Technical Backing plate finish?

Would one of the more experienced veterans please tell me what finish was on the 40s to 50s juice brakes. Was it gloss, semi gloss, satin, crappy gloss, or something else unique. Was it lacquer?
I don't want my backing plates to look overly messed with. Thanks any guidance would be greatly appreciated.


"Listen Mr... It ain't broke if I can't fix it"

 

rust?

 

Are you wanting to replicate a factory finish? If so, what year/make backing plates?

 

Usually a cheap black finish called "chassis black". A type of fast drying paint.

Semi gloss spray bombs would be about it, although there are all kinds of special paints for restorers.

Incidentally someone touched up a black car I bought with an old spray bomb of semi gloss barbecue paint. It was the hardest damn stuff to get off I ever saw. If you want a tough, hard wearing, high temp paint for brakes, drivetrain, chassis, etc. it would be hard to beat.

 

I just want to know the level of sheen. I was going to use VHT chassis black satin. Durable and good for the heat. I'm nervous that it won't appear stock'ish. They're 40 somethin backing plates.


"Listen Mr... It ain't broke if I can't fix it"

 

Yup, that's the first thing I look for. Did he get the sheen right on his backing plates. You're over thinking it Dude....

 

I can't speak for hot rods of the time, but I used to work at a resto shop that did virtually nothing but 55-57 Thunderbirds and Ford used gloss black on those. They weren't super gloss like clearcoat or anything, but anyone who's ever had an NOS Ford part out of a box knows that cheap but still shiny black paint they used on everything. I would think a good ol' can of Rustoleum gloss black would do the trick, won't look overdone but also not flat black like primer.

 

Wyatt: If your not restoring something, put what you want you like on it. My fronts were so nice that I cleaned them up and put clear on them. Didn't want to cover them up. Tim

 

Here's a pic

 

To each his own...I like the details, especially on a period-perfect car. Early Ford drums/backing plates were dipped in enamel...you might want to check on Ford Barn to be sure about 40's backing plates though - I can't speak to those.

Through trial & error, I found that Duplicolor semi-gloss black engine enamel matched some NOS backing plates I had. Not super glossy, but not 'matte' either.

My main issue with Rustoleum is the insane drying time and the 'milky' brownish green tint in their black paint. For a straight up glossy black enamel, I like the ACE hardware brand.

Duplicolor semi-gloss black engine paint;


Brush-painted ACE hardware gloss black alkyd enamel (thinned with acetone & linseed oil);

 

Stevie, I over think everything, I believe it's from years of writing songs or from always polishing a turd, I don't know. This is what I got with the VHT. it looks better in real life. I've stated before I use to paint cars as my day job so I got all skewed about this stuff. I just can't stand when something looks just painted if that makes any sense.


"Listen Mr... It ain't broke if I can't fix it"

 

Looks good to me!

 

Krylon semi flat black 1613 every hotrodder should keep 2 cans in stock at all times. Stock up when it goes on sale.

 

That sure looks good!

 

That VHT finish looks perfect to me, like it just came out of a tattered but intact factory package.

I love this level of detail in a car. Just recently I bought a set of repop Bob Drake hose clamps for my T build because I was really thrown off by the worm drive ones I had. So I can relate.

 

It's a sickness

 

Squablo,
I think that Ford used gloss black on everything clear back into the '30s. I saw some '40 Ford backing plates still boxed from an old dealer in SoCentral Missouri back in the '70s and I am going from *memory but I will swear that they were very old gloss black paint.

* Memory is selective at best and mine is not only selective but it is getting a little sketchy. Too bad Bruce isn't here he would have the definitive answer.

 

Yeah I was scared to ask Bruce directly, I'm but only a lowly disciple.
If I would have come up with some NOS plates I wouldn't be bothering anyone. Wyatt


"Listen Mr... It ain't broke if I can't fix it"

 

I love that people ask these questions. No detail is too small if you are willing to take the time. It's not for all and no on will notice but when have we ever built our cars for other people right?

I concur about the Duplicolor semi gloss black. I dig the sheen with that stuff for things like backing plates.

My only thing about cheap spray bombs is it turns to jelly once the brake fluid hits it during the bleeding process. It'll make a mess of things in no time. Maybe.....if it's in the budget, I would spray something with the duplicolor and take the blacking plates to the powdercoater to replicate that sheen? I know that's not "correct" but it might preserve the finish for much longer on something like backing plates.

 

Part of the aesthetic of traditional rods for me is making it all look like it was built from a real car and real parts from dealer and junkyard, back when the stuff wasn't all that old and before salt went on everything...I don't mean ratrod crud, I mean parts that look like they were carefully selected and a car that was pretty good and got built on Sunday afternoons, because it had to get the owner to work the other days. Somebody once said that to build a good hotrod, you had best restore it before ripping it up and altering everything. If you were building an early Ford in 1950, the stuff was mostly nearly worthless anyhow, so you sure would have picked up a car that wasn't a ball of rust and plucked the best examples of whatever you needed at the scrap yard...
Resto info from a V8 club book:
Backing plates dipped in semi-gloss enamel as noted above. I believe this was done with enamel floating in water deep enough that parts were shoved through and fully submerged, then pulled back out through the paint. Then, according to the '39 book, they were touched up (at the "chassis touchup" station of assembly line) with sprayed on "air dry chassis black" that got the adjuster nuts, pins, and bolts that weren't there back when the plates were dipped...so it was all black.
A fastidious rodder might well have had cad hardware left bare when he rebuilt the cylinders and such...

 

Thanks Bruce and JJ, you guys know what I'm thinking best without me screwing it all up with my big mouth.
I need this PU build to be cohesive or jell as one whole unit if that makes sense, so all these steps and decisions are very important to me. I can't just slap some black SP laying under the bench on if you catch my drift.


"Listen Mr... It ain't broke if I can't fix it"

 

"I just can't stand when something looks just painted if that makes any sense."

Not really. But if it bothers you just drive the car for a few weeks and it won't look just painted anymore.

 

NOS parts are often different than what was used on the line. Old Mopar backing plates were phosphate black plated. Black exhaust manifold paint looks close.

 

To answer your original question as to what was used back then...............EVERYTHING you mentioned. Some guys chromed them, some painted them shiny, some bug bombed them, and some left them as is. There was no ONE finish used, it depended on the money the builder had to spend and how interested he was in details.

Don

 

Here's a NOS one, I had more but they were sent off to be chromed

later kb

 

Damn! That's it KB that's what I wanted. That is what I call crappy gloss. I guess I could repaint'm. If I don't get it perfect it will bug the hell out of me for years, even if I don't have the truck anymore. Now it's a question of how motivated am I to fix a screw up.


"Listen Mr... It ain't broke if I can't fix it"

 

Sorry Don if I wasn't clear in my initial post. I was going for a stock finish. As in I pulled these off a crashed sedan in the late 40s cleaned them up and take good care of them(cause I run only "Fender"guitars) still five ten years later.


"Listen Mr... It ain't broke if I can't fix it"

 

some time during the 90's ford villager mini vans had a black lower body color that i have used as an oem black finish. sorta shiny with a charcoal hue. i will see if i can find a code.

 

I think you achieved a very good result. I'm also glad you're making the effort.

 

Cool, let me know. Nice work on the Daytona paint job looks like the dog approved. Hey and get over to Mark's and help him finish those coolant leaks on the five window.


"Listen Mr... It ain't broke if I can't fix it"