Topic: Heater Box Restoration Question, 1968 Shelby, New Jersey Build

[Craners]

Were all of the assembly rivets unpainted?
Specifically on the hinge/bracket for the passenger side foot box.
Logically it makes sense that they were not painted.
I can almost see evidence on my heater box that they were painted, or possibly that was just decades of crud.

I have seen ?restorations? of heater boxes that had these rivets painted.
I thought I?d throw this question out to the experts for guidance , so I only have to do this once.
Comments appreciated.

Thank you
Fran

[J_Speegle]

On a non-AC case I think you will find that the rivets were zinc plated. Would guess that rather then replace them some restorers are painting them silver in an effort to replicate the original plating

[Bob Gaines]

Were all of the assembly rivets unpainted?
Specifically on the hinge/bracket for the passenger side foot box.
Logically it makes sense that they were not painted.
I can almost see evidence on my heater box that they were painted, or possibly that was just decades of crud.

I have seen ?restorations? of heater boxes that had these rivets painted.
I thought I?d throw this question out to the experts for guidance , so I only have to do this once.
Comments appreciated.

Thank you
Fran

It is somewhat common for many that restore the heater box to paint it all black rivets and all to freshen the appearance up .Maybe not original but it happens .

[Craners]

Thank you both. 
I taped off the rivets to show the natural finish.
It took a bit longer, looks to be worth it. (See attached photo)

I have a follow up question.  Did the ?rubber? section on the rotating latch get painted black, or was that left ?natural color?
From what I could tell ?my heater box had this unpainted.
Certainly all metal on the latch is painted black.
Comments appreciated.

Fran