So,
I go to my complete rubber kit, bought years ago, to check the tail light to body gaskets and find i have 2 different kinds. One is very thin and flimsy and only says “RH” on it. The other one is much more substantial and says “LH” and “Intermarque” on it. Has anyone gotten the better type lately and where?
Also there is a small chip out of one of my tail light lenses. They appear to be original with “Lucas” on them twice and “grade 1” and “England”. I thought I recall that repos have incorrect markings and there is a place to get correct ones? Or was that just front indicator lights?
whew. And THIRD, I realise I must dismantle the pot metal housings from the sockets/reflectors. I see screws and tiny rivets. Before I drill out those rivets, is it actually possible to put these back together? I would like to rechrome these because they fit the body (just checked). So if anyone can advise on how to reassemble, I would be grateful .
They’ll go back together easily with pop rivets. Beware, they may come back from the shop perfect. They may come back unusable. It all depends on the shop, how careful they are, and whether or not the pot metal casting has inclusions that get uncovered during the sanding/polishing process. I hate these parts. It’s among the top 5 most irksome parts on these cars.
The best gaskets seem to be from SNG. They have the widest lip around the edge to capture it and hide gaps.
I can’t remember if it was 1/8 or 1/16. But I found some in my assortment that went right in without over boring. Rest assured, it’s safe to drill apart.
In case you don’t want to or can’t find the proper size rivets, you can always tap the holes for some small bolts or screws that you can get at the hobby store. I do this a lot because I like concept of being able to screw it together and apart. I always keep a wide assortment of tiny bolts and screws on hand for just such occasions. Also remember you can probably screw in a small metal screw (short) without tapping the hole. Pot metal is soft so it is possible. Again, be careful with the pot metal, it is ostensibly junk metal.
Bear in mind if the plater puts too much plating around/in the rivet holes and none will any longer fit, you might have to resort ti tapping and securing them.
I know this is last year’s conversation, but did you find gaskets that fit the tail lights (against the body)? I have purchased some from Welsh and from Metro Molded Parts and they are both too short (overall length). I need almost another 1/4". Did you find gaskets that were the right size? Thanks
I didn’t get to the lights yet, I have just finished the wet sanding compounding and buffing. (Had hand surgery) But IIRC both gaskets were long enough it’s just that one was much nicer, thicker with a bigger lip.
Call SNG and see if they can give you the Intermarque one. You can always send them back for credit.
My rubber kit was bought about 20 years ago.
Hello Bill,
Rechomed Zinc Based Die Cast parts are invariably destined for failure. Out of the die, there is a smooth, fairly dense surface to the casting. During the refinishing process, this skin is removed via sanding exposing porosity that exists to variable extent in all die Zinc Based die castings. The chemicals used in the chroming process get trapped in the porosity close to the surface and not long down the track, pimples in the chrome surface results.
There is a company in Australia and I’m sure other parts of the world that prep the base part with epoxy primers in the same way one would prep a body panel for final paint and then chrome over the paint, you can chrome plate over just about any material (think plastic scale model cars). I’ve had discussions with the company and they would allow me to do all the preliminary work, such as getting surfaces flat (where required) and true and to apply the first coats of 2K primer; they finish the process with another (other) layers and then chrome plate. I’m not sure of the process exactly after the parts leave my hands.
I’ve been down the track of having Zinc Base Die Cast rechromed many times and I’ve not encountered a plating business that will give any guarantee, nor have I found one where the rechroming was long living. The paint process worked.