Topic: Top Loader finishes specific to 67

[Bossbill]

Marcus has an excellent write-up on 67-up top loaders and paint marks.

But the finishes on the cast iron appear to run from sandblasted to charcoal gray.
The former is on DNO's website for back up lights.


The pic in the attachment is from Jeff's write-up on various paint marks and the main case looks painted as there are no machine highlights around the shift holes.
Many of Marcus' pictures show the same color.

I glass ball bead blasted my input shaft retainer and just gave it light WD coating.
I also blasted my extension housing but treated it same as my steering box -- light phosphate with steel wood into WD-40.

The extension housing I believe is the right color.
Is the main case this color too or charcoal? I did notice the inside of the main case is very dark but this may from years of running in 90wt.

[J_Speegle]

Remember that pictures as far as tint and tomes can be deceiving but will agree that most restored ones you see will lack the contrasting machined surfaces just lucky that most are not visible once the transmission is in the car. In the picture (second one from the top) you can see that it does not have a lighter top edge where the cover is attached not around the shifter levers. Just for the record that example was from 20 years ago. Sure we would do things differently today in some areas.

On your tailshaft housing the rear machined surface looks very close to the rest of the cast surface on my monitor. Just me

[Bossbill]

I just did a soft glass ball media blast on the main case and I think the it will end up darker than the extension housing regardless off what I do.

I have not finished any of the machined surfaces on the extension housing, so that does need attention. As does the pad for the motor mount.
Thanks for looking.

[mtinkham]

From the picture of the tail shaft housing, it looks like the parting line was ground away - presumably by someone on the line. That would look differently too, right?

[J_Speegle]

From the picture of the tail shaft housing, it looks like the parting line was ground away - presumably by someone on the line. That would look differently too, right?

If we knew for sure that the final piece was ground and those marks are not from the extension/housing that was used to make the mold.

Don't know. Guess we need to be on the look out for a very very nice original or an early NOS example to help determine. Would guess that there would possibly be some highlights from all the contact of these things rattling and moving against one another if they were all piled or put in a bin randomly after they came out of the mold but that's a bit extreme if that is possible   Don't know how they were handles or stored until they were installed on the transmission

[Bossbill]

From the picture of the tail shaft housing, it looks like the parting line was ground away - presumably by someone on the line. That would look differently too, right?

There just has to be people who want to make my life even more miserable

I decided to make the outside of the main case a bit darker and it ended up close to the color of the inside. Might be the type of metal in the foundry used for cases?

The pads on the extension housing are now machined looking (I will do case later).

I have seen extension housings lighter than cases in many pics so I'll leave it unless the peanut gallery wants to throw nuts my way.

[Bossbill]

I dunno.
After looking through Anghels transmission tome -- again -- I may have to darken the tailshaft housing. Perhaps the two have to have a consistent finish.

[Bob Gaines]

I dunno.
After looking through Anghels transmission tome -- again -- I may have to darken the tailshaft housing. Perhaps the two have to have a consistent finish.

A prudent plan . There is not much contrast between the two from all that I have seen over the years .

[J_Speegle]

........ I may have to darken the tailshaft housing. Perhaps the two have to have a consistent finish.

Of course your looking at restored examples, not IMHO always the best guide but agree that adjusting the tail shaft housing is the safe choice. Even in original black and white pictures the contrast is not apparent between the two

[Bossbill]

I accidentally forgot to oil the main case as I rushed inside and the main case is now a muddy brown color. It reminds of the pics of very old transmissions.

But I think I'm chasing after the wrong color. I don't think any of these dark colors like the main pic in Anghels transmission identifier or the one I posted yesterday on my case are correct for 67.
Cast iron, when new, is a very bright almost silvery gray color. The peaks of the casting are not brighter than the rest of the casting unless it has been scoured with steel wool or a 3M pad.

When I got my parts to rebuild the trans from Kees he also included a can of Seymour Original Cast Iron Gray Finish. "Made with actual metal material mixed in with pigment."

I am NOT saying to use paint. However, when I took all of the finishes off my extension housing and laid it done next to the paint can the colors matched real well.

New extension housing sold online from China are all black with the casting tops shiny.
New and original extension housings are all a nice bright gray/silver finish.
See pic.

[jwc66k]

Cast iron, when new, is a very bright almost silvery gray color. The peaks of the casting are not brighter than the rest of the casting unless it has been scoured with steel wool or a 3M pad.

True, but - the casting is set up on a machine and sprayed with a lubricating oil to facilitate machining. That makes the "shiny" - darker, and ultimately inhibits rust. When installed, it is not of dining room table quality clean.
Jim

[Bossbill]

Yeah, I get all that. Machining oil twirling around.
From what I've seen of Boeshield it does the same thing. It tends to darken things with age. Stuff I sprayed out with Boeshield a few years ago are now darker than bare cast iron left for that same amount of time. Of course, the bare stuff has rusted!

I'm going to strip it all back to bare cast and WD it. Later, I'll Brakeclean the areas that get paint or grease pencil. After all the paint marks are on it I will Boeshield it.

[Bossbill]

Started again this morning.
Here are the pair of them with a layer of WD-40 on them to prevent rust.

It's not paint but a little bit of phosphate and oil. But the Seymour lid is fairly close, if a bit lighter.

[Bossbill]

I'm getting ready to apply stamps, etc to the case but I have a problem with the finish on the extension housing bolts and lock washers.

The bolts are listed in the illustration section of the 60-68 MPC and are shown as
bolt:20430-S and lock washer:34808-S (both natural).
Jim's spreadsheet show the finish on 20430 as S8 for this application. I do note that some of the other applications list the fastener as natural.
Also, the lock washer is listed as "S( 8 )".

The trans has all the correct casting numbers, correct VIN but has been apart at least once. All 5 bolts are identical with no head marks and the lock washers have the knurl on the outside as I've seen on other Ford lock washers.

However, the bolt does not fizz when dropped in the acid bath, indicating no finish.
The lock washer is black on all surfaces which indicates a black oxide finish.

The pics of unrestored seems to indicate the bolt as natural and the lock washer is unknown.

[jwc66k]

The bolts are listed in the illustration section of the 60-68 MPC and are shown as
bolt:20430-S and lock washer:34808-S (both natural).

Not true. Ford Car Parts (aka MPC) lists the majority of the Ford hardware part numbers (not indicated as obsolete, a "star") without a finish code. (Remember, this is a service document, not assembly line.) Included on those non-obsolete hardware items is a locator code. In the picture, Ford bolt, 20430-S has locator code "B-104". The Ford "locator code" system has the finish of that specific item included in its documentation. It is "standardized". That means that if two of more finishes were used on different years, different models, or different applications - only one is supplied as a service replacement, and usually the finish that will withstand the trial of time - rust. Usually it's a clear zinc finish.
The use of parenthesis in finish codes, -S( 8 ), on the spreadsheets is an assumption or WAG (Wild Assed Guess). 
My opinion is if you want a the rusty head of a bolt showing up on your transmission, incorporate the "no finish option". Otherwise, use clear zinc, cadmium or phosphate & oil.
Jim