Fuel Tank Straps Color

[james_smith119]

This might be a silly question, but does anyone know what color the fuel tank straps are on a '74 Challenger? Mine have a solid coat of surface rust, but are whole, so I'm going to try and save them.

Can't find any pics and the new ones from Classic Industries are stainless. I'm going to strip, prime and paint them black if need be, but wanted to ask.

Thanks

 

[burdar]

They were just natural metal. They might have had some type of protective coating on them like the gas tanks at one time. If they just have surface rust on them, they can be cleaned up with some EvapoRust and steel wool. Heavier rust might require glass bead blasting. Rubbing them down with steel wool will get rid of the blasted look and bring back close to the original look of the straps. Look into a product called RPM that is sold through ECS Automotive for protecting the bare metal.

 

[james_smith119]

Excellent, thanks for the help. I'm going to try your suggestions and see how it goes.

Thanks again.