'55 1500 N Valve cover finish advice needed

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Daryl Bertram
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'55 1500 N Valve cover finish advice needed

#1 Post by Daryl Bertram »

I have a '55 1500 N engine and want to refurbish the valve covers as it came from the factory. Is this an anodized finish? Thanks for your advice. :-)
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Joris Koning
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Re: '55 1500 N Valve cover finish advice needed

#2 Post by Joris Koning »

Silver zinc I believe
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Daryl Bertram
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Re: '55 1500 N Valve cover finish advice needed

#3 Post by Daryl Bertram »

Thank you Joris. Added to my to-do list. :-)

Ivan Fuller
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Re: '55 1500 N Valve cover finish advice needed

#4 Post by Ivan Fuller »

zinc in '55?
Cad surely? - Almost impossible to get done these days
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Alfred Knittel
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Re: '55 1500 N Valve cover finish advice needed

#5 Post by Alfred Knittel »

I had mine power coated. Silver.
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Doug McDonnell
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Re: '55 1500 N Valve cover finish advice needed

#6 Post by Doug McDonnell »

Clear Zinc.Although some swear Cad 1 plated. I wish Brad would answer this one. Or someone took a known original that was never refinished and had it tested to determine Clear zinc or Cad1
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Brad Ripley
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Re: '55 1500 N Valve cover finish advice needed

#7 Post by Brad Ripley »

Clear zinc -- thoroughly bead blast first.

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Doug McDonnell
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Re: '55 1500 N Valve cover finish advice needed

#8 Post by Doug McDonnell »

Thank you Brad. I looked in my B and C parts books but never found a finish.
Last edited by Doug McDonnell on Wed May 01, 2019 6:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1965 356C 2000 BMW 740i Sport 1967 Honda CL77 There is never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to do it over.

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Vic Skirmants
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Re: '55 1500 N Valve cover finish advice needed

#9 Post by Vic Skirmants »

all fixed
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Doug McDonnell
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Re: '55 1500 N Valve cover finish advice needed

#10 Post by Doug McDonnell »

Apple autofill that I missed Vic. Thanks for being kind.
1965 356C 2000 BMW 740i Sport 1967 Honda CL77 There is never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to do it over.

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Daryl Bertram
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Re: '55 1500 N Valve cover finish advice needed

#11 Post by Daryl Bertram »

Thank you Brad and everyone with advice here. Much appreciated!

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Wil Mittelbach
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Re: '55 1500 N Valve cover finish advice needed

#12 Post by Wil Mittelbach »

Cad; per photo of my cad re-plated valve cover duplicating it's original finish.
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Joris Koning
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Re: '55 1500 N Valve cover finish advice needed

#13 Post by Joris Koning »

Okay, I refer to clear zinc as silver zinc. With regard to testing these, I have all of Tim Goodrich's old notebooks on his restorations. He did this for some cars (not a 55) and they came out as zinc. With regard to cad. It is a popular misconception that people think (I used to be one of them) that many of the plating on our cars was originally cad, it is not. The other is that many of the undercarriage hardware is black oxide, again, it is not. I believe that factory used 2-3 different kinds of phosphate finishes of which the dark black used on most of the undercarriage hardware has been a mystery to me.
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Wil Mittelbach
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Re: '55 1500 N Valve cover finish advice needed

#14 Post by Wil Mittelbach »

Rather than further debate original cad versus zinc plating, suggest you re-plate your valve covers with whatever your choice may be.

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Tom Wavrin
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'55 1500 N Valve cover finish advice needed

#15 Post by Tom Wavrin »

Daryl & Joris, Tim Goodrich advised me to plate the valve covers with clear (silver) zinc on my 55100 coupe. He also had brightness/sheen measurements for black painted suspension parts and engine sheet metal taken from NOS parts. He documented all the fastener finishes (also with pictures) on the '56 "Keno coupe" that had 27K original miles on it when he disassembled it for Chris in preparation for its restoration. I believe I still have a compilation of notes for fastener finishes and types from a 1 owner, never disassembled '58 Speedster.
Wil, I like the look and built-in durability of your Cad finished, non-vented valve covers....
Tom, Reg # 10576, Oregon
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