Yellow Zinc plating Fuel rails and regulators

Jherriott · 02-27-2017, 09:13 AM

Hey all,

I have done some searches, but nothing really came up to answer some questions I have.

The engine is apart, and I have a bunch of stuff to get Yellow Zinc plated. The guy does Cad as well. but it is a matte finish, and it is hazardous, so I'm just going with zinc. Should be good enough as the car isn't seaworthy anyway

So my question to those that have done this. I assume you have to block off any regulator inlets and such, but what about the fuel rails? Do the openings all get sealed off? What's the best way to do this?

Thx in advance...

Jase.

Jherriott · 02-27-2017, 09:19 AM

steely · 02-27-2017, 11:06 AM

I thought there was a baking process involved after plating to prevent hydrogen embrittlement of the metal. Not %100 on this but am mentioning out of concern for the ICV and FR internals which could be affected. I'm not saying this to scare you so pls disregard if this isn't a concern.

I only sent out some rear suspension hw out for zinc chromate plating - my guy inherited his Dad's old biz plus he restored cars and motorcycles as a hobby so he was fairly knowledgeable/helpful.

blocking rail injector ports could be a challenge, why not leave'm open? (not the highly confident answer you're looking for I'm sure)

Jherriott · 02-27-2017, 02:08 PM

Thanks Dan, yes I'll be leaving out the regulator and valve after some similar advice. Sending the rails and other bits of tomorrow. Thx for the reply!

Jase.

NICE 69 S · 02-27-2017, 05:17 PM

Pretty sure the baking process is only for Cad plated parts.
Bob B

steely · 02-27-2017, 10:03 PM

It's needed for zinc plating too.

1QuickS · 08:18 AM

Baking required for high strength steel only, mild steel is not susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement; this would include Grade 5 hardware (Metric 8.8) and lower yield strength steel. The fuel rail components are all low yield steel but springs are definitely high yield.

You can plug the passageways but note that the OEM parts are plated including the threaded ends. Plating will not occur within the part but the electrolyte used in the plating bath will. You can make rubber plugs to seal off the passageways but the preparatory processes to plating (acid bath stripping & pressure washing) may dislodge them.

stownsen914 · 02-28-2017, 01:38 PM

I had a rail plated by Shaun at Tru6 and I think he plugged it for the cleaning operation, but may have left the ports open for plating. No harm in plating the inside of the rail.

Tremelune · 03-01-2017, 04:29 PM

Hydrogen embrittlement doesn't matter unless someone could get hurt from a failure of the part. Worry about suspension hardware, not fuel rails and hose clamps. They are unlikely to crack even if affected.

If you're paranoid, you can fix the issue by baking the parts at ~400°F for ~4 hours.

Standards for Hydrogen Embrittlement Relief after Zinc Plating

Hydrogen Embrittlement in Plating

steely · 03-01-2017, 07:04 PM

tnx 1quicks & tremelune.
Jase disregard that part of my input

Jherriott · 03-02-2017, 09:02 AM

all good guys. Thanks very much for your input! I got the stuff back, and it looks delicious!

Jase.

Tremelune · 03-02-2017, 09:05 AM

I do love fresh plating.

Are those valve covers plated? I thought they were aluminum.

hcoles · 03-02-2017, 09:45 AM

@Jase,
I assume your parts were "yellow" zinc plated. What color if any did you or the plater specify?
Were the fuel rails interior blocked off? I'm a bit confused on what others have said re. blocking off the insides of the fuel rails.
Thanks.

steely · 03-02-2017, 12:07 PM

nice! that was fast, i want some
oh good you got the pulley too

hcoles · 03-02-2017, 12:48 PM

I like the bit of bling on the valve covers also, so I have the same question as Tremelune

Jherriott · 03-02-2017, 04:38 PM

Hey guys... I got the covers vapour blasted. Unbeliveable.

It is basically high pressure air and water mixed with minute glass beads. It differs from other blasting in that the pores of the alloy do not get opened or roughed up. When you use dry blasting, the soda, walnut or the like will actually abrade the surface slightly, where as vapour blasting almost peens it. You get an unreal finish that retains all the characteristics of the original cast, but is much, much more resistant to stains and dirt because it actually closes up any tiny pores. I even did the Mag fan and cover, and it looked so fake I could have sworn it was painted. I even took a bit of lacquer thinner to the center ring to see if it had been, but of course it was just clean bare metal.

This process is big in the vintage motorcycle circles. I was put on to it when asking around about dry ice blasting, as it's even less aggressive.

Highly recommended. I am just waiting to get the intakes back, it's gonna look sweet!

Jase.

Jherriott · 03-02-2017, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hcoles

@Jase,
I assume your parts were "yellow" zinc plated. What color if any did you or the plater specify?
Were the fuel rails interior blocked off? I'm a bit confused on what others have said re. blocking off the insides of the fuel rails.
Thanks.

Hi hcoles,

The shop I went to only does Zinc and Cadmium plate. I had some exhaust hardware done previously as a test in Cadmium. It was gold colored but a rather matte finish. Also, the dangers of handling it was a concern. The conditions would have to be extreme to merit the use of Cadmium over Zinc (like marine use), so I went with yellow zinc. I liked the shiny bling factor too.

They also have the ability to provide "clear Zinc" plating. This is more of a silvery/blue type of plating. I am sure the properties are the same, but I didn't delve into it any further as Gold was the path for me. Perhaps a different color palette would look cool if everything was plated with the Silver/blue Zinc.

Eventually I will be handing my fan, covers, and intakes to Mark Motshagen for his Godlike artistry in a dark gunmetal ceramic. This will set off the golden Zinc nicely. I just didn't have the time for the turnaround with this refresh. Next winter I'll just pop the stuff off and send them his way.

Included is a pick of Mark's incredible work!

Jase.

Jherriott · 06:38 PM

About the fuel rails. The plater had done lots of stuff like that in the past and he said no problem. The electroplated zinc in the solution would get drawn to the closest point, so it would never end up inside the piece.

Jase.

hcoles · 03-02-2017, 05:28 PM

That fan, housing and gold colored hub look super.
I assume Mark Motshagen is the person/place that does this.
I didn't see the contact info. for Mark.
On another thread I dug up an email (mots356@yahoo.com)
I'm looking for a ball park price for doing a good condition fan, housing and plating the hub.
Any ideas on how Mark likes to be contacted?
Do you know if he checks the fan and hub balance?

Jherriott · 03-02-2017, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hcoles

That fan, housing and gold colored hub look super.
I assume Mark Motshagen is the person/place that does this.
I didn't see the contact info. for Mark.
On another thread I dug up an email (mots356@yahoo.com)
I'm looking for a ball park price for doing a good condition fan, housing and plating the hub.
Any ideas on how Mark likes to be contacted?
Do you know if he checks the fan and hub balance?

That's the email I used. He will probably forward his number so he can talk to you in detail about your project and a number of questions about the condition of your parts. I believe he takes the fan apart for plating and re-balances it once it's put back together.

I am not sure how rare the housings are and if they are NLA, but I did notice Suncoast sells a new fan for around $300 or so.

Jase.