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I will be picking up my re-chromed bumpers and bumper guards Friday.

Preparing metal for paint is not my area of expertise so I thought I would ask some experienced souls.

What would be the best way to clean up these rusty Hexagon bolts for the bumper guards and get them ready for paint?

Thanks in advance.

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There are many ways to prep metal for paint and many people on this site have excellent advice. I used to glass bead blast small parts, but recently have switched to blasting with garnet media which gives a better profile for paint and powdercoat to adhere to. Your local sandblasting company should be able to handle this issue with no problem.

Agree that blasting is better, but the old DYI method of wire wheel, primer, enamel works also

As bkazmer said, use a wire wheel to clean it but I would also after that soak it in Ospho and wire brush it again and repeat as needed to get the rust out of the pores. You might also want to run a die nut / thread chaser over the threads which I believe, though not sure, are 1/2-20. Use some course sandpaper on the surfaces to be painted just prior to applying it.

The nuts are known as Marsden (the inventor worked for Packard) so buy new, plated or stainless along with new washers.

Wire brush, and then an overnight soak in evaporust.

The bumper bolts on my 37 were dipped in red plastic dip. They look good, are durable, and help prevent scratching the the bumped chrome. Also, squeak free!

I had access to equipment to blast mine while my car was in the shop. I did that and then primed and painted them. I used Rustoleum Regal Red that was recommended by others on this site. This was for my 1937.

I'm really happy with how they turned out and the color matches the red hex on my hubcaps very well.

Thanks to all you for the information it is very helpful. Being only a year into this car I have lot's to learn.

I ran out of town for a day to pick up the bumpers and guards but before I left I threw the bolts and nut's and (spacing sleeve?) into a container and soaked them in Apple Cider Vinegar for 48 hours. I wiped them off and that actually cleaned them up quite a bit but now I will use some real procuct and get them really clean.

I took to them with my Tap and die set and cleaned up the threads which were a mess with some flattened spots but I almost satisfied with the way they accept a nut. Ordering new Marsden nuts next and moving on.

Thoughts on what to replace the spacing sleeve with as far as metal type?

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I was able to find new replacement spacers at my local Ace Hardware. There isn’t anything special about them. Ace had an exact match.

If you call it a dilute solution of acetic acid does it make it a real product?