Brake pedal bracket

[Nova Jed]

Can someone tell me if the bracket that holds the brake pedal, for a Nova, was bare steel or if it was a gray phosphate?

[Nova Jed]

This is the bracket that is mounted above the steering column under the dash.

[396L35]

If you are talking about the housing that bolts to the firewall.. I would have to say it was gray phosphate like the top half of the pedals. Mark

[Nova Jed]

Thanks Mark. I wasnt too sure if thats what I was seeing.

[jasonL78]

I am pretty sure it should be bare steel see the link. Every nova I have taken apart that bracket was bare steel with surface rust.

http://www.chevynova.org/1969-1973ClutchPedals.html

jason

[396L35]

It might look like bare steel but the gray phosphate finish didn't hold up over the 40 years since it was applied at the factory. Look at the condition of the pedals, they are rusty as well, but originally they were black.

[jasonL78]

So what about the emergency brake pedal assembly was that bare steel or gray phosphate?

Jason

[396L35]

That is gray phosphate as well and the pedal is half gray phosphate with a black bottom. Here is a picture of E-brake assembly out of a truck that shows how they were colored.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/attachment.php?attachmentid=584376&stc=1&d=1273799 985

[jasonL78]

That link isn't working. I have a couple of nova e-brake pedal assemblys I will look at tonight I always thought they were just a natural steel finish with the black bottom? I will have to look at my 68 L79 nova I am working on now. I will post some pictures over the weekend. I guess you learn some thing new everyday.

Jason

[396L35]

I will re-post it when I get home this evening.

[Nova Jed]

I myself always thought they were bare steel, but this is the first time I questioned it.

[SS427]

All of the e-brakes I have taken out of the cars were bare steel with the brake pedal 'dipped' in semi-gloss black paint to almost where it meets the bottom of the e-brake bracket. The housings were definitely bare steel.

On the brake pedals, all but one of the housings I have removed were bare steel and the pedals again dipped in black paint about 1/2 way up the brake pedal arms. Oddly enough, one unrestored Camaro brake pedal housing was dipped in black which I had never seen before.

Pictured is a (Chevelle) e-brake as removed and after restored. Also shown is the brake/clutch pedal.


http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n300/ricknelson427/Restored%20LS6%20photos/819896ff.jpg


http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n300/ricknelson427/c487af2f.jpg

[Nova Jed]

I'm going to take a picture of the actual housing tonight and post it up here later. Not that I could afford to have the coating applied. That's if anyone does that?

[jasonL78]

That is what I thought but didn't want to argue, we both were trying to help. I used to work in an automobile steering column plant and they used to dip various bare steel parts in a solution to protect the bare steel from rusting during the steering column assembly. I bet GM used the same practice.

Jed this is what I am going to try. Blast the bare steel parts then use my buffing wheel I use for the stainless trim to buff the parts smooth. Not sure how it will work but I am going to try and duplicate that bare steel look also. Then I may try a coat of satin clear to protect the bare steel parts?
Like I said I will also try to get some pictures over the weekend.


Good thread!!!!

[396L35]

Here is the picture...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y296/396L35/72BigBlock037.jpg

[WILMASBOYL78]

Hey Rick...where did you get that pink paint..from Tibor or Schoney..??

wilma <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif

[Mr.Nickey Nova]

Both of my original Novas are bare steel with the black pedals.I would clean them up the best way you can and leave them bare.

[m22mike]

Here are a few more shots, 69 Nova and Camaro. Before and after. Rick is right on... <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

Rick...don't pay no never mind to that College boy... <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/m22mike/parts%20detail/117.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/m22mike/parts%20detail/COPOPaint113.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b107/m22mike/parts%20detail/COPOPaint116.jpg

[Nova Jed]

I am so glad for everyones input. This would have drove me nuts.

Jason, I seem to remember someone telling me exactly what you had said. GM dipped the parts in a greasy mix to protect the bare steel and over time it made it look as though they were a gray phosphate.

Mark, what you have pictured is exactly what my parts look like.

And Mike, that looks awsome! How did you do it?? Looks too sweet to be stabbing my feet against those pedals.

Thanks a ton for the pics and information guys!

[SS427]

Tom, it ain't pink, it's rose primer. Just looks pinkish in the photo flash. This one only Baltimore LS6 had a rose primer as opposed to a red oxide. Likely the plant was using up or mixing some primer to get rid of it as all the other Baltimore cars were red oxide that I have had apart and since I restore them as I find them...........

Jason, that is called 'bonderizing'. We used to do it all the time to bare steel parts when I work in a commercial paint shop. It gives it a very faint rainbow effect and protected the parts long enough to ship them to the end user without flash rusting. The greasy mix you speak of was likely a coating of Cosmoline which was commonly used in the plants.

Nice looking pedals Mike. <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

[396L35]

Here is one of my unrestored ones...
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y296/396L35/DSC_8172.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y296/396L35/DSC_8173.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y296/396L35/DSC_8174.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y296/396L35/DSC_8175.jpg
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y296/396L35/DSC_8176.jpg

[Nova Jed]

At 2am this morning, I think I got the setup as close as I possibly can. I am happy with the way it turned out. If I could upload pics directly to the site from my phone, that would be awsome.

[Nova Jed]

Just a few pics of what I found and the finished product.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj88/NovaJed/2011-02-11175431.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj88/NovaJed/2011-02-11175506.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj88/NovaJed/2011-02-11175343.jpg

[Nova Jed]

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj88/NovaJed/2011-02-11211822.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj88/NovaJed/2011-02-12001742.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj88/NovaJed/2011-02-12001815.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj88/NovaJed/2011-02-12001720.jpg

[Nova Jed]

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj88/NovaJed/2011-02-11181519.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj88/NovaJed/2011-02-11201105.jpg
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj88/NovaJed/2011-02-11181559.jpg

[m22mike]

Nice... <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif...your hired <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif

[jasonL78]

So Jed what process did you use? That came out real nice!

Jason

[SS427]

Donnie sent me this photo of his he just restored. Damn nice Donnie!


http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n300/ricknelson427/Restored%20LS6%20photos/e7a6beca.jpg

[firstgenaddict]

Find some aerosol cosmoline... the stuff lasts great through rain storms under the hood on phosphate and zinc plating etc, in a nice dry interior it would last the life of the car.

[SS427]

Made by E.F. Houghton &amp; Co. Valley Forge, PA. (spray Comoline)

[Nova Research Project]

Coming in on this one late......

The interior car parts were not usually treated with more that a light dipping in phosphate soap and water solution unless they were visible. This is not the same a cooking in a Zinc (gray) or Manganese (black) phosphate as used on the outside parts. The outside parts had to stand up to several hundred hours of a salt bath to meet spec. The inside parts had to stave off flash rust until there were installed.

You can pick up a phosphate soap mix to spray the bare parts down to keep them from flash rusting. I know Eastwood sells it. This would duplicate what GM did, but then the parts would start to rust within a year. Bare steel paint or Boeshield are both common restoration practices.

Greg