Topic: 67 door latch and post plating

[67gta289]

I looked through several posts, and some questions were answered from 65-66 and 69-70 discussions.  However, since I have more questions I figured it was time to post.

1. In the first three pictures you can see that there were multiple finishes involved. That is consistent with other posts.  It does look like the arm for the inner door handle release is gold on one, silver on the other.  More cleaning is in the works for the weekend.  I did do some cleaning last night, after these pictures were taken, and it is cleaning up very well.  However, since the part that shows through the door looks like it was sandblasted (in 1980 by the shop where I had it painted), I'll have to refinish.  The various rivets look like something I don't want to mess with, which leads me to question #1.  When you get these plated, do you plate the whole assembly after removing the plastic, rubber, and springs?  If so, in silver cad or zinc?

2. Switching to the post and shims, the easy one being first, shims are clearly gold cad.  Is that a correct assessment?

3. Now for the post.  Silver cad or zinc?  Also for the first time I noticed that there is a split cover or something.  Is this spring loaded?  What will I find under it?  It appears that perhaps there will be two parts to plate here.

Thanks, John

[ruppstang]

John you are correct that multiple finishes were used making them very difficult to properly restore. The back plate that you see through the body and latch arms is galvanized. The body is most often found in silver zinc but as noted in this post can be a light zinc dichromate.   http://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=11544.0 The difficult thing is to replate only the body and arms and not the back plate, inner arms and springs with out dissasembly.

The shims were zinc dichromate and the studs were silver zinc.
Marty

[krelboyne]

From your pictures it looks like you have mis-matched latches. One has the provision for mounting a door ajar switch.

One possibly has a longer door lock tab. The longer tabbed ones are what is typically found on 1967's and into 1968.

[Bob Gaines]

John you are correct that multiple finishes were used making them very difficult to properly restore. The back plate that you see through the body and latch arms is galvanized. The body is most often found in silver zinc but as noted in this post can be a light zinc dichromate.   http://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=11544.0 The difficult thing is to replate only the body and arms and not the back plate, inner arms and springs with out dissasembly.

The shims were zinc dichromate and the studs were silver zinc.
Marty

Thought I would clarify a little so that there is no confusion .As Marty indicated ,shims are Zinc dichromate which is a gold finish but NOT gold cad which is a different looking gold finish.

[67gta289]

Thanks for the clarification on the gold color plating

[67gta289]

From your pictures it looks like you have mis-matched latches. One has the provision for mounting a door ajar switch.

One possibly has a longer door lock tab. The longer tabbed ones are what is typically found on 1967's and into 1968.

Good catch - I'll dig into that further.  I do have a few extra parts lying around.  The date stamp should tell the story.

[67gtasanjose]

From your pictures it looks like you have mis-matched latches. One has the provision for mounting a door ajar switch.

One possibly has a longer door lock tab. The longer tabbed ones are what is typically found on 1967's and into 1968.

Can somebody use ARROWS? I do not see the difference, I know where the door ajar switches go, I see no provision in either latch looking at the views currently displayed.

[67gta289]

Richard, I put together the attached document rather quickly, but identified some difference that I see.

I'm cleaning the early 1967 parts now (late 66 made) and it sure looks like most of the latch parts are galvanized.  Later 67 and 68 are plated differently as discussed in this thread already.

[67gta289]

Also can I bring this one back up?  Referring to the picture, does the post come apart into a few pieces?  Looks like rubber below a thin metal strip.

[krelboyne]

I put together the attached document rather quickly, but identified some difference that I see.

I'm cleaning the early 1967 parts now (late 66 made) and it sure looks like most of the latch parts are galvanized.  Later 67 and 68 are plated differently as discussed in this thread already.

Nice work on the document, John. I did not know that they were dated. Good tip.
I have been researching those latches at work. Sometime in 1968, the one tab got shortened.

The one marked Y5K08 is for 1969-70. Sept 1968? date.
Has a hole without an angled tab for the 1969-70 door ajar switches. Believe it or not, there are 8 different door ajar switches used from 1967-70. 1967 right and left, 1968 right and left 1969-70 right and left, and black or white color.
Not much difference between 1967 and 1968 switches. 1968 marked ones have the mounting hole drilled through and through.

[67gta289]

Door posts/strikers are also dated.

[67gta289]

Some more pictures that show the extent of galvanized metal for much of the content on the early 67 latches.  Some of the gold zinc dichromate has "washed off" but you can still see some.  Note the green paint on one of the rivets.

[Bob Gaines]

Some more pictures that show the extent of galvanized metal for much of the content on the early 67 latches.  Some of the gold zinc dichromate has "washed off" but you can still see some.  Note the green paint on one of the rivets.

It is important to know how the insides are assembled but I would not lose sight of what is most the import vantage point which is what you see exposed in the door when it is opened. I am concerned that others reading my get the wrong impression that these "inside" types of details are important for concours judging. The only vantage point that is important to concours judging is the portion that you can see once the car is assembled. 

[67gta289]

Bob, I totally agree.  But since I had them apart I figured it could not hurt to post them.  You are correct though to point out that the inner details don't matter, and this might "hurt" as in confuse others.

Of most interest to me are the date codes and the galvanized finish which in this case I would say is impossible to reproduce.  Since the concours rules appear to a bit generous, probably appropriately so, most are ok.

[J_Speegle]

Thanks for sharing and putting forth the effort John

For the galvanized finish its often just in need of some repair and the fake galvanizing process can at least improve or reproduce the look successfully with some practice.
Just have to be careful about using too much product and getting a thick build up during the process