I got my rechromed bumpers last week and it's time to mount them, but my brackets are rusty and crusty. I was planning on hitting them with a wire wheel and giving them a blast of some black Rust-Oleum, but I thought I'd ask for some other opinions. What did you use to strip and coat your brackets? What were they coated with originally?

 

Try a bath of 7 percent vinegar for a few hours.

 

Take them off, have them sand blasted then black epoxy primer and top coat with semi gloss black or chassis saver paint.
Or if you leave them on just wire brush as much as you can and coat with a good paint, rust converter or encapsulator (POR-15, chassis saver, SEM) are a few.
Originally sprayed or maybe dipped in a cheap enamel without primer or rust preventative so besides rust being in the mix almost anything you do will be better than what GM did.

 

Sandblast/bead blast, then knock down high spots with a disc sander. Spray down with lacquer thinner or brake cleaner then paint. Use zinc primer, then a good semi-gloss topcoat. Apply 1-2 medium coats of primer then apply the paint in 3-4 thin coats. Let them dry for days.

A local sandblaster will charge you maybe $50 for 4 brackets. Money well spent. Prime them immediately after blasting.

Eastwood has everything you need. Tools, paints, and primers, including rust converters.
Eastwood's reduced gloss chassis black has the OEM look. Gloss black looks amateur and out of place IMHO. But it depends on the level of restoration. If you have a good local auto body paint supply house they could help you out here too.

Or search for desert-dry brackets and save yourself a ton of prep time. For desert parts... dust off, hit with brake cleaner and paint.

Cut up a gallon milk jug and make gaskets for the brackets and license plate bracket. Sandwich gaskets between the bumper and bracket.
Some like to clear coat the backside with semi-gloss clear for added protection.

Wax them prior to installation. You need to immediately seal the pores in the new crome and then repeat annually (or more for a daily) to keep them looking good for many years. Use Carnuba, new applicators and Kimberly Clark paper shop towels to remove wax.

 

I had my bumper brackets powered coated, they still look new after 10 years.

 

Good call!
Powder looks great especially with non-pitted metal. It's durable as hell and not expensive. Eastwood sells powder coating kits.

 

Is something like this what I need? Do I need to use any primer after this?


I found this stuff, too. Anyone have any experience with it? I know galvanization requires electrolysis, so I'm skeptical of how good it would be sprayed from a can.

 

Send a pic of the brackets you want to paint.

 

 

I think bead blasting is in your future before painting..

 

I did a bunch of detail work on my '68 over the summer of '18. I put on a new front bumper at that time. I bead blasted the frame brackets & painted them a low gloss black. The tubular braces I scuffed & repainted with a semi-gloss black which seemed to be what the factory finish was.

 

I second the powder coating option. Looks great and durable as hell. You'll never have to worry about it again.

 

X3

Sand blast then powder coat. I think this is the best value cost V results.

 

Got them powder coated. Can't install them now because I forgot one of them is still bent out of shape from when I wacked the fender against a pole. It never ends, does it?