The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop tailgate chain

Anyone know what color, if any, were the tailgate chains painted 47-53?

I don't think they were painted at all.

Ottp,
What is the source for your position?

They were zinc plated plated.

Consider the difficulty of painting a chain. Everywhere two links touched wouldn't be painted. Getting paint evenly on all sides would be extremely challenging. Paint would immediately start chipping off under normal use. Would GM waste the money to do that in 1950? It was just off-the-shelf, steel chain, cut to length and installed.

I've never seen painted chains or or remnants of paint on chains of unrestored trucks - even stepside Chevys all the way into the 1970s

I agree that it is very unlikely that the chains were painted. I doubt that they were zinc plated. Many parts on these trucks were cadmium plated. Maybe the chains, maybe not.
The problem with cadmium plating is that it is a sacrificial coating. As long as it is still there, it takes the brunt of the corrosion, protecting the underlying steel. The problem is that being sacrificial, it doesn't last very long, and rust wins anyway in short order.
I am guessing that all GM was concerned about was that the metal was shiny until the owner got it home.
I am going to do to the chains what I did to the hood hinges, hood springs, hood latch and nuts and bolts.
I have accidentally found out that if you prime with Rustoleum self-etching primer and follow up with Rustoleum silver metallic before the primer completely cures, it runs and streaks and looks awful exactly like what cadmium plating looked like on these trucks originally.
I have a real good idea what the cadmium plating looked like originally when I removed a hood hinge from the cowl.
GM used a sealing putty between the hood hinge and the cowl to keep rain out of the cab via the hinge bolts holes. The result was that the putty preserved the cadmium finish.

I took a can of Plasti-Dip, thinned it with naphtha to the point it could be painted on in a rather thick coat and then carefully painted my chains with that stuff. I had to give them about three coats and it took a while but it sure kept them from rattling and knocking paint off. Then on the hook part I used some heat-shrink tubing and that kept them from rattling and made a nice secure hook.

As much as I'd like to take measures to prevent paint damage from raw tailgate chains, my current project is a restoration.
I guess that I could lower the tailgate whenever I drive it or if the wind is blowing hard in the driveway.

Don't worry about it. Don't try to save it in pristine condition for some other guy to enjoy after you're dead. Enjoy it now.

I know a guy who spent years restoring a 1956 Eldorado to factory specs. He was so afraid to drive it because of what "might happen" that he sold it. What's the point of doing the restoration if not to drive it like you just picked it up from the dealership in 1952?

All of them that I remember had that rubber sleeve cover over the chain. I don't think they were painted at all.

My '50 3100 that I got from my uncle (he bought it new) had the remnants of the thin rubber sleeve over the tailgate chains. The chains were cadmium plated/rusty. I know for a fact that the chains were original to the truck, and my uncle was not one to spend money that didn't need to be spent on keeping anything "pretty". When we took the truck bed apart to re-do/paint it, the chains did not show any evidence of ever having had paint on them.

Thanks Jim!
Now I need to find a period picture of a brand new AD 3100 that shows what the original covers looked like or if they didn't come with covers at all.

My chains are original to my truck, just black iron and I used a repair link to attach it to the bracket. Had canvas covers made to protect the bed and tailgate when moving.

One "redneck solution" for the chain covers is to get a bicycle innertube just large enough to slip over the chains, cut two pieces to length, and re-attach to the truck. Stops the rattles and keeps the chains from eating the paint up.

TexasJim50,
That is so funny for I was just getting ready to post a similar reply. Been using bicycle innertube for my truck's chain for years. No matter what material one picks to use, I would add a small hole at the bottom of the chain loop so if rain water or hose water enters the cover, the small hole will allow the water to escape preventing the chain from rusting away.

Here’s my inner tube chain protector…….Hmmmm looks like I need to slide the tube up towards the bed frame end of the chain, away from the tailgate hook.