Half shaft finish (paint)

[Ed D.]

[Joe L.]

Re: Half shaft finish (paint)

[QUOTE=Ed Doller (52149);863803]I’ve read everything I can and know that 1/2 shafts were never painted. With that said, I’d like to know what paint (brand and color) used by others to get as close to the original finish as possible.

I’ve heard the ends should receive cast blast and the center Eastwood spray gray.

Looking for input.

Ed[/QUOTE


Cast blast will work pretty well on the yoke ends of the half-shafts. I prefer the high temperature variety since I think it looks more natural than the standard cast blast.

As far as the tubes go, there is no paint I know of that will appear, at all, like the original finish.

[Warren M.]

Re: Half shaft finish (paint)

There is a difference between a big block and a small. The big block shifts were shot penned , they have a dull look. Small was just the raw tube. The shaft should a heat mark where the yoke was welded to the shaft

[Richard G.]

Re: Half shaft finish (paint)

Just to clarify what Warren said;
The heat marks were only on the small blocks shafts as the shot penning removed the heat marks from the big block.
Please comment if this is incorrect.
Some restorers use satin clear on the shafts.

[Warren M.]

Re: Half shaft finish (paint)

Thanks Richard.. that is absolutely correct. Great advice

[Richard G.]

Re: Half shaft finish (paint)

Getting the half shafts absolutely correct is difficult and can be expensive.
Below is a picture of mine.



Wire wheeled the castings and polished the original tube, using emery only, on the lathe.
I admit I got lucky here as most of the shafts are severely pitted.

The JM specifically calls out "no lines from turning the tube in a lathe".
I am quite confident the tubing can be turned without the lines but it would show up at the weld interface.
Not even mentioning thinning this highly stressed part would be a very bad idea considering it not only drives the wheels but also holds the car off the ground.
I actually painted on the heat lines. Full discloser; the judges didn't get the humor.
I plan on going over the welds with a tig, and no filler rod, to see if I can get the heat markings correct.
Open to any other ideas?

I believe their should be some lines that go lengthwise from the tube formation. I likely polished them out.
I plan on adding some. The exact requirement eludes me. If someone could explain it better I would very much appreciate it.
Rick

[Jeff P.]

Re: Half shaft finish (paint)

These are mine. Little overkill. Joe would not like these

[Tim G.]

Re: Half shaft finish (paint)

Jeff, maybe overkill, but beautiful.

Did the F41 option make a difference on the half shafts? I've seen F41 half shafts with green and orange markings.

[Joe R.]

Re: Half shaft finish (paint)

There is no paint on half shafts BUT there is Blackout on most of the C-2's! We had a seminar several years ago at a Regional by the St. Louis employee who did Blackout on the C-2's. Very interesting insight to production techniques were discussed!

JR

[Patrick H.]

Re: Half shaft finish (paint)

You can use gun bluing (Ospho Blue) at the welds and also to mimic the lengthwise seam line. Works great.
For the seam you can run a line of blue painter's tape on each side of the seam. Blue the line, remove the tape.
Afterward you can still satin clear if you wish, or oil it (PreLube 6 or CRC 350) if you want to leave the tube natural.

[Ron G.]

Re: Half shaft finish (paint)

This is a topic that has frequently been discussed on the DB. All automatics, big blocks, fuelies, 365's, and LT-1's had their half shafts shot peened with shot size number 31 to alleviate the stress on the welds. Definitely no paint. The only paint were paint dabs for inspection marks.