I've got the parts so I'm going to rebuild the master cylinder on my '55 Chrysler. What finish was this from the factory? I'm pretty sure it was natural, but I thought I'd throw this out to the collective.

 

I would agree, But just an idea how about plating it? Most spray on coatings don't hold up to brake fluid. You may want to pay special attention to the bore. Plating it may help if it's worn but cause issues if it's not. I have not plated anything but it look like an easy process(I want to try it). And have seen some impressive results after polishing. And the plated part will look better than the natural one after it starts to rust.

 

I did some wheels cylinders and as master cylinder once where the guy had them plated. It took forever and I used up a set of stones for the hone to get the bore back where it needed to bee. The pressure cuts can handle a slight over bore but an under bore, like plated cylinder walls, will bind the piston. I may invest in a bit of factor finish paint to make it look original.




I'm currently soaking the fittings repeatedly so I can get it apart.

 

what type of plating? chrome? or what other options are there

 

I think he had the cylinders plated with nickel. You can plate with nickel, gold, silver, chrome and all sorts of metals.

 

I would not have expected nickel to be that hard, though now that you mention it all off the above makes sense.

 

Honing stones are not that hard. They are meant to smooth things without gouging. They will usually eat the rust loose and leave a smooth finish. It usually just takes a bit of time and patience.

 

Cap off all the openings so only the outside gets plated.

 

On small openings, I insert vacuum caps backwards. I'm probably going to just paint it either black or bright red. If I can get a good finish on the metal, I may clear coat it. I want to do as little as possible so the next owner doesn't have to redo what I did because they want it different.

It might be a bit before I can work on it as I have a fellow wanting to trade a K2500 truck for my Expedition. I need a heavier truck for towing and while I'm not big fan of diesels, it ought to pull pretty well.

 

K2500, what year, I dont follow the GM as well, I know Dodge carried the W/D labeling well into the 2nd gens, however I would guess it to be 80s or 90s? 6.5L or 6.2L?