VintageKustom.com: Repairing Kustom Amps

Home » VintageKustom.com » Repairing Kustom Amps » chrome port finish

Show: Today's Messages :: Polls :: Message Navigator

chrome port finish [message #4700]

Sat, 14 August 2004 19:15

voided3
Messages: 200
Registered: July 2004

Senior Member

Hello. I have a rather "road-tested" 100 seies 1x15 bass cab that i bought used for dirt cheap a while ago ($75; yeah, I was amazed too). Someone had recovered the cab in new black crinkle tuck and roll and did a pretty good job, but they also removed the logo and painted the ports and wheels black. I spent hours working on it, but i got all of the paint off with a wire brush and two grades of steel wool (00 and 0000). They are nice and shiny now, but i noticed when i look at the ports on my other cab (2x15 Jensen) that they seem to have a lacquer over the metal (it's easy to tell because they yellowed a little). Should i put a lacquer over the bare metal to avoid corrosion, or should i leave it alone? Was the lacquer just there to add shine since the ports look like they are stainless steel or aluminum? Thanks!

Report message to a moderator

Re: chrome port finish [message #4703 is a reply to message #4700]

Mon, 16 August 2004 01:13

QModer
Messages: 413
Registered: June 2003

Senior Member

I think that it depends on the year of the amp. Some of mine have bright chrome port ring with black inside the outer chrome rings. Others are a brushed aluminum look. I'm sure they are all factory and not modded.

Report message to a moderator

Re: chrome port finish [message #4706 is a reply to message #4700]

Mon, 16 August 2004 03:30

voided3
Messages: 200
Registered: July 2004

Senior Member

Hello. My cab is from '68 (by the speaker), and i am positive it was spray painted, the whole thing was black, even the ring. It looks great now, nice and shiny. Did they use laquer over the ports in '68? Thanks!

Report message to a moderator

Re: chrome port finish [message #4708 is a reply to message #4700]

Mon, 16 August 2004 07:12

stevem
Messages: 4863
Registered: June 2004
Location: NY

Senior Member

Hi, if I am not mistaken, the so called chrome outer rim of kustom ports is chrome plastic as found on alot of automotive dash board parts. There are places that can replate so speak these, just get a copy of hemmings motor news from a news or book store. The are a bunch of companys in there.

Report message to a moderator

Re: chrome port finish [message #4709 is a reply to message #4700]

Mon, 16 August 2004 09:10

pleat
Messages: 1463
Registered: June 2004
Location: Belding, Mi

Senior Member

A easy way to tell what kind of ports you have, are if the port has three screws holding the port in place, it is aluminum, the plastic chrome ports with the tube part being the black plastic and has a mounting ring inside the cabinet. I have had some of the older aluminum port cabinets where the port are almost a gold or yellow in color. I toss them in the dishwasher. I have found that the yellowed down ports are from the amp and cabinets sitting for years in a smoke filled enviroment. I bought a used K200 head that the seller said was gold, when I got it it was actually a silver that sat in a bar for 30 years. The smoke fill bar it sat in, turn the silver to a almost perfect match for the gold cabinet I had and the silver inserts on the knobs were almost a bronze color. I found all this out after I removed the chassis and there were sections on the naugahyde that were still silver.
Don

Report message to a moderator

Re: chrome port finish [message #4710 is a reply to message #4700]

Mon, 16 August 2004 12:23

voided3
Messages: 200
Registered: July 2004

Senior Member

Hello. The ports on my cabinet are solid aluminum, but they are mounted on the inside with a bracket. I noticed on the 100 series cabs that they all seemed to be mounted on the inside as opposed to the three outer screw mounting method. Should i put some kind of finish on over the aluminum to protect it or leave it bare? Also, I have a 2x15 Jensen cab that came with its original head, and they both had some dark dust (cigarette ash i assume, since the head has two burn marks on it) on them. On the ports, i rubbed them a little with steel wool to see if it would remove the yellowing, and it seemed like a finish of sorts was coming off, revealing a bright, shiny, aluminum-like surface like on my 100 cab. Is that just cigarette crap left behind or is it something else? Would it be safe to steel wool the ports since they are aluminum like on my 100 cab? Thanks!

Report message to a moderator

Re: chrome port finish [message #4823 is a reply to message #4710]

Sun, 12 September 2004 14:56

voided3
Messages: 200
Registered: July 2004

Senior Member

Hello. I went ahead and did the whole deal, even on my friends cabs. I buffed them to a shine and washed them in soapy water twice by hand. They look amazing! It even worked on the wheels a little (but i obviously don't want to wear through the chrome plating on the steel). Thanks!

Report message to a moderator

Re: chrome port finish [message #4832 is a reply to message #4700]

Mon, 13 September 2004 00:15

QModer
Messages: 413
Registered: June 2003

Senior Member

That was great that Ross thought of using aluminum on the ports. They stay nice for ages, can still be cleaned up, and it makes the cabs much lighter than steel port would have been. Those things really add to the Kustom look too.

Report message to a moderator

Previous Topic:	16 ohm turn 8 ohm CTS?
Next Topic:	K200 thump

Goto Forum:

-=] Back to Top [=-

[ Syndicate this forum (XML) ] [

]

Current Time: Sun Jan 25 06:36:23 EST 2026