Striker plate and door latch
 

I am restoring a 1965 and the door latches and striker plates are good just have several coats of paint on them. If i wire brush them does that remove the protective coating from the latch and plate so they will start to rust or will they be fine? Also, If i remove the paint should I hit them with some clear coat?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

Re: Striker plate and door latch
 

I took mine to the wire wheel then painted them with silver enamel from Summit that a friend gave me. Seems to be holding up ok. On a side note, I put some 3 in1 oil on the bolt threads before installing them so they dont "seize" from moisture etc

Re: Striker plate and door latch
 

I have a product that is used in the marine industry called fluid film which is a wax based lubricant that does not evaporate that I lubricate every bolt with for that exact reason. I was hoping to keep them natural and not paint them unless I have to to keep them from rusting.

Re: Striker plate and door latch
 

I'm not sure what the original coating is, but a heap of the cars I restore I have them zinc passivated at the same time as other brackets, mounts, etc. The finish can either be silver zinc or gold zinc to my knowledge.