Painting brake rods.

[37 Coupe]

Should brake rods be painted chassis black or left to rust? Bought new ones from Snyders bare metal but some kinda grease on them.

[Joe K]

Painted black. Originals were "dipped" in manufacturing expediency. Common to find a drip (thickest paint) at one end or the other from hanging vertical.


Joe K

[37 Coupe]

I am glad I checked the eyelet end of the rods before painting.It is a larger diameter than originals and that end would not go in the anti-rattler slots. A few minutes filing on each one worked now they clear before painting.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

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Originally Posted by 37 Coupe

I am glad I checked the eyelet end of the rods before painting.It is a larger diameter than originals and that end would not go in the anti-rattler slots. A few minutes filing on each one worked now they clear before painting.

Actually, the brand new brake rods need quite a bit of re-working to be useable in my view. We generally order several sets at a time and re-work them in a lathe. The 'upset' where the brake rod contacts the brake rod (return) spring is not shaped correctly and will often times catch. Machining these down to simulate the original shape is usually necessary. Re-forging the eyelet end is another area that needs to be re-worked for the very reason you mentioned. Finally, the threads on the original rods were rolled instead of cut, so we machine an undercut behind the threads to simulate how they were originally. All said and done, it is still quicker to re-work a set of new brake rods over restoring the typical worn & bent original brake rod.