Weber carbs- what are they made from?

Kevin Cozzo

Kevin Cozzo

True Classic
So I got another pair of Weber 36 dcnfs, they look to be a bit older, but are in surprisingly good shape aside from the dark patina they have taken on...I have one stripped down and soaked it in chem-tool in an ultrasonic cleaner, and it is still ugly. Been watching a lot of vids on plating, and electro polishing. The electropolishing seems to do wonders on aluminum, but on zinc, you still have to polish the finish, and with all the nooks and crannies, I don't see that happening...Thought about bead blasting and painting to match my car finish, but would really like to anodize, or at least electro polish, and if they are truly aluminum, this would be possible. I have a factory top of and old datra that I have experimented with the electro polishing, but it turns dark grey, which comes off leaving a shiny surface....this leads me to believe they are made of a Zinc called Zamack. So how do I confirm the material these carbs are made from. I have only found one website forum that discusses this, and it didn't truly answer the question.
If anyone else has found a way to make old webers look nice, I'd be willing to hear what they did also
 
That dark grey color is the result of a chemical reaction with the metal and cleaning solvent. Lots of cleaning agents will cause it on this type of metal. One great way to remove it and get a nice even finish is with vapor blasting (wet blasting with glass beads) or soda blasting. But it will look like a regular carb finish and not a "show" one. You would need to paint them or have them plated for something special looking. I've seen chrome, zinc (gold'ish), copper, and other plated finishes used on show car carbs.
 
Dr.Jeff said:
That dark grey color is the result of a chemical reaction with the metal and cleaning
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Wonder who thought of using that metal- genius, lol
yeah, I'm weary of any plating stuff, as the plating would affect the insides also....I was so hoping they were aluminum, because anodizing actually doesn't look that difficult. I will be zinc plating all the little bits and pieces for sure. I think for the body I will be using the industrial coating I painted my car with, it's a 2 part catalyzed product that I use to spray on bath tubs back in the day, and pretty fuel resistant
 
Interesting problem. I have always had success just taking some fine steel wool and cleaning the exterior, followed by metal polish. The exterior turns out pretty shiny and bright. The key is time and attention to detail. In the modern age of chemicals and fast fixes the skill does seem to be impossible. But it still works. Nice therapy.
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Pines sol and green simple green will darken the Zinc alloy. If you use the purple simple green pro for it does not darken and may even remove some of that dark patina. But best not to use the darkening cleaners from the start. I use nothing but the purple pro simple green in my ultrasonic now. Plug and tape everything up and glass bead it from a distance will make it look factory new.
 
LarryC said:
Interesting problem. I have always had success just taking some fine steel wool and cleaning the exterior, followed by metal polish. The exterior turns out pretty shiny and bright. The key is time and attention to detail. In the modern age of chemicals and fast fixes the skill does seem to be impossible. But it still works. Nice therapy.View attachment 71307
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Dman Larry my dinner plates don't look that clean!
 
@LarryC - looks nice! Can you do me a favour? Can you share a photo of your coolant expansion tank? Is that custom, or from a vendor?
Looks nice.
 
Vapor honing does an amazing job on these types of parts. Motorcycle guys know who and where to get this done. I haven't had the chance with something nice enough to try (most of my stuff is junk! :) )
 
myronx19 said:
@LarryC - looks nice! Can you do me a favour? Can you share a photo of your coolant expansion tank? Is that custom, or from a vendor?
Looks nice.
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At the risk of stepping on Kevin's post- but then we are good at derailing threads!- that was a tank that Chris Obert offered a few years ago. It was a Mark Plia design as I recall. A thing of art. Look at those welds! Totally solved the cracking OEM style tank. Wonderful design that bolted right in and polishes right up to my specs. No more crusty cap sealing surface, too.
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LarryC said:
At the risk of stepping on Kevin's post- but then we are good at derailing threads
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Thank you!! and yes, heheh... I usually go off thread because there's so many interesting things to cover in our group!

Thanks again - looks great!
 
LarryC said:
At the risk of stepping on Kevin's post
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Naaaa...I already got my answer- convert my sand blast cabinet to a vapor blaster...If'n I had known how easy it was and parts I needed (which I have) I'da already had it converted, lol...that is a cool tank BTW...and yeah, my therapy is rebuilding my fiber optics lighting, from scratch...be posting that soon...carb polishing just don't do it for me, lol
 
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