The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Door Latch Striker Plate

On a 1955 2nd series 1/2 ton were the door latch striker plates originally cadmium or zinc plated?

Thanks,
-Mike

Yes

They were plated. Probably cadmium, but zinc is a reasonable substitute if you have to DIY.

The ones on the truck that I’m rebuilding are covered with several coats of paint. And am I correct to assume that when the truck left the factory, they were unpainted?
Not trying to do a perfect “as it left the factory” restoration but I have opportunity to get parts re-plated for pennies, so why not.

Who's your "replated for pennies" source? I may have to send them some things.

Mike34 - Definitely no to being painted from the factory. I can't say for sure which coating was used, but they were plated to prevent rust.

I too would like to know your source that you can get parts "re-plated for pennies", as would a lot of other Bolters perhaps.

Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. My brother is a machinist and he has a friend who works at a plating company. Family discount…..

I suspect that they are zinc plated, mine are relatively rust free and I don't think cad plating would have held up as well for 69 years.

Here is a picture of NOS striker plates I picked up off of eBay a few years ago.

Those definitely look like "zinc" coated. Cadmium plating usually has a goldish tinge which is not evident in Phil's picture.

I agree with Dan on the look of those NOS strikers being zinc plated. Zinc plating in the home workshop is pretty easy to do. A little time consuming, but do-able.

If they are cadmium plated the same way that the hood hinges were cadmium plated (which I suspect that they were), they would not have a goldish tinge.
They would have a sloppy, swirly, slightly silvery look to them.
This a can be closely replicated by spraying bare metal with Rustoleum self-etching primer, followed up by spraying on Rustoleum silver metallic paint before the self-etching primer is fully dry. This process introduces the defect in how the silver metallic paint lays down and gives you the perfect sloppy, swirly. slightly silvery look. If you wait too long with the follow up coat of metallic silver, your result will just end up with a metallic silver paint job which is not what you want.

Would not they be painted anyway?

I think they were installed after the body and doors were painted.

Agree, those striker do look more like zink.
Cadmium can be goldish or silverish in color. Plating shop that I use can do both. Depends on which you ask for.

Two photos attached. The inside of this 1930s speedometer housing is original cadmium, after a lite media blasting with glass bead. The second photo shows new cadmium plating on speedometer housings. If they appear goldish on this digital photo it’s because a warm incandescent bulb was on which can make the photo appear yellow or warm. In natural light they are very silver looking which is what I asked for.

Very good point about the lighting and how it affects the appearance Mike!

Here is a more true color photo under proper lighting. Very silver.

The plater verified the finish as zinc and replated them.
I think that they’ll do….