Brake Backplate Colour

Maymyvetteliveforever

Maymyvetteliveforever

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Joined
Feb 6, 2009
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Ontario
I'm getting mixed info on the colour of the backplate on a 75'. I thought when I bought the car new it was silver, yet Van Steel shows it as Gold. Zip shows it as Silver through to 76'. Anyone know the proper colour for the 75' model year?
 
i dont know the proper color but they are really not gold colored....its that funny type of finish that changes between gold and silver as the light hits it....some carb linkages have this finish maybe its a cadmium finish?
 
Maymyvetteliveforever said:
I'm getting mixed info on the colour of the backplate on a 75'. I thought when I bought the car new it was silver, yet Van Steel shows it as Gold. Zip shows it as Silver through to 76'. Anyone know the proper colour for the 75' model year?
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If you bought the car new, and it was silver, get silver. Since it was a changeover year, they may have used up the silver cad ones untill they got the supply of gold cad ones.
 
big2bird said:
If you bought the car new, and it was silver, get silver. Since it was a changeover year, they may have used up the silver cad ones untill they got the supply of gold cad ones.
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My problem is that at my age, it's difficult to remember back close to 35 years ago. What I though and what's reality is somewhat vague. :shocking:
 
Yellow (referred to as gold) is Chromium VI (hexavalent) passivated and is much more corrosion resistant than blue (what's referred to as silver). Cr(VI) is outlawed here because of health safety issues.
 
Twin_Turbo said:
Yellow (referred to as gold) is Chromium VI (hexavalent) passivated and is much more corrosion resistant than blue (what's referred to as silver). Cr(VI) is outlawed here because of health safety issues.
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To the guys on the line making it, or somehow the END user???

IF the end user, WTF???
 
Maymyvetteliveforever said:
Anyone have any idea which year they went to Gold/Anodized?
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Anodize is a process used only on aluminum. The steel backing plates were cad plated. Cad plating can be left in its "natural" silver color condition or can be given a yellow dichromate dip for added corrosion protection (see Twin_Turbo post above).

I worked on the mid-70's Vettes when they were brand new, and all brake splash shields were silver cad plated on all GM vehicles through at least '75.

Environmental considerations have eliminated the cad plating process in most areas of the country. As a restorer, you can replicate the cad look with zinc plating. Zinc plated parts can also be given the yellow dichromate conversion coating to appear identical to the "yellow cad" parts.

Lars
 
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