Can someone post a photo of what color gray phosphate (used on hood hinges) is. I know its "GRAY", but what shade? o No:
Mike- Not sure if its technically "correct" or not, but I used Eastwood's detail gray on my hinges. I think thats about as close as your going to get out of a spray can. I think they look very nice.
Mike- Here's a few pics of an original hinge off my car. There is almost a small sparkle in the gray, like a very very fine grit. It doesn't show up that well on these pictures. I had planned to experiement on a piece of scrap steel with the Eastwood spray Jason mentioned. My thought was to spray it, get my bead blaster cabinet going and get bead blast dust in the cabinet air, and try putting the wet part into that air to try to recreate the luster.
Phil, You need to wash that hinge assembly in solvent.. when I have them done, they are coated in oil to protect them until they are ready to put on the car. Wash them in solvent, then soap and water, and blow dry, and they will be the correct light-medium gray shade. The same color as Jarrod's and Ken's. Don't forget to lube the joints. JW
Just remember that different light will make it look darker or lighter. I would say looking at the two pics and the hinge again that my shot is a tad dark and the one above it too light. So somewhere in between. This is about as close as I can get to the color. Hope this helps.
I've seen gray-phosphate plated items that ranged in color from almost white to almost black. There is no one magic checmical formula for chem plating; this is true for other plating, too, not just gray phosphate. Each plating facility may use a slightly different formula. So unless all Buick hood hinges were plated at the same facility, you are likely to see some variation.
Gray Phosphate Sounds crazy, but I use Dupli-Color Cast Iron Engine paint (Sorry, I do not have the part number). It is a very dark, almost black cast iron color that looks like gray phosphate. I have compared it to other cast iron paints (Eastwood, Cast Blast) and it is a much darker matallic gray. It is also a very high quality, tough, durable paint, since it has ceramic added to it. At approximately $4.00 a can at AutoZone or other chain auto parts retailers, it is worth a try. Try it and I think you will like the results. Ken