Topic: Pursuing the Mystery Plating - Convertible Headers

[cmayna]

Gents,
Here's a question from RagTop (one of our members of StangFix),  which we felt might be bettered answered here. 
Craig
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Way back in 02 I started looking for some sort of info on the plating used on Mustang convertible inner windshield header bars and the sun visor brackets starting sometime in 68.  Unlike the verts from 65 thru half of 68, which were bright chrome, it would seem that the federals got to Ford and they began plating those parts in non-reflective satin tone as a "safety issue".  Unfortunately, there seems to be a lack of consensus on what, exactly, Ford plated these babies with.  When I bought my car in 98 the header bar was a mass of rust pits and the sun visor brackets, which are pot metal, were corroded with an ugly white oxide.  I shot my header bar with Argent paint, which came close to the original tone, and I wire brushed the sun visor brackets to remove the oxide and some of the pitting.  Based on VMF searches, I must have returned to the subject again in 07.  Guys who are in the know then seemed to fall into two camps.  One group is opining that the parts were nickel plated.  Another group is voting for industrial hard chrome.  The nickel group includes at least one very senior MCA judge.  I tend to doubt the industrial hard chrome group since that is a fairly expensive process, and Ford is a very cost sensitive organization.  I am having these parts plated as I write this post.  I dropped them with a plating shop in Stockton yesterday.  The guy was very interested in getting the right look, but he couldn't identify the residual original plating on the unexposed ends of the sun visor brackets either.  They are going to be plated in nickel and have the shine knocked down with Scotchbrite.  I highly doubt that Ford had folks standing around Scotchbriting those parts.  Do any of you wizards know the facts about this plating or is it just one more mystery for the ages?

[ruppstang]

I believe it was a satin chrome, but I can not tell you the process.
Marty

[tobkob]

Hi,  Not sure if exactly the same but Ford had a Butler Finish back in the Model A days.    Maybe this will help.                                             

http://www.fordgarage.com/pages/butlerfinish.htm

[Bob Gaines]

I believe it was a satin chrome, but I can not tell you the process.
Marty

+1 . That is what i have always heard it refered to as . Not a very popular finish and so hard to find anyone to do it.

[J_Speegle]

............. I dropped them with a plating shop in Stockton yesterday.  ............

Is there anyone in Stockton that still does chrome or just ship it out?  You much be pretty close to me

I'm in the "satin" or dull chrome camp - of course there has not been a call or need for it other than some limited industrial applications over the years so doubt anyone still remembers how it was done.

Tim (TLea) had someone doing the plating for him for his header bars in recent years and they appeared to be in the neighborhood IMHO- hopefully he'll pipe in here with some insight

[Oz390]

Not that the parts are "correct", but in relation to the finish, any opinions on how close the "newer" dull chrome Drake '67-'68 convertible top latch/visor bases are to the original finish?

[ragtop]

I tracked a post that I submitted to Vintage Mustang Forum back in 2007 on this subject.  I think TLea suggested industrial hard chrome for the finish on these parts.  While the look might be right, I highly doubt that Ford would have used such an expensive process on production line cars.  I looked at the Butler finish referenced above that was used on early Fords.  That was achieved by knocking down the chrome shine with abrasives.  It looks a little too "brushed" for the finish that was on these parts, but it is probably more likely that Ford used some variation of this process than the industrial hard chrome process.  I am amazed that there are no ex-Ford employees that know what the process was on these cars.  Of course, they may have already gone to the big Ford plant in the sky. 

The outfit I placed my parts with is Valley Plating on N. Filbert St. in Stockton.  The place looks like an old chicken coop that was converted into a business site and it is dark and dank inside, but Mike, the owner, is very positive and helpful.  He's going to strip the argent paint I put on the header bar off to get a look at the remains of the original finish.  The ends of the pot metal sun visor brackets that were covered by the header bar all these years have a very consistent satin finish that looks almost like buffed aluminum.  That's where I hope Mike leaves me at the end of the day.  His best suggestions, thus far, seems to be a knocked down chrome.   

[WT8095]

Reliable Plating lists a number of finishes on their site:

http://www.reliableplating.com/prinfren.htm

Included are: satin chrome, satin and semi-bright nickel, and dull tin.

I don't know if any of these are correct, but it may help as a starting point for further research.