ZF Updates

I haven't posted in a while.  I finally sent the half shafts to the plating company.  I saw a set of Spicer half shafts in a yellow chromate and loved them.  However, I chose to plate my half shafts in silver cad plating.  The plating is a true cad plating, which is much more durable (and toxic) than a comparible zinc plating.  I also sent the U-joints, ZF drain plugs, shift detent cover, and the shifter shaft detent part to be cad plated with the half shafts.  I'll post pictures when I get all of it back.  It should be fabulous.

I really didn't like the rust product on the end cover.  What a mess it made!  At each bolt, the product was flexible and didn't crush well.  It just ended up coming off.  It looks nice, though.  I'll spray it with a satin clear paint to protect the small area of bare metal where the coating came off.  I installed the rear cover by using a tiny amount of grease on each shaft shim to hold them in place.  I used the gasket and sparingly but carefully applied some Ford Motorcraft TA-31 gray sealant.

The side covers were a different story.  I primed them with a 2K epoxy primer and sprayed them with an industrial coating in gloss black.

Stunning De Tomaso GT5

The car in the video is Ron McCall's blue Pantera.  I plan to paint my car the same color.  Imitation is the highest form of flattery...

Painted ZF Transaxle

Here's the newly painted ZF:

Note that every exposed stud and gasket surface has been masked off.

Work continues on the ZF

I've been working on several things, but here's some paint progress.  Using Aluma-Blast paint, I painted the bottom cover, shift cover, and shift shaft cover.  I finished them off with several coats of satin clear coat.  The satin clear coat is invisible and the aluminum-like paint is very convincing. 

Here's the covers.  I really like the paint so far.

I've also been busy getting the case ready for paint.  I made a template of the side cover gasket areas to ease masking there.  Note that the gasket contact areas are considerably smaller than the actual gasket, so a direct tracing of the gasket doesn't work.  You can, however, get a good tracing of the bolt holes and main cover hole.  I stuck the thin cardboard cereal box on the bolts and used a rubber mallet to imprint the aluminum case face.  You need four sets, two with main holes and two without.  The two with holes are used on the side covers, and the two without on the case.  I did the same with the bottom cover, which made a slick thin cardboard cover for it as well.  The rear cover could be done in the same fashion using the gasket, but there are so many holes, I'm not sure it would work well.