Electroplating wishbones

[jonbarrett]

I've got a DIY zinc electroplating kit and was planning to blast and plate the wishbokes prior to painting. Can anyone think of a good reason NOT to plate first. I was wondering whether the paint might not adhere properly etc.

[GreenV8S]

Sounds like a good idea to me. As long as you don't need to weld it afterwards (you'd need to grind the plating off first) I don't see any disadvantages.

[jonbarrett]

No welds planned so no weld fume probs.

[pjenni12]

Electroplating works really well, but some form of protection is required after ie. lacquer or paint. If you leave it bare the salt will turn it black.

I plated all my wishbones and uprights along with coolant hoses and anything else. I also cleaned and replated all the original bolts (less nylocks) for under £50

[jonbarrett]

Imaculate! Just what I was hoping to achieve.

[GreenV8S]

pjenni12 said:

I plated all my wishbones and uprights along with coolant hoses and anything else.

The end result looks superb. Was it difficult to do?

[clive f]

pjenni12 said:

excuse my ignorace, but where does this bit go?

[Gazzab]

Isnt that the bit that goes on the chassis over the exhaust?

[pjenni12]

The large plate above goes between the chassis rails under the exhaust to stiffen it all up.

Also forgot to say the electroplating doesn't harm rubber or plastic so no need to remove any bushes that are ok!

As for ease of doing it, all I did was shotblast all the powdercoated parts and sandblast all the rusty bits and bolts. Then you need to wire bush all the blasted surfaces, angle grinder and cup brush is quite quick. If you don't do this the finish comes out dull.

I took mine to a local electroplater that we use for our Mini kits and they did it all for under £50. My opinion is it's better than painting, looks better too and cheaper.

I've just took the last batch of parts there Thursday which is all the parts from the engine, bolts, washers alt bracket etc.

Phil

[Steve_T]

It's the chassis plate that sits under the exhausts.

[Gazzab]

I was first !

[TT Tim]

Lovely job!

How's it holding up, has it been on the car a while?

I've seen some rust on the bits I re-plated, but as it was my first attempt at electroplating I'm not surprised if I didn't get it quite right.

Tim

[Storer]

That plating looks superb.

All plated bolts I use tend to corrode after 3 or 4 years outside and you will get road salt to hasten the process. Will the lacquer not be chipped by stones. Could you powder coat on top of the plating for added protection or does the powder coat need bare metal?

[pjenni12]

I'm still putting the engine back together so it's still like new in the workshop. I have laquered all the plating which should make it last a lot longer. It probably will stone chip but it should be good for a fair few years. You could powdercoat over it for double protection.