Denny - many companies would glass bead zinc alloy castings to remove the casting residue for cleaning prior to dipping them in the chromate solution for protection; which is why we did the same thing.
As for the plating of steel pieces: Carter was located across the street from Howard Crown plating, and steel pieces were shipped across to Crown after they came from the stampings shop, AND PLATED WITH WHATEVER CROWN WAS RUNNING THAT DAY FROM YELLOW OR WHITE ZINC, OR YELLOW OR WHITE CADMIUM.
In the earlier years, Crown ran a lot of white zinc, which is the finish we used on Carter items UNLESS the customer had a preference for one of the other finishes.
So, if you purchased a restored carb from us then that is what you would receive. HOWEVER, we have been forced to cease carburetor restoration. Our primary focus has always been on the manufacture of carburetor rebuilding kits, while the restoration of carburetors a secondary focus. Thanks to the deathanol in our fuel, the demand for our rebuilding kits is now at a 40 year high! We have not restored a carburetor in over 2 years. We do have quite a few Chevrolet W-1's on the shelf that we had restored, but sold out of 483's and 574's (maybe others).
Jon.
