wrong impression that these "inside" types of details are important for concours judging. The only vantage point that is important to concours judging is the portion that you can see once the car is assembled. 
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: 67gta289 on August 09, 2015, 02:55:50 PM
Bob, I totally agree.  But since I had them apart I figured it could not hurt to post them.  You are correct though to point out that the inner details don't matter, and this might "hurt" as in confuse others.

Of most interest to me are the date codes and the galvanized finish which in this case I would say is impossible to reproduce.  Since the concours rules appear to a bit generous, probably appropriately so, most are ok.





Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: J_Speegle on August 09, 2015, 06:58:16 PM
Thanks for sharing and putting forth the effort John

For the galvanized finish its often just in need of some repair and the fake galvanizing process can at least improve or reproduce the look successfully with some practice.
Just have to be careful about using too much product and getting a thick build up during the process
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: Bossbill on August 28, 2020, 07:19:13 PM
Okaaay, that's been a while since this was updated.
I thought we could zoom in on date markings for these.

The post itself is clearly of Mo-Yr. Mine are 1-67 and 2-67 for an early March car.

I lost track of which of these latches belong on my car, but I think it's the upper pair.
The latch has its date pretty well hidden within the rotating catch well.

Jeff does not have a section for dates on latches in the library and my search-foo is weak today.
Here are of my dates which leads to believe these are Yr AlphaMonth AlphaShift.
I'm thinking the year and month are correct and don't have any of these past D on the last letter.
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: Bossbill on September 05, 2021, 06:46:13 PM
A post script on the door post (on the body). If you plate this at home run a wire from the main body to the cover in the center post. There is rubber vulcanized to the post and a metal cover is wrapped around the rubber. NVH is my guess.
And yes these are dated and there is also a maker's mark.

Also, I thought I understood the finishes but now I'm not sure anymore due to nomenclature.
Please critique the drawing below.
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: Bob Gaines on September 05, 2021, 08:57:19 PM
A post script on the door post (on the body). If you plate this at home run a wire from the main body to the cover in the center post. There is rubber vulcanized to the post and a metal cover is wrapped around the rubber. NVH is my guess.
And yes these are dated and there is also a maker's mark.

Also, I thought I understood the finishes but now I'm not sure anymore due to nomenclature.
Please critique the drawing below.
That would be typical IMO. There are variations.
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: Bossbill on September 05, 2021, 09:57:36 PM
Thanks! That should be tricky, Bob. I wonder how others take these apart and then back together!
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: Bob Gaines on September 06, 2021, 01:22:21 AM
Thanks! That should be tricky, Bob. I wonder how others take these apart and then back together!
I haven't heard of others taking them apart. It is a matter of plating them in place and by covering some parts and wiping off the dichromate on other parts.
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: Bossbill on August 10, 2022, 07:25:59 PM
According to everything noted above I should take this latch and now lightly remove gold on everything but the 2 pins and the two catches.

Too bad because it looks nice like this.

I'm doing all the difficult stuff now that I have a handle on how to plate and shield areas.
Title: Re: 67 door latch and post plating
Post by: ruppstang on August 10, 2022, 11:09:09 PM
I haven't heard of others taking them apart. It is a matter of plating them in place and by covering some parts and wiping off the dichromate on other parts.

+1 that is what I did.