Splash-shield clips - bright or black finish?

[MoPar~Man]

When I bought a sheet of rubber from DMT, I overlooked the clips. Their pre-cut shields come with clips, are they the same as these?

Did they come from the factory looking like that? I guess I'll get some. I wish they were black. But they are stainless, so no rust I guess. I was thinking of soaking mine in acid and then give them that black oxide finish.

But maybe too much work.

 

[CBODY67]

Dull, natural silver, uncoated. Do not recall seeing black ones at all, back then. Might soak the black ones in paint remover to get to the base finish. Black ones would have cost the company more money than the "natural" ones.

Use what you might desire, though.

CBODY67

 

[Vaanth]

When I bought a sheet of rubber from DMT, I overlooked the clips. Their pre-cut shields come with clips, are they the same as these?

View attachment 714428

Did they come from the factory looking like that? I guess I'll get some. I wish they were black. But they are stainless, so no rust I guess. I was thinking of soaking mine in acid and then give them that black oxide finish.

View attachment 714429

But maybe too much work.

The original clips were made from spring steel. Clips for external, engine compartment, or undercarriage use were typically zinc coated although there may have been variations through the years and among suppliers. Clips used inside the car may have been uncoated. The following image shows some original clips with most of the coating intact. When the sacrificial coating is gone, the clips can rust although not as readily as mild steel does.