Anyone out there in the cosmos know how the inside steering bracket and associated hardware was finished from the factory? Painted? And if so what color? Polished? Left to rust?
Hello,
It has been way too long since I last saw one, but I feel pretty certain that if not silver cadmium plated, then pretty likely Dull Aluminum painted.
Don’t have the Mk25 steering bar but have often wondered the same about my Mk20 bar. Parts of it looked like paint had chipped off and other areas looked to be painted. As I wasn’t planning on doing anything with it I just put it in a box of "future" parts and forgot about it. Your question got me to thinking about it again so I attacked it with some acetone. The acetone just removed some grunge and cleaned up the surface with no signs of removing paint so I would say that it is plated.
Kirk
Mine is a ‘new’ acquisition and has no paint or plating anywhere. No rust as well tho all pieces stick to a magnet. Maybe the previous owner bead blasted and or wire brushed it. As the engine it will go on is green and cream I am thinking of painting it cream so it blends in with the rest of the lower engine. Green seems wrong and as there is no aluminum color on the lower engine parts unless anyone knows ‘for sure’ what it should be I am going with cream.
I got to thinking about something else that leads me to believe they were originally plated. I was lucky enough to buy a NOS bracket that attaches to the steering bar which you attach the cables to. It is definitely plated. I do like your choice of painting it to match.
Kirk
Hey, while not my forte, I believe I have a couple of them around. I think they were the silver cadmium but it has been a while since I last gazed in them.. Unfortunately, I am in Germany for 2 back to back startups and won’t see home until the 21st at least. Let me know if you can wait for a pic. Randy
Well Randy S, you are now one of my new best friends! As this is a new buy for a winter project I am definitely in no hurry. I would love to see what an original looks like. Got the pieces just hanging on the wall of the garage where they can’t get hurt waiting for the rains to come. It is going on an original condition running engine that I plan on leaving as is (not restoring) and putting on a period correct skiff that I will either find for sale or more likely build from a set of magazine plans from the era. Thinking maybe an ‘ACE’.
I have a couple and they appear to be galvanized (zinc plated). I don’t think the plating is very thick and probably explains why it appears nonexistent today.
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