Source for white cad plating?

[Steven S.]

Curious if anyone had any sources for white cad plating, have a nice original set of backing plates I was considering sending out to have done.

Thanks,
Steve

[John D.]

Re: Source for white cad plating?

Steven, Beringer Plating 1211 DeValera Ave. Akron, OH 44310 330-633-8409. Talk to Bruce Hogie.
Meanwhile Beringer calls it clear Cadmium.(not white)
I believe that's what you are looking for. Plating is only as good as the preparation. Not cheap though just to get two parts plated so throw in a bunch of other parts& or hardware as the end result will be more cost effective. JD

[Edward J.]

Re: Source for white cad plating?

Steve, americas finist corvettes sell the correct plates, there a driveline advertiser.

[Steven S.]

Re: Source for white cad plating?

Steve, americas finist corvettes sell the correct plates, there a driveline advertiser.

I've seen that ad, but I'm one of those guys that will spend more fixing an old part than buying a new one

Steve

[Edward J.]

Re: Source for white cad plating?

Steve, they may very well plate your original plates, I know I brought a set for my 72 , it was of good quality.I really don,t know of many white cad platers.

[John D.]

Re: Source for white cad plating?

Ohio is loaded with shops that do cad plating. I live in the SW corner of PA where cad plating shops are a rare breed.

I have been known to be quite fussy. I would not recommend Beringers here if I wasn't fully confident of them. Old JD has been thru a ton of platers over the years and I highly recommend Beringers. Another thing is this. So far they have never lost a part. And if they would I am sure it would be an honest mistake.
Story: I used to go to a plater not too far from where I live. Well the same FI part used to be missing quite often.
The part is an "idle air tube". Shaped like a corn cob pipe. Well seems like the hired help was using this part to smoke pot. When I found this out from the shop foreman that was it for me. True story. JD

[Steven S.]

Re: Source for white cad plating?

John, I will keep Beringers at the top of my list then. Interesting story on the "fuelie bong"

Steve

[Bob I.]

Re: Source for white cad plating?

Steve

I'm using Richard Fortier, in Driveline. I'm also restoring original parts.

Bob

[Ronald L.]

Re: Source for white cad plating?

Remember CAD and Zinc have different colors of silver white and GM used both.

Look on the web - go directly to the plater, not the middle man. Even the they are expensive and you need to bunch the parts.

[Chuck S.]

Re: Source for white cad plating?

Curious if anyone had any sources for white cad plating, have a nice original set of backing plates I was considering sending out to have done...

Consider using clear zinc; it may be easier to find someone to plate zinc and it may be less expensive.

Either material will probably work for judging. I haven't seen the specifications on the original drawings, but I suspect the original finish was zinc, possibly galvanized. (No, it's highly unlikely you could replicate that finish anyway.) I'm fairly confident the rear splash shields were not plated at all, but were cut from galvanized sheet steel and then formed in a press. The galvanizing "crystals" were clearly visible in the surface finish, and the metal edges were rusting raw steel.

[Terry M.]

Re: Source for white cad plating?

And the one car that has a red ink stamd "ARMCO" on the rear brake dust shield chinched the deal.

[Steven S.]

Re: Source for white cad plating?

Thanks for all the advise, I do have a guy I used before for some clear zinc that I know is reasonable, he says if you blast the surface and leave it rough you get a finish that appears more like a cadmium plated part.

Steve

[John D.]

Re: Source for white cad plating?

Steve, Heavily blast any piece of metal and you remove the natural grain from it. The end result is an amature plating job. JD

[Chuck S.]

Re: Source for white cad plating?

Thanks for all the advise, I do have a guy I used before for some clear zinc that I know is reasonable, he says if you blast the surface and leave it rough you get a finish that appears more like a cadmium plated part...

That is correct...the rough surface texture from bead blasting causes reflected light to be diffused and absorbed yielding a dull finish rather than the highly reflective finish usually associated with zinc on smooth mill finish steel.

That is one reason NOT to use bead blasting to prep those parts that require a shiny finish. Headlight door actuators come to mind...a dichromate wash after zinc plating will not make them shiny, only dull gold. Burnishing the bead blasted surface with steel wool (before plating) can recover some of the shine, but it is a labor intensive process. Chemical cleaning is probably a better alternative when the plated parts must have a shiny plated finish.

[Michael G.]

Re: Source for white cad plating?

In considering zinc instead of cadmium, for cost or availability, just remember that cadmium is much, much, much better at resisting corrosion. Also remember that cad is nasty stuff, in the words somebody or other, cadmium is a "bio-accumulative carcinogen" or something to that effect.

Also, thickness of the zinc plating is critical: the thicker you make it, the better performance you'll get. Don't just take "zinc plating" unless they specify a thickness. At least five tenths.

Zinc is also very porous and needs a chromate sealant to perform well. Ask for a "clear chromate" or you'll get performance like I've seen from a lot of recent "zinc plated" repop fasteners, parts that rust if you look at them wrong.

Mike