I just bot a '65 scrambler that is just like the one my parents made me sell in the 60s. I'm trying to restore it correctly so I'd like advice on what to send to be zinc plated vs chrome. Is there a reference somewhere that would have that info?
Thanks
Plstkr
Zinc vs chrome platingHi
If you google CL77 you will get to see some pictures of restored models. The list will be long but will be obvious from pictures of well restored bikes. Generally wheel rims, grab rail, exhaust, headlamp rim, handlebars, kickstart, gear lever will be chrome plated. Bolts, small clips, kick stand, coil brackets and spokes will be Zinc or Cadmium plated. G '60 C77 '60 C72 '62 C72 Dream '63 CL72
'61 CB72 '64 CB77 '65 CB160 '66 Matchless 350 '67 CL77 '67 S90 '77 CB400F
Re: Zinc vs chrome platingWhere ya located?
Add the location to the profile. Ya can easily look at all parts and see what was/is. ............lm
LM is right. You can be sure that nothing was bare metal except some aluminum parts like levers and such.
The zinc or cad plate is a sacrificial plating that goes away with time. It is also relatively soft to suceptible to wear, too. The result is you often see some residual plating left or the base metal is bare, but not heavily rusted or pitted because the zinc protected it all those years. The chromed bits will always have the chrome left with rust coming up from below and forming pits or peeling chrome section. It's hard to miss a rusty part that was originally chromed because it will be almost furry with deteriorating chrome and rust. If you are on a budget, you can do a lot if not all the zinc plating yourself. I have done a great deal of zinc plating at home after reading a how-to here on this forum and diving into it. I've even zinc plated chromed parts that had areas of missing chrome and buffed the zinc to blend in. Can't do that on something really shiny like a fender or handlebars, but shift lever, brake lever, kick start and the brake linkages came out pretty good. All depends if you are trying to make it look good or want a Vega auction showpiece. Go to the Everything Else section on this forum and read this thread. http://www.honda305.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6584 The title is "For the Home Plating Specialist. It gives you a good blow by blow as I and others started to do our own plating and what we learned along the way. It is safe, easy and very rewarding. It's a bit adicting as well. Chrome will have to be sent out and is not cheap. There are some threads on chrome platers here as well that members have used so you'll know what you will be getting back. regards, Rob Thanks for the advice. I'm trying to learn as much as I can before I do much more dis-assembly. I've had several 40s vintage Harley and Indian restoration projects in the past, and there seem to be more reproduction parts available for these old American bikes. It looks like this project will be as rewarding but cost a lot less.
This forum looks like it will be a great resource.
Hi Skeptic,
When it comes to plating, WYSIWYG ... ie, the condition of the bare metal, like a fine paint job, will be what you see after the chrome is laid down. So if you leave the surface baby-butt smooth & shiny (triple-x buffing, etc), that's what you get after chroming. If you stop after, say, 320-400 fine sanding, you might see evidence of a texture. Since the headers are "in your face", the extra effort will be worth it. That being said, many of our chrome parts (headlight trim ring, etc) are so badly pitted, that you need to sand so much, and you end up with "foil-thin" material. Headers are pretty stout, so I would give it a go ... especially if you have access to a sanding disk or belt-sander. Good luck and welcome!
Last edited by Dana01 on Tue May 17, 2011 9:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Dana
1966/7 CB-77 Red of course 1976 CB-550F (project over-budget and under-funded) 1985 GS-450S (Land Speed Racer)
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