2009 February 06: Zinc plating (2.00 hours)
Updated:
- I'd been putting off zinc plating for a while now, partly because it is quite time consuming to do and partly because I wanted to try and do everything that needed to be done at once. Hopefully I accomplished that today. I hadn't used my zinc plating set-up since we lived in Florida...probably on parts for the Eldorado project. Before we moved, I properly disposed of the acid, pre-rinse, and post-rinse baths at a local hazardous waste collection site. Those baths are inexpensive to replace and I was probably due for a fresh start on them anyway. I did move the plating bath in the bed of my pickup. Late last year a Moto Guzzi acquaintance of mine offered to give me his HeathKit power supply. This was a huge blessing because up to this point I had been using a 12 volt battery with a battery charger continuously connected (not ideal). Needless to say, the HeathKit power supply made things go much more smoothly. In addition to the Convert parts listed below, I also plated a bunch of parts for my Dad's Ambassador/Eldorado police footboards that I am fixing up and selling for him (add another 3 hours to time listed above to cover the footboard parts). Here, then, is the list of Convert parts that got a fresh layer of zinc plating:
- Engine mounting bolt (and nut)
- Transmission mounting bolt (and nut)
- Spacer that goes on the front axle
- Passenger foot peg pivots (onto which the bars mount)
- Passenger foot peg bars (which attach to the pivots)
- Transmission shift lever (complete with the special bolt and both jam nuts)
- Transmission shift linkage (rod, both clevises, and one clevis pin)
- Center stand spring plates (both of them)
- Side stand stop tab
- Fuel crossover
- Carburetor clamps, special bolts, and special nuts
- Mirror bars and special nuts