I am wondering how to restore a power brake booster and master cylinder to their original "gold" finish? Is it possible to powdercoat a brake booster or will the heat ruin its internals?


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Ted Stojkovski
Syracuse NY
Team Chevelle #172

Ted
Powdercoating requires heating to 400 degrees. It needs to be disassembled for that. Have you talked to a coating shop? Can they get the correct effect(?)? Eastwood among others sells a paint kit that simulates the gold plating.
rick

The car that it'd be going into wouldn't be a show car so it wouldn't have to be a "factory correct" finish. I just hate the rusty look that it has right now.

I'm trying to get ideas on what other guys have done.

Ted, I saw a kit in Eastwoods that does that' like a 4 step paint job- GoldenCad. Silver then yellow, green etc. $33. I just cleared my new master when I stuck it in the 67, unfortunately a few days after so it had already begun to rust. But the clear arrested the process and I would just clear it before installing. ( used rustoleum matte clear).

Ted, I bought the Eastwood kit to do the booster for my 77 Pontiac Can Am and it came out looking pretty damn good and still looks damn good a year and a half later! I just took it out of the car, sanded it down some and followed the instructions that came with the kit. If you plan to do more than 1 booster, it will pay for itself. As for the master cylinder, I sprayed it with cast iron grey paint before I installed it (with dried booster) and it still looks great, too! Good luck whatever you decide. Tony

I used the Eastwood cadmium booster kit myself. Did not have any real good results. I sanded down the booster, then sprayed the paints in the order required. Somehow I got too much of a green looking color to it. I sandit it down and repainted it again and got similiar results trying to lightly spray the different colors for the required effect. Unfortunately, the paint peels off very easily http://www.chevelles.com/forum/frown.gif. I guess I should have cleared it also. Anyway, I would like to get it done correctly with the real cadmium plating. I hear a place called Booster Dewy's can do the work and also rebuild the boosters with a new diaprahgm if needed. Anyone have this address and/or ph number for Booster Dewy's business?

I answered this question yesterday in the Open Discussion Forum as follows:
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I always send mine to Booster Dewey in Portland, Oregon. He will dissasemble and replate the booster and master cylinder lid for $105 plus shipping. Then he reassembles and vacuum tests it. Can't beat it. And he'll rebuild the booster (only if it needs it) for another $30. He's in the phone book under Power Brake Booster Exchange - or something like that. If you can't find his number email me and I'll dig it up. He does beautiful work and nothing looks as good as the original gold cad, IMHO.

(I looked up his number and it is 503-238-8882).

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Stan Hanek
'66 SS - 396 4 sp.
haneks@wdni.com


[This message has been edited by Stan (edited 12-21-1999).]

What I do is have the parts zinc plated. Zinc plating leaves a silver type finish and to get the gold finish they just dip the parts in a dye. The place I have the plating done has parts from the brake parts rebuilders and the alternator rebuilders, have you ever wondered how the parts look new on rebuilt parts? What I do is have all bolts, fastners and hardware that I can collect from a few different cars and have them plated. The cost is $50.00 for a five gallon bucket of parts, believe me a lot of parts can fit in a five gallon bucket. The parts can have surface rust and grease on them and when they come back they look like brand new. How long do you think it would take you to clean a five gallon bucket of parts? I have found this is about one of the cheapest and most rewarding things you can do when you restore your car.

I can understand the need to get the plating right on a booster, but the master cylinder is not plated.

The cover is.

I have found a solution to finishing those less-than-perfect parts that looks quite good. Rustoleum makes a "Hammertone" paint that comes in several colors and yields a shiney textured surface.

I first used it underneath by dash when the car was in pieces and I really didn't feel like taking a wire brush to that whole area. I just cleaned it up fairly well and sprayed away. The slightly rusted-old-glue surface was transformed.

Ted,
Stan's solution is probably the best. There is also a place here in Okla City that will disassemble, rebuild, gold cad plate and rebuild your booster for about the same price that Stan mentioned (under $150 including rebuilding, plating, and shipping, I just called them to verify this). This place is a small operation in which 2 guys, who used to work for a big brake place in OKC, do nothing but brake component rebuilding. Probably about 60-70yrs experience between them. I have had 2 boosters done by them. Perfect. The gold cad finish is kind of that rainbow effect. Just like Chev made it.

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Tom Parsons

Tom,
I would like the name of the shop that you used. Sounds like they do excellent work.
Thanks
Darryl


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Darryl
Red 70 SS 454

Hey Ted just finished mine. Took it out of the car sand it down primered it and used the kit from Eastwood $32 It turned out great. Like 64elkynss I painter the master cylinder cast iron gray. Looks pretty good.


Steve 71 Chevelle

Ok guys, I think I have the perfect solution for everyone's restoration. I emailed a guy that sells booster's on eBay for chevelles, etc... He sells them for $85 and they are totally rebuilt and cadmium plated to factory specs! He emailed me his info, but I haven't gotten to that stage yet. you do have to send him an exact core exchange and you also have to pay return shipping. I also want to ask him if he will plate the master cylinder cover and the caliper brackets? If anyone calls him, please let us know what he says and if and how much he will plate the MS cover and caliper brackets for. Thanks, Hugh! P.S. I have seen pictures of the boosters that he sells on eBay, and they look perfect! Don't waste your money on Eastwood, too tedious! Please email me if you talk to him. I will be calling him sometime in January also. If this is a true deal, we could send a lot of business his way! So be sure to tell him that you heard it on the Chevelles.com website from a guy named "Hugh"! here is his information.

San Diego Power Brake
208-C Greenfield Dr Suite C
El Cajon, Ca 92020

Oh, his name is Dale and here is his number!

phone # is (619) 444-7330

Here is a link of a booster that Dale sold on eBay.

[http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=219690415]

This particular booster sold for $137, but that is how eBay works. If someone is willing to pay more than the reserve price, then Lucky Dale! Anyway, I emailed him a while ago and he quoted me at $85 and you do not have to go through eBay, just call him at the above number.

Remember to ask about plating of master cylinder cap and the disk brake caliper brackets!

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Hugh:
Here is a link of a booster that Dale sold on eBay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=219690415

This particular booster sold for $137, but that is how eBay works. If someone is willing to pay more than the reserve price, then Lucky Dale! Anyway, I emailed him a while ago and he quoted me at $85 and you do not have to go through eBay, just call him at the above number.

Remember to ask about plating of master cylinder cap and the disk brake caliper brackets!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>