Topic: Early 64.5/65 Front Springs

[lscman]

Was the Dearborn 64/65 mustang front springs P&O or something different?Also was all the hood hinges Dearborn P&O also?

[CharlesTurner]

Typically see springs with black paint on Dearborn, although I would not say that was an absolute.

On the hood hinges, it depends on when the car was built.  Hood hinges were still being painted black into Fall of '64 and then transitioned to phosphate/oil.

[lscman]

What month was the transition of the PO hinges?

[CharlesTurner]

Sometime around Sept/Oct '64.

[DM_1964]

Here's a pic of one of my front spring to replicate the markings... anyone have any info into why the use of colors? and I assume they weren't marked before installation...

whould sand blast and paint be the preferred restoration technique required?

[jwc66k]

The use of colors goes back to the beginning of Ford's assembly line procedure. Most of the workers could not read so a color coding system was developed where different specification parts like springs could be easily identified. It worked. It was quick. It was continued maybe even till today.
I bead blast mine, painted them black (they were originally black, SJ Oct 65) and casaully slopped a brown stripe on each, "K" car FB color. If your car is in the time frame of natural, use Jeff's gun blue technique, and consider a coat of clear semi-gloss paint, Eastwood Diamond semi-gloss. I hate rust.
Jim

[DM_1964]

The use of colors goes back to the beginning of Ford's assembly line procedure. Most of the workers could not read so a color coding system was developed where different specification parts like springs could be easily identified. It worked. It was quick. It was continued maybe even till today.
I bead blast mine, painted them black (they were originally black, SJ Oct 65) and casaully slopped a brown stripe on each, "K" car FB color. If your car is in the time frame of natural, use Jeff's gun blue technique, and consider a coat of clear semi-gloss paint, Eastwood Diamond semi-gloss. I hate rust.
Jim

Thanks Jim, yeah I was looking at Jeff's article on natural finishes, luckily mine aren't suffering from rust so they should come up looking the goods.

[DM_1964]

After soaking my springs in evaporust, the markings are now very clear, however, I now know they weren't natural finish as there's traces of black paint.
So what to do next? Leave them as is or repaint? I really want to preserve the markings, which I won't if I choose to repaint them...
Interesting as one spring was missed of the white marks, should I replicate that white mark on the other so they are the same?

[jwc66k]

Dom,
  Try a local hardware or paint store and see if you can get samples that match the colors. I opted for flat as most of the surfaces are rough and that is what they had. Knowing your location, I don't know if this is helpful, I got Behr Premium Plus 7.25oz Deep Base color samples at Home Depot. As a color source, I used the pictures that Charles Turner posted on his website, plus several others, direct matching to an existing paint dab on a part and then "enlarged" them so the color could be scanned at Home Depot. I used an old Adobe Photoshop software program to do the editing. The colors I chose to get were to be used on 66 San Jose built HP Mustangs, mine GT Fastback, another GT Fastback and three others, all 66 Shelby's. The color selection was made by mutual agreement (and some arguments). We got green, pink, brown, red and yellow. We found that we had no need for blue or purple for our cars.
  Evaporust, by its nature, removes rust down to unprotected metal and will without a protective covering, rust. If the springs begin to show signs of rust, semi-gloss black paint or if you can find someone, dark phosphate and oil.
  The paint at the factory was applied by a brush that was worn down by use, so be sloppy when you apply a paint stripe, don't mask it.
Jim

[J_Speegle]

After soaking my springs in evaporust, the markings are now very clear, however, I now know they weren't natural finish as there's traces of black paint....

Got to ask is that paint or another coating. If you can put a couple of drops of paint stripper on a nice section and see if the paint bubbles up

[DM_1964]

I don't know if this is helpful, I got Behr Premium Plus 7.25oz Deep Base color samples at Home Depot.
Evaporust, by its nature, removes rust down to unprotected metal and will without a protective covering, rust. If the springs begin to show signs of rust, semi-gloss black paint or if you can find someone, dark phosphate and oil.
The paint at the factory was applied by a brush that was worn down by use, so be sloppy when you apply a paint stripe, don't mask it.

Jim, thanks for your feedback, Bunnings is our equivalent to Home Depot here, however perhaps a specialized paint store may be the way to go.
I'm also contemplating whether to give them a matte clear coat finish as they are (some of the markings are flaking off in areas).

Got to ask is that paint or another coating. If you can put a couple of drops of paint stripper on a nice section and see if the paint bubbles up

Jeff, I'll take a detailed pic later and post, it looks as though there were light runs that dried at the middle of each coil like it was hanging upright and slightly angled, whether or not it's paint or a coating, I guess I'll find out after that little paint stripper test...

[DM_1964]

Here's what I believe is the remaining black paint... Thoughts?

[J_Speegle]

Here's what I believe is the remaining black paint... Thoughts?

No paint marks?   That always helps so that you can figure out if the paint was on them before or later

The treated bare springs often have a very black glossy finish to them in places. It can be chipped or scrapped off (you'll find little pieces in the panes when you clean them)  the difference is that it does not flake off or bubble when paint stripper is applied. Hard to tell the difference with the eye in my experience

[jwc66k]

Here are my paint samples I used, with the source color on the appropriate parts. The missing pictures in between were used as worksheets.
Jim

[J_Speegle]

....Interesting as one spring was missed of the white marks, should I replicate that white mark on the other so they are the same?

I would - and use a rattle can to do that one rather than a brush - like what will be used for the others