Hood Hinge Color

Q: Hood Hinge Color

What is the correct finish for hood hinges ?? Black paint ?? Or Zinc plated ??

A: Neither. Hood hinges should be Gray Phosphate, a coating that some platers can do for you. In the special “Pontiac Tech” issue from High Performance Pontiac, there is an extensive article by Jim Dietzler, who in consulting Jim Mattison, has listed a number of under hood, and under car details that are aimed right at the concourse restoration standards for a 1st gen. Firebird. Using color photos, Jim gives detailed information about what is correct for each area, and how some restorers failed to get it right.

Plating costs can be made more reasonable by submitting a number of parts at one time. But if even this is too much for your budget, I believe that a company called OEM paints makes some spray can products that come close to matching the color and texture of the phosphate and oxide coatings used by the factories.

http://www.oempaints.com/

A: You don’t have to send parts to a plater. Go to garage sales and buy a hot plate with thermostat, some large Pyrex or stainless steel pans and dishes and plate your own . It does help to have a bead or sandblaster to clean them up first. I had a local plater do all the original hardware from about 5 early birds at once, handpicking all the best parts to do the yellow, silver, gray and black parts. All the black and gray parts started to rust almost immediately after assembly of entire frame-off. Even the plated parts I saved as spares rusted while in the sealed up containers. Only solution was to remove bolts one by one and replate myself. So moral is it may look good for awhile but if not prepped right, it will turn to Sh**.

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