Lower Control Arm Color.

[hemi-hampton]

I usually just go with black for lower control arm but the new fad seems to be to try to Duplicate the optional Cosmoline Coating with out actually Cosmoline coating. The Cosmoline coatings I've seen seemed to be sorta orangish maroonish looking. I thought this color I got looked right on. BUT, Do some think it may appear to dark? LEON.

[hemi-hampton]

Looks lighter from this angle. LEON.

[Charger-Bodie]

way too dark.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

This looks about right to me....

[bull]

I've always seen them in gold like what Chris posted. Yours looks like burnt orange.

[hemi-hampton]

Out of like 10 different Articles I got on the subject from past 20 years some show yellowish & some show & say Reddish Brown. I went with Roger Gibsons Advise. His Article shows them Reddish Brown & he calls the color Redish Brown, not yellow or light yellow. Here's a Pic on the Article. These Pictures were scanned, They appear alot darker in the Magazine then the scanned appearance here. LEON.

[Charger-Bodie]

If you are just going to argue that your right , why did you ask about it?.....Ive never seen a FK5 lower control arm,and thats what the stuff you show the pics of ,looks like.

[hemi-hampton]

Not Arguing, Just saying thats what some others looked like. LEON.

[The70RT]

We all know LEON likes FK5 more than most anyway 

[Dodge Don]

If you are just going to argue that your right , why did you ask about it?.....Ive never seen a FK5 lower control arm,and thats what the stuff you show the pics of ,looks like.

Bull said FK5, not Leon. A little less quick draw mcgraw on the 'tude and re-read the post.

I've read the same articles and I personaly went with the more gold look however I wouldn't be surprised if Roger Gibson's version of a reddish brown was in fact closer to correct.

[Charger-Bodie]

If you are just going to argue that your right , why did you ask about it?.....Ive never seen a FK5 lower control arm,and thats what the stuff you show the pics of ,looks like.

Bull said FK5, not Leon. A little less quick draw mcgraw on the 'tude and re-read the post.

I've read the same articles and I personaly went with the more gold look however I wouldn't be surprised if Roger Gibson's version of a reddish brown was in fact closer to correct.

Speaking of quick Draw! I wasnt saying that Leon called it fk5.....I was calling it fk5.

Whether its right or wrong , you missed my point. Leon came on here asking about the color and as soon as people said it was too dark he started defending it. If he is sure its right why is he asking us peon Quick draws?

[maxwellwedge]

I still have a lot of the original Cosmoline showing on some cars and they are on the lighter (goldish) side. When you do them they get darker with every coat of Cosmoline (or a current substitute that I use that looks more like the original stuff than the current Comoline that is for sale). I have seen pics of the darker, reddish color Roger describes on some original cars - I guess it depends on how heavy they were dipped and how clean/shiny the bare metal was to start with.

[hemi-hampton]

I agree, I think the color is to dark myself. I want to redoe it lighter. BUT, If I redo I'll still go for a reddish look instead of yellow or gold just a lighter shade. Also, like a candy the more you apply the darker it gets. Roger say's 12 coats, I'm sure 6 coats will be alot lighter looking then 12 & maybe mine looks more like 16 or 18? I think I'm just going to buy 5 gallons & dip it like factory did. LEON.

[maxwellwedge]

The original stuff was like wax that needed to be heated up - the new stuff is different -  but hey, give it a try and tell us how it turned out.

[hemi-hampton]

Your suppose to warm it up in warm bath water, I think I'll give it a try if I dont go the Aerosol cosmoline route. LEON.

[maxwellwedge]

Here is a little secret for the spray on stuff. Don't buy the stuff Eastwood sells as Cosmoline....buy their Rust Preventative stuff - it looks way more correct. That's what I have been using for 5+ years (and so does RG). But let us know on the dip method. 

[TUFCAT]

I'll chime in with my opinions....

I think it depends on the vendor who supplied the stuff, and the assembly plant where it was built.

In my opinion, I'd probably go with the goldish brown like many restorers have chosen lately.  

Finally, unless you worked at the plant when they were built, its impossible to know for sure. I don't think Roger Gibson even worked at any Chrysler factory, nor has he seen all the "unrestored" cars on the planet.  In most cases, when people started documenting these factoy correct finishes on cars, time on Earth and exposure to elements would've already greatly varied the shade over time. Basically......goldish-brown with a lot of dirt can become reddish.  

I was told that the "real" color was closer to the wax ring under a toilet.    My control arms are the color of "crud" around the toilet. 

[hemi-hampton]

Supossably A.O. Smith a Illinois based Locamotive supply was the Vendor, I don't think Chrysler actually coated them. LEON.

[maxwellwedge]

Supossably A.O. Smith a Illinois based Locamotive supply was the Vendor, I don't think Chrysler actually coated them. LEON.

Yup - they were a vendor.

[b5blue]

I bought an upper "steering column housing puller" (the tool for that job in FSM) and it came NOS wrapped in brown wax paper and covered in that stuff, his dark color is very close. The patina your trying to reproduce, is it new or 40 year aged?

[The70RT]

I don't think mine had that stuff on them? Mine had black paint on all the areas.

[b5blue]

Me too.

[bull]

If you are just going to argue that your right , why did you ask about it?.....Ive never seen a FK5 lower control arm,and thats what the stuff you show the pics of ,looks like.

Bull said FK5, not Leon.

I said FK5? I don't even know what the FK FK5 is.

[TUFCAT]

I'd say FK it, and just paint them black...   

I've been under my car since posting on this thread, and the control arms on my Coronet are definitely painted black - - under the 43 year old crud.

[bull]

I'd say FK it, and just paint them black...   

I've been under my car since posting on this thread, and the control arms on my Coronet are definitely painted black - - under the 43 year old crud.

Maybe they started out black with a coat of cosmoline that wore off.