Undercar seatbelt reinforcement finish for '66

[Gary B.]

Can anyone confirm for me the correct finish for the undercar seatbelt reinforcement plates? The judging guide does not give this information. It does state that the front seat reinforcements are semi-gloss black and the rear seat reinforcement nut plates are natural, so I'm guessing the seatbelt reinforcements are natural as well for '66. Yes?

Gary

[Joe L.]

Re: Undercar seatbelt reinforcement finish for '66

Gary-----

I'm not certain of this, but I think that these reinforcements are black (gray) phosphate finished. The ones on my 69 are, for sure, and I believe that earlier were the same finish.

[Gary B.]

black phosphate finish

Joe,

Black phosphate is the not the answer I was expecting (or hoping for). If it turns out black phosphate is correct for 66, do you think something like Caswell's black oxide kit would produce a reasonable match? (I know black phosphate and black oxide are different and it seems the local platers do black oxide, but not black phosphate.)

Gary

[David Van Weele]

Re: black phosphate finish

Gary, I have very good luck with the blackener that Eastwood sold or sells. I have not read their catalogue lately. I comes in gallon jugs so you can do a lot of parts at once. There was a very good article in Cars and Parts about 7 years ago that helped me do the parts on my car. If you need a copy I may be able to find the copies I made. Good Luck

Dave

http://www.z06vett.com

[Dale Pearman]

For What It's Worth

All the underbody nut plates were raw steel in the straight axle years.

Dale.

[Gary B.]

Dave, I'd love a copy of the article

Dave,

If you can find the article I would very much appreciate a copy. I'm game for buying an Eastwood or Caswell kit, but I didn't want to get as involved with the real black phosphate approach as was descibed in the Corvette Restorer article a few issues ago. Even if the underbody reinforcement plates turn out to be natural steel, I still need to produce a black phosphate-like finish on my rear camber bolts so the article will come in handy for that.

Thanks much,

Gary

[Joe L.]

Re: black phosphate finish

Gary-----

I double-checked the underbody seat belt reinforcements on my 69; they're all "black" (gray) phosphate. Also, the 69 INNER seat belt re-inforcements are exactly the same as the 66---they're both GM #3863621, lh, and GM #3863622, rh. So, unless the finish changed between years, the parts are the same.

[David Van Weele]

I will look for it.

Gary I will see if I can find it, I will email you if I find it and then I can photo copy it and mail it to you. Dave

[David Van Weele]

Re: black phosphate finish

Just a thought, would Phosphoric acid work on the steel, I use a product called OSPHO. It keeps the metal from rusting and it does make a gray black appearance,

[Jeffrey S.]

Re: black phosphate finish

Gary: I have said this before in other postings regarding cad plating and black phosphate that the Caswell system you asked about works great. the finish is a deep gray/black with a "texture" or glistening appearance. I did the hood hinges and various other very visable parts on my 69 and I couldn't believe how terrific those parts look and how they held up over time. Hope this helps. Jeff

[Robert W.]

Re: black phosphate finish

Phosphoric acid works excellent on steel. Provides the grey color but then need to coat with a rust preventer. Cashwell sells a compound called RUST PEL PENETRATING SEALANT. The Eastwood kit starts with a phosphoric dip and then rinse and put into a blackening solution but if you don't coat the item after the blackener dries it rust pretty quick in high moisture.