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Carburetor plating

March 6, 2008

I restore 30's era Fords, and want a method of anodizing the pot metal carbs back to original, off gold color, almost an olive drab, what do you recommend?

Bob Dickson
auto retorer - N. Chelmsford, Massachusetts

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First of two simultaneous responses -- March 7, 2008

They weren't anodized, rather they were chromate filmed.

Jeffrey Holmes, CEF - Spartanburg, South Carolina

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Second of two simultaneous responses -- March 7, 2008

1. Anodizing is primarily for aluminum. Carb bodies are zinc die cast.
2. That vintage die cast is "pot metal", an indeterminate zinc alloy
3. The part was probably originally chromated with a hexavalent chrome based solution.
4. Contact a plater who does restoration work to see if they can do this.
5. There are still some platers doing cad, especially in the auto restoration area. If you want zinc a clear/silver chromate would be closest (do not say just clear - you may probably get blue/clear)

Gene Packman
- Great Neck, NY