Lower Control Arm Color.

[dangina]

any confirmation on it being gold or reddish brown?

[maxwellwedge]

You can still see some original Cosmoline towards the right side. 13,000 mile 69 B-body.

[lexxman]

Ok this is just the thread I was looking for.I just started cleaning up my lower arm today and was wondering about color.Now is the whole arm coated or not? I have seen some pictures of arms that are 3/4 or so coated.I may be sending them out to get coated throught my work.

[The70RT]

Ok this is just the thread I was looking for.I just started cleaning up my lower arm today and was wondering about color.Now is the whole arm coated or not? I have seen some pictures of arms that are 3/4 or so coated.I may be sending them out to get coated throught my work.

Depends if are going the cosmoline look or painting them black. Either way you need to cover the whole arm. Some came black so you would paint the whole arm black. If your going with the cosmoline look you need to paint it with something that simulates bare metal then do the 3/4 dip look with a color no one is really set on (see previous page). It all depends on what you are looking for or how your arm was finished if going back to the original look.

[maxwellwedge]

Here is the "cosmoline" treatment showing the "dip" line.

[472 R/T SE]

Under crud on mine was cosmoline.  As mentioned the cosmoline will have dip lines.  I don't know about any other colors & how they were covered whether there's a dip line.
I guess mine's on the dark side from the second pic. 




We used some Chebby color on mine.  I've heard the Kryon battery protector is pretty close.  As a matter of fact Troy H. tried it with favorable results.



My buddy Kori Alexander also mentions using furniture varnish with varying results.

[TUFCAT]

I dug up my "stashed" 1967 Coronet Control arms.  

These control arms came from a 1967 Coronet R/T.

I bought the entire front suspension (from the K-frame to the 11-inch drums) basically for these mint original control arms with factory sway bar and brackets.

I had them hot tanked and degreased, but you can still see some remnants of the original black paint that wasn't totally removed in the process.

My 1967 Coronet also has black painted control arms.

I'm just sayin'.

[The70RT]

I dug up my "stashed" 1967 Coronet Control arms. These came from another 1967 Coronet (not mine).

This control arm came from a 1967 Coronet R/T. I bought the entire front suspension (from the K-frame to the 11-inch drums) basically for these mint original control arms with factory sway bar and brackets.

I had them hot tanked and degreased, but you can still see some remnants of the original black paint that wasn't totally removed in the process.

My 1967 Coronet also has black painted control arms.

I'm just sayin'.

Well at least that will (maybe) convince the sceptics 

[TUFCAT]

Black painted control arms are not only "urban legend" - they really did exist.

My guess is that Chrysler initially used paint for a better rust preventative versus cosmoline.

Then possibly the vendors changed, or cost structure changed.... and it became more cost effective to use cosmoline vs. painting.

Of course, this is only a guess.

For whatever reason, everyone still wants to see cosmoline these days...

I'd vote to duplicate the way they the factory did it for the year/model/plant.

[lexxman]

 Depends if are going the cosmoline look or painting them black. Either way you need to cover the whole arm. Some came black so you would paint the whole arm black. If your going with the cosmoline look you need to paint it with something that simulates bare metal then do the 3/4 dip look with a color no one is really set on (see previous page). It all depends on what you are looking for or how your arm was finished if going back to the original look.
[/quote]

Ya I like the cosmoline look.It is a nice contrash with the black of the k member and other parts. And I am going original,my car will be a driver,but a very nice driver. The previous owner painted the whole underside black so I don't know what they were.

[The70RT]

Too bad I didn't take any close up pics before I did mine. If I would have known it was such a rare incedent I would have.

[bull]

Regarding the gold/reddish brown debate, has anyone stopped to think maybe cosmoline starts out gold and turns to reddish brown after like 20+ years of use?

[lexxman]

That could be,any I have seen ,have all been black(or rust).

[lexxman]

Hey ,sometimes I'm I little slow.I recently found out the cosmoline is waxy(I didn't know that),so wouldn't that catch allot of road dirt?

[CDN72SE]

Yes, that's why most of the people who drive their cars use different coatings to simulate the look and don't have to deal with the dirt build up on the cosmoline.

[elacruze]

well here's my $.02-

The Cosmoline was applied over bare metal. that bare metal had the opportunity to rust a little (or a lot) before the application, so the color would be 'clean grease over rust' and there is no precise shade.

FWIW I agree that Leon's photo looks too dark to me for a correct shade, but hey there's no point in arguing about correct shade unless you actually put cosmoline over the arm. Any shade of paint at all is incorrect, no? Any shade of paint between clean metal and medium rust would be accurate.

[lexxman]

Hey there.I think I will Zinc plate them.My Boss is going to get them plated for me(we get stuff plated all the time.).

[The70RT]

Hey there.I think I will Zinc plate them.My Boss is going to get them plated for me(we get stuff plated all the time.).

That or paint them black like some of them came anyway....then it would be more correct then the fake cosmoline look. 

[lexxman]

Ya,I did think about that too.It would make things simpler.

[femtnmax]

Here are a couple pics of a NOS lower control arm.  The color is probably darker due to shelf life dust.  On the close up pic the reflection lighter color is not the darkness of the actual part, but the run shows how cosmoline thickness definitely darkens the part.

[pipeliner]

Just finished my version of the cosmoline LCA,s.I had new LCA bushings installed and somehow just noticed I have play in one my LCA,s.Wonder what happened.Did the guy not get it pressed in far enough?Im so pissed right now I could bite nails.

[resq302]

When I redid the bushings in my LCA's I still had play in there as well and though the same thing.  When I got them installed, the play was gone, probably cause they are under tension from the twisting effect of the torsion bar.

[pipeliner]

I would think that the slop in there wouldnt be right.My other LCA is tight as a jug.I just talked to some guys over at Moparts and you are right.

[472 R/T SE]

Just finished my version of the cosmoline LCA,s.I had new LCA bushings installed and somehow just noticed I have play in one my LCA,s.Wonder what happened.Did the guy not get it pressed in far enough?Im so pissed right now I could bite nails.

Looks good, may I ask what you used?

[pipeliner]

Thanks Mike,I used just what you posted,Krylon Battery Protector.I bought some whenever some of you guys were discussing it over at the 70 Registry.