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fasteners - purists only need apply

To: "HealeyList" <healeys@Autox.Team.Net>
Subject: fasteners - purists only need apply
From: "Richard Bittmann" <edmyed@harbornet.com>
Date: Thu, 21 Oct 2004 18:15:09 -0700
Listers:

This is in response to recent inquiries about fasteners for our beloved cars.
Following is my experience with restoring the original fasteners for my BJ7
(50%+/- completed).  I first removed and bagged all fasteners & components
from the car.  After cleaning and degreasing, I glass bead blasted them, zinc
plated them with Caswell's CopyCad plating system ($130), re-bagged and let
"age", (as some composit parts have a tendancy to rust because the zinc
plating doesn't do well between closely spaced composite pieces) and then I
"buffed" them with #600 steel wool the remove any oxidation (inevitable) from
the surface to yield an originally specularly ordinary surface - just like
new!

Cadmium plating will yield a more weather resistant porduct but won't look as
"original" as re-plating in zinc.  The one exception is the fluid lines (brake
& fuel) which are too big to zinc plate at home if you don't own a plating
shop.

I'd appreciate any input on this subject from the list as this is my first
shot at restoration of a classic.

Richard Bittmann BJ7 Tacoma, WA

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