Aluminum Threshold Plate Restore

[Carl Beck]

Carl,

WRT lemon juice, I have read mixed results. I think a crucial part of the process is to use an inert glass or enamel coated container so that pot metal (literally) does not become part of the reaction.

Good point - I'll keep that in mind as I search for a container - that is long enough to fit them in, yet with a small enough total volume.

FWIW,

Carl B.

[Bonzi Lon]

Good point - I'll keep that in mind as I search for a container - that is long enough to fit them in, yet with a small enough total volume.

FWIW,

Carl B.

The container that comes to my mind would be in the wallpaper dept. at Lowe's or Home Depot for wetting the glue on wallpaper in order to hang it. They should have several lengths and made of plastic or metal.

Bonzi Lon

[Carl Beck]

Ah..Good Thought...

Carl B.

[hls30.com]

FWIW, The last set I cleaned up

I washed with soap and water with a SOFT brush to get rid dirt, then dried and annealed the piece with a torch(it felt brittle when I was washing it) and pushed the dents out with the vice with a piece of Neoprene on both sides to keep away the scratches, then I used a no-scrub aluminum wheel cleaner spray to get started-brought back the color immediately, rinsed thoroughly with distilled water, dried with compressed air, then I hit both sides with some Maas Metal protector on a Viva paper towel It looked good as new, and it sure didn't when I started-looked good for several years-other than the new dents...

[conedodger]

I used "chrome" powder coating after a thorough cleaning on a set a few days ago and they turned out really good. They had that sort of satin finish like EScanlon was describing.

This is what I am doing. Soda blast to clean, powdercoat in chrome.

[New-to-240z]

I love this community. I never even though about powder coating! I tried simple green with a sonic-care tooth brush and then the de-greaser that comes from oranges, and then I tried ACTUAL degreaser but nothing seemed to work. I'll prob take the route of having someone just re-finish them for me in a nice powder coat to keep the durability. Again, EVERYONE thank you for your insights. I'll post pictures up when done!

[Mikes Z car]

I don't know how to powder coat in chrome but would love it if someone who has done that could post a picture of the results, I am curious.

[TomoHawk]

I hit both sides with some Maas Metal protector on a Viva paper towel It looked good as new,

Good luck finding any, or any kind of metal-protecting wax products. The last time I was at the AP store, I asked the sales guy for metal wax, and he shows me some car wax and Never Dull, and says you use that on metal. Metal waxesare recommended for boat parts, so maybe your local marine supply store will have some.

Maas produs are only available online, it seems. http://www.maasinc.com/

Incidentally, keep in mind that the satin finish people are recommending is only for Z shows. In any other venue, a mirror-like polish is required, or you'll have people tell you you're not taking car of your car ("It's not a "show car"), or it's not completely restored...

Edited December 5, 2012 by TomoHawk

[bpilati]

The original finish wasn't shiny polish, it was more of a high luster SATIN finish.

You can go ahead and polish them, but as mentioned they will show any scrapes from your shoes, butt, or mis-aligned door.

Once you have them cleaned up and polished or buffed to whatever finish you decide you DO want to coat them with something, aluminum tends to "gray" out exposed to the air. You could use a clear paint, but the problem with that is that the paint dries hard and can eventually chip, crack and allow the corrosion to begin in the cracks.

POR sells a product called GLISTEN PC which is essentially a type of CLEAR POR (not the Clear POR they also sell), but specifically made for application on polished metal as opposed to the regular POR which requires an etched or "toothy" surface.

I used this on my Roadster which has not only the sill plate, but also the lower edge of the inner door panel and the door weatherstrip welting overlays in ribbed aluminum. They were polished and treated with Glisten PC about 5 years ago and still shine like the day they were mounted on the car. It's not cheap, but the end result is far better than any clear paint would have given. It does take patience though, you'll apply it and have to wait about 4-5 days depending on temperature and humidity.

FWIW

E

Will aluminum accept a clear powder coating?

[hls30.com]

Yes, my HRE wheels were clear powder coated as purchased.

[EScanlon]

I put a clear coating on it, but it wasn't from powder. The finish is excellent and after 5 years (?--Flime Ties) still looks excellent, clean and shiny. I'll see if I can get a pic during the next show break.

Powder coating generally requires baking at 400° F or so, which is why it's understandable to be concerned about the process.

What I used was Glisten PC from the POR folks.

Aside from requiring a special metal cleaner (akin to the Marine Clean / Metal Prep of regular POR) and taking longer to cure hard (PC will generally cure hard overnight, the Glisten PC, depending on temperature and humidity will take as long as 4-5 days), it is still a Do It Yourself type of process.

Powder coating however, requires more specialized products, tools and setup... generally requiring your going to a shop that is actively involved in it.

Glisten PC will run you less than $100 dollars and you can do more than just one or two pieces. I did the two door panel pieces on my Roadster, 2 Door Sill pieces (much bigger than the Z's), the 3 pieces per door for welting hold down / protection, the radiator overflow bottle, several brass coolant piping pieces, the two halves of the air cleaner, and a bunch of other pieces that I can't recall. I think I got my money's worth as I still have product.

Web:

http://www.por15.com/GLISTEN-PC/productinfo/GPCGG/

I'll post some pictures later.

E

Edited December 13, 2012 by EScanlon

[LBO730]

Hey Mike, I'll get a photo of the plates I powder coated as soon as I can.