Hi my name is Tom. I'm restoring a custom 1974 CB750K4 with lots of dirty dull aged hardware. Does anyone know of and economical way of restoring the finish on the OEM nuts and bolts without sourcing new hardware? Does anyone know of a good source for metric, JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) threaded fasteners? I have been looking at DIY zinc plating set ups but to do it right I'm not sure I want to spend the $500+ on something I probably only use once. Any suggestions out there?
Restoring the finish on bolts and nuts for a restoration
- Thread starter Tomv
- Start date
For a CB750K4, the most cost-effective route is
DIY zinc kits work, but they’re overkill unless you’ll use them a lot.
For replacements I could help pm me with whatever you need
- Clean hardware with Evapo-Rust + wire brush for reuseable bolts
- Send batches to a local zinc plating shop if you want OEM finish (usually cheap by weight)
DIY zinc kits work, but they’re overkill unless you’ll use them a lot.
For replacements I could help pm me with whatever you need
Tom , if you want a concourse finish , then replating is the only way to go . Or option "B" is do it yourself and as you have said that is expensive , but there are cheap options depending on the finish you want . You can just soak in the plating chemicals to stop any rusting , have a look at options on youtube . Option "C" was what I did and that is a wire wheel on a bench grinder . This cleans up old nuts,washers and bolts well , but they will eventually rerust . And option "D" is you can heat them , then quench in oil , but this will darken them so it maybe not what you want . I am just dipping a rag in oil and rubbing it on the nuts and bolts untill I get around to plating or quenching , haven`t decided yet
Thanks guys for replying. I have used the wire wheel on a bench grinder option a few years back while doing a minor resto on the bike and yes...they looked great for a few years and then did eventually get rusty over time. This go around is a more extensive restoration and I just got the frame back from powder coat. I don't want to install hardware that looks nasty or will only look nice until it rusts again. I guess I'll go option A and see if I can have them plated locally. Thanks for the input gentlemen.
