Lug wrench, jack color survey Camaro, Chevelle

[mrrec]

Looking for a concensus on lug wrench and jack color (black or grey)from '65 to '71. My observations of known originals indicate '67-'70 are black lug wrench, grey jack and base. '71 is all grey. '65, '66 ? But we may end up with no set pattern.........

Problems:
1.Even if it is an original, untouched car, the lug wrench and jack are pretty easy to swap.
2. Different jack/wrench suppliers may have supplied either color for a given year.
3. I have seen orig, low mile with untouched spares with one color on jack and/or base and other color on lug wrench.

If you have a "believed original" to your car (Camaro, Chevelle), please post your year, model and color of jack, base, wrench. Thanks.

Dave

[SS4Real]

My family owned a 1970 Monte Carlo SS454 since new (Van Nuys built). Jack base and wrench were black. Jack was a shiny silver finish (zinc?).

[mrrec]

Thanks. Ignore the plated jack mast - the mechanism that slides on the mast is the "jack" color I'm talking about.

So we have lug wrench, jack base and jack MECHANISM color.

[bkhpah]

Lets talk mast color as well...It seem to always start a debate. The color I see in 68/69 Camaros and Novas has in every case been a light gold plating. Others claim silver..Could it be both depending on time frame and vendor? Jack head/base and foot have been a satin to flat color grey and handle black with an orange inspection mark at the inner bend. Jack hook a black plating and the wing nut silver plating...Endura hooks blue. Comments?...BKH

[68l30]

How about the "T" shaped mast and boxed mast..I haven't seen them used on a Camaro only A bodies......I just assumed two different suppliers....Anyone..

Good topic..

Steve

[enio45]

i was told that the jack mask was silver plated for 68 and 69 and the end of 69 yr they went to the lite gold plating...my late 69 car (10D) has the orig jack, and the jack mechanism dated 9K has a gold mask

[mrrec]

[ QUOTE ]
Lets talk mast color as well...It seem to always start a debate. The color I see in 68/69 Camaros and Novas has in every case been a light gold plating. Others claim silver..Could it be both depending on time frame and vendor?

[/ QUOTE ]

Since I do my own zinc plating and the copycad process, I think there is little question the jack mast (and ANY zinc/cadmium/dichromate finish) could and did vary widely in appearance from batch to batch. Original brake boosters that I've opened up are an indication of this.

Great responses so far, but I'll bet we end up with more questions than answers.

Dave

[Denis]

The original jacks in my Norwood June-built 1967 Z28's both had silver colored masts.

No doubt in my little mind that they were original -- one of the cars was a survivor and used by MacNeish as a reference car. The other project car's mast has a date stamped in it, '5 21 67', about three weeks before the car build so I'm pretty sure that's the original mast too.

For resto, I silver cad plated the mast to match. It's perfect.

Then I brought the 'survivor' jack (sorry, ncrs) into the paint store and they mixed up two batches of gray to match because I'm pretty sure there were two colors of gray used, one for the underside of the base and a lighter (?) color on the topside.

I forget if the ratcheting ass'y is the lighter or darker shade.

Sorry for the rambling, it's early for me and still less than a cup of coffee to get me going.

Handles were black.

[Schonyenko2]

I think Dave is right on the plating process. We plated, and phosphated a lot of parts on the machines we built and there was a lot of variences depending on the age of the chemicals in the vat, and nbr of times it was used. It was tested every day, but it was a production setting, so as long as the plating was on, it was good to go.
Brian, I have 2 70 jack handles from novas and what little paint remains has a gun barrel look to it with a little more blue than blk. It seems that this paint didn't stick very well as these handles had little use, but hardly any paint remains. I'll try to get a shot of it, and send to Bruce. Very little left, but it was there.

[Mr70]

I've got Dealer photos showing a 1965 Chevelle w/Grey jack base mounted over the spare tire.
Also 1970 SS Chevelles w/black base mounted over the spare.
This coincides with what I have seen in person as well.
Never seen a 70 SS Velle w/grey base.