'69 distribution block color

[rtcat]

Getting ready to clean up the distribution block on my '69 manual drum car.

What is this part's finished surface?   60% gloss black?  Sandblast and clear coat?   other?

[69Z28-RS]

Definitely do not sandblast it....  but maybe beadblast lightly would be OK... with a fine dustlike material..

[Mike S]

 I agree, don't sand blast it. That will only give an unnatural grayish appearance. I rebuilt mine with new internal seals so when it was apart I put the body it Evaporust for a couple of hours and it came out with its natural raw iron look.  All I did additional was to use a 3m 6448 Scotch-brite pad to give the machined surfaced a slight shine as if they were just cut. After it was re-assembled I coated it with Rust Preventative Magic and put the inspectors yellow stripe back on.

Mike

[rtcat]

Ok.  I'll skip blasting it and instead hand clean/bristle brushed with parts cleaner. 

Thanks.

[Danzo]

Mike, can you post a picture of the inspector's yellow stripe? Thanks.

[169INDY]

60% gloss black

[Mike S]

 Danzo,

   Here is a picture I have that shows the block and mark. This is on my 67 NOR car. My 67 LOS car doesn't have the mark. Also notice the natural raw look of the metal that blasting would otherwise give a gray look to. I was careful to put the same shape of the line back on (it had a rounded top). The center retaining nut for the indicator light was silver zinc chromate finished so that's how I re-plated it. As for black or not, I didn't find any signs of black under the blocks retaining bracket which is an area I look being it's one of the few areas protected by the brackets metal so I left it natural. Same for the round brake hold-off valve. 1969 may have been different.
  The other parts in this photo I took to track my progress are items also restored to their original appearance. The steering joint also had a larger yellow mark along the retaining bolt to the shaft clamp that I still have to put back on once I get it mounted. I'm not sure if the yellow color itself was significant for what it indicated.
  Now for a promotional plug to the brake valves rebuild kits, I get them from Scott at: https://www.musclecarresearch.com/
In as much as I don't normally promote any particular vendor, but when it comes to safety I'll make an exception. Muscle Car Research looks to be the only one who sells these rebuilding kits. I was surprised of the crud and also deteriorated parts in the three valve types I rebuilt so I highly recommend to rebuild them no matter how good on the outside they look.

Mike

[Danzo]

Thanks Mike!

[Edgemontvillage]

A superior method of restoring cast iron and other ferrous metals is old school electrolysis. Regardless of how media blasting is stepped down (low pressure, low abrasive media), it involves cleaning the surface with a media applied at pressure which risks leaving the surface"greyed out" removing the natural cast color which is in the dark brown to dark grey range. As electrolysis is a non-abrasive cleaning method involving submersion the cast part is effectively deep cleaned including passages and cavities where media cannot access while restoring the natural cast surface to a fresh cast appearance with no residue. Here is the result I obtained with my 1969 distribution block using electrolysis:

Before



Electrolysis


Heat Seasoning

Restored Distribution Block Casting






 

[z28z11]

I like to use this on really thin sheet metal parts (like radiator tags, headlight buckets)too, as it doesn't remove metal or iron oxide, it replaces it on the ionic level. It doesn't plate, but it is really simple to use on any rusty part (steel or iron). Won't do aluminum or brass/bronze, ferritic based only. You can get really creative with how large and complex a part you need to do as far as immersion is concerned - I've heard of engine blocks being treated to remove cylinder rust with electrolysis.

Just make sure the sacrificial donor piece is hooked up to the positive cable, the part to be cleaned is hooked to the negative side, or your part might dissolve before your eyes.

You can find information online from several sources - really cool to do this -

Regards,
Steve

[69Z28-RS]

Lloyd,

Is that stamped '53' on your block the date code?   What was the production month for your car?  Mine (late 09C)  is stamped totally differently and in a different place...

[Mike S]

 More dark brown/grayish is how mine came out with using Evaporust. It has the dark brown/grayish look sort of like how an engine block looks before painting.

Mike

[Hans L]

So what is the correct color for the distribution block?   Some here have suggested 60% gloss black while I conclude others are suggesting natural cast finish.

My master cylinder was clearly black, but it was inconclusive to what colors the distribution block and prop value were.

[HawkX66]

Lloyd,

Is that stamped '53' on your block the date code?   What was the production month for your car?  Mine (late 09C)  is stamped totally differently and in a different place...

Once again Gary, ours don't get much closer lol. 3 days... My guess is that number is a casting Julian date without the year. Mine shows 155 it looks like.

[Edgemontvillage]

Lloyd,

Is that stamped '53' on your block the date code?   What was the production month for your car?  Mine (late 09C)  is stamped totally differently and in a different place...


Gary, the distribution block on my 2B Norwood car is not date stamped.  As the date stamping convention is Julian for these castings I'd conclude the 53 stamp is not a date reference.

[Mike S]

So what is the correct color for the distribution block?   Some here have suggested 60% gloss black while I conclude others are suggesting natural cast finish.

My master cylinder was clearly black, but it was inconclusive to what colors the distribution block and prop value were.

Hans,

  I can only speak for '67 but there was no evidence of black paint on the area of the block that was bolted to the bracket. I figured that would at least preserve it if it was there. I also checked my '67 LOS, totally original, and that too didn't have any paint under the portion of the casting that was under the bracket. So I left mine natural and put a coat of RPM on it. Same for the larger round valve. I did paint the MC semi flat though.

Mike

[little_hoss]

Lloyd,

That is a great method. That distribution block looked outstanding! Looked the process up online and it did look fairly simple. One question though; heat seasoning. Why do you heat season? How long and what temperature would you recommend? Toaster oven suitable for small parts? The wife wouldn't be to happy if she asked, "what are you cooking in the oven?", opened it up and it was full of car parts!

[69Z28-RS]

She probably wouldn't have to 'open up the oven'...  generally cooking car parts smells NOTHING at all like cake or roast..

PS.  I have an older counter top oven that I use in the garage for 'baking'..    as well as a single unit cooking hotplate 'eye'.. for heating up water for phosphate solution..

[z28z11]

I passivate mine with either a phosphate based cleaner (or Evaporust); you can use WD40 on non-critical (where you don't mind a little residue) parts to keep them from flash rusting when you get them out of the solution. The last tag I did is still rust free better than a year later, uncoated.

A tip - use steel wire to suspend the anode (sacrificial) side, not copper. I use Arm and Hammer baking soda detergent for the solution, a little goes along way. Don't let the part touch the sides or the bottom of the container (which should be plastic), battery chargers work great (10 amp is perfect for small parts). If you get ambitious, you'll need to step up the amperage.

Regards,
Steve

[little_hoss]

Thanks for the tips guys! Got an old master cylinder I'm going to try this on.

[68camaroz28]

So what is the correct color for the distribution block?   Some here have suggested 60% gloss black while I conclude others are suggesting natural cast finish.

My master cylinder was clearly black, but it was inconclusive to what colors the distribution block and prop value were.

Hans,

  I can only speak for '67 but there was no evidence of black paint on the area of the block that was bolted to the bracket. I figured that would at least preserve it if it was there. I also checked my '67 LOS, totally original, and that too didn't have any paint under the portion of the casting that was under the bracket. So I left mine natural and put a coat of RPM on it. Same for the larger round valve. I did paint the MC semi flat though.

Mike

I do not disagree with Mike is saying or has written but believe there were distribution blocks painted black from observations and have noted many round valves painted for sure. The distribution block seems to be the one most mysterious so IMHO it can be done both natural and black but again just my .02 checking cars which represents a small % of anything. Without any doubt the master cylinder was painted!

[m22mike]

Chick
 What did the block on Skips car look like ? Any sign of paint ?

Mike

[68camaroz28]

Chick
 What did the block on Skips car look like ? Any sign of paint ?

Mike

I thought so Mike but his 68 not. What have you found on cars done?

[m22mike]

Most have been buzzed or were rusted. And I probably may not have looked close enough on some.

Mike

[Mike S]

 I wonder if this is like the case with the M/C painted where some say it was and some, not, and some say it came both ways. In Jerry's book it states either was acceptable for the M/C and other valves.
 The fact that the yellow inspector mark survived and I didn't see any black paint around that area either is another reason I kept it raw.
I do like the raw look of the valves better.
  HA! I was telling my wife about this conversation and she rolled her eyes    and asked if the other women (your significant others) think you guys are just as crazy too to worry about if a part was painted or not or had this marking or that marking. I got a good chuckle out of that and told her; "you'd be surprised how deep in detail we can get.".

Mike

[KurtS]

The paint on the masters was really poor (and all were painted, IMO).
Could be the same on the valve, don't know....