Painting End of Control Arms to Look Like Bare Steel
 

Anyone have specific knowledge of how the "Big Name" Restoration shops paint/coat the ball joint
end of Control Arms to make them look like the bare steel some of them were on early 70's GM F Body Cars........

PPG in their VIBRANCE Line, has a LIQUID METAL Paint that sells for $600/pint.........which is not a choice Im opting for........

I do have a Aeresol "2K Aerospray Detail Gray" (Bare Steel Replication) from Eastwood.......
Anybody have experience with this product ???

Any of the items I needed to look like raw steel, I used a satin clear on after I made the steel look correct. This is my drive shaft...Joe

...............And, HOW did you make the Steel Look Correct........?????

It would depend on the part. That driveshaft was soaked in eveporust for 24 hours, rinsed, dried & then 0000 steel wool. Stripes painted & then clear coated everything. Some parts needed to go in the blast cabinet. I use black oxide & lower preasure so it doesn't scar the metal. Another thing is I live in southern Az so we don't have the rust problems other states may have. I can't afford what the pros may do so I have to experiment at home....Joe

I used to use the black diamond but switched to this several years ago. I run the air pressure at 40 psi at the gun to prevent metal marking. It will remove heavier rust/paint at up to 90 psi too, but takes longer. It works well on bare aluminum such as intakes too, but doesn't look as "original" as what I see others achieving. I see Northern doesn't have a store in your area...too bad, they are a good source of trailering and blasting supplies.

https://www.northerntool.com/product...um-grade-49360

I should add, for metal parts I will paint, I still use the diamond to achieve the equivalent 80 grit texture for the paint to grab. It's still the best for heavily rusted and pitted steel and will disguise much of the pitting to appear as blasted.

I forgot to add that sometimes I would need to go over the parts with a wire wheel on a drill after blasting to almost polish it before clear coating. Trying to remember all the details....Joe

I used the Eastwood "Bare Metal" spray bomb paint. My guess is that is what you are looking at in your photos.

Bare Metal Paint...
 

I have had good luck with Rustoleum Stainless Steel enamel spray paint. Works pretty good for the bare metal look...

Different colors and closer together but sure looks similar.
Do not think this was a precision deal.
69 Baltimore Chevelle.

----I see very carefully taped off stripes on body off cars that look perfect, but I'm convinced that who ever put those stripes on driveshafts had open cans of paint and a big bunch of narrow brushes and put whatever the part # told him to do. It should look messy. What I don't know is when the stripes were put on and how they were placed all around the driveshaft...Bill S

When the driveshaft was being assembled and on a lathe if you will,being balanced,a worker with a brush & paint followed what color application stripes to apply as it rotated,before being stockpiled.

That is how I do my driveshaft stripes.

This is mine for the '69 L78 chevelle coupe. I did what's been suggested with brushes but I did it with tape guides and several swipes around the tube. Didn't touch the tape, just used it for a guide.

2 things - the driveshaft was spinning when the color stripes were applied and there were no part #'s on production shafts.