Brake Backing Plate Finish - 1949 Buick - what was it?

[Dan O]

While replacing a rear seal and bearings on my '49 76c, I decided to cleanup and paint the nasty parts.  The drum looks to be painted a semi-flat black.  The backing plate was covered in grease and it's hard for me to tell what was on there.  There appears to be a gold cadmium finish on the plate under the little bracket used to secure the parking brake line gasket.  Was gold cadmium used on the backing plates?

[Fr. Buick]

On my '54s the finish was the same gold color - I am not sure how to precisely call it - gold-cad or zink, or whatever.

 

I found the best plates in my pile of parts, lightly blasted off a bit of surface rust and clear-coated what was still good.  Old oil and grease are wonderful preservatives, and those old plates get plenty.

[Smartin]

Most of the time I see a light gold cad plating.  Seems to be no 100% accurate answer as to what they actually ended up as, once they left the factory assembled.  The black parts of these cars were very sloppily painted, and was used more as a black-wash to cover everything up it seems. 

[JamesBulldogMiller55Buick]

Mine are zinc galvanized partially covered with black paint and undercoating. 

 

It may have to do with where the car was assembled, mine is a Framingham car

[MrEarl]

I have seen both also Bulldog, but gold cad seems to have become the rule for restoration and a clean original might possibly loose points in judging Some say factory went from gray/galv cad to gold in the early fifties so your 49 is one of the earliest examples of gold I have heard of.