ENOCH; GREAT ANSWER! MOST PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW JUST A LITTLE MORE.ZINC PLATING LIKE CAD PLATING WAS SIMPLY APPLIED TO KEEP THE PARTS FROM CORRODING BEFORE THEY WERE INSTALLED.THEY DIDN'T COLOR ALL THOSE PARTS TO MAKE THEM PRETTY JUST PROTECT THEM UNTIL THEY WERE SOLD.ZINC WAS RESERVED FOR SCREWS, NUTS , SOME BOLTS (LIMITED), AND PLUG SHIELDS WHERE APPLICABLE.THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF CAD PLATING. THE MOST COMMON IS ALKALIDE, WHICH IS WATER BASED. THIS TYPE IS AVAILABLE JUST ABOUT EVERY WHERE. THE LIFE SPAN OF THIS EPA FRIENDLY PLATING IS ONLY A COUPLE OF YEARS AND IT CAN BE REMOVED WITH NORMAL CLEANERS. IT COMMONLY HAS A MORE TRANSPARENT LOOK ,SORT OF LIKE YELLOW CHROME, THAT YOU WILL SEE ON A LOT OF CARS.THE OTHER TYPE IS WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY USED ON YOUR CAR WHEN IT WAS NEW, THAT BEING CYANIDE CADIUM IT HAS A SLIGHLTY DEEPER YELLOW WITH A TOUCH OF PINKS, GREENS AND ORANGES RUNNING THRU IT. THIS BY NAME AS YOU GUESSED IS CAUSTIC AND DEADLY, IT IS RESERVED FOR MILITARY APPLICATIONS , WITH ONLY A HANDFULL OF COMPANIES MAKING IT AVAILABLE FOR THOSE APPLICATIONS.THIS TYPE OF PLATING OFFERS 10 TIMES THE LIFE SPAN OF ALAKIDE, HERES AN EXAMPLE. A BOOSTER REPLATED IN ALAKIDE WILL STRIP IN AN ACID TANK WITHIN A MINUTE, AN ORIGINAL OR CYANIDE PART WILL TAKE OVER AN HOUR TO REMOVE THE CAD. ITS NOT HARD TO FIGURE THAT ONE OUT, SHORTTERM, LONGTERM, THE COST IS THE SAME. MY COMPANY OFFERS CAD PLATING OF BOOSTERS, BACKING PLATES AND CALPIER MOUNTING BRACKETS AS WELL AS SMOG PARTS AND DIVERTER VALVES USING THE CYANIDE TYPE OF PLATING. SOME OTHER NOTES, YOU CAN ABRAISE SILVER CAD(CYANIDE) TO INCREASE THE SHINE WITH EITHER STEEL WOOL OR SCOTCHBRITE WITH OUT REMOVING OR DAMAGING IT. THE SURFACE PREP IS THE KEY TO THE REFLECTIVITY OF THE PART. GLASS BEADING AND SAND BLASTING DAMAGE AND DESTROY THE FINISH. PITTING CAN BE REMOVED BY FILING, SANDING AND POLISHING LIKE CHROME PREP , EXCEPT YOU DON'T HAVE COPPER TO FILL THE IMPERFECTIONS.BECAUSE THESE PARTS ALL NEED SOME ATTENTION AND IT IS ALL DONE BY HAND, THE TURN AROUND TIME CAN BE LENGTHLY SOMETIMES, BUT THE FINISHED PRODUCT IS A KNOCKOUT. OUR PARTS GRACE THE ENGINE COMPARTMENTS OF DAILY DRIVERS ALL THE WAY UP TO LS-6 CONVERTBLES.FOR MORE INFO YOU CAN E-MAIL US AT
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