Imperial Home Page -> Repair -> General Maintenance -> Lubrication -> Lubriplate
Question from Chris:
The 1965 Service Technical Manual repeatedly mentions a substance called "Lubriplate, Part No. 1064768" for the lubrication of hood hinges, door locks, etc.
Does this substance still exist or can a different oil be used for such lubrication? Can WD-40 be used as a general purpose oil?
Replies:
From Mike:
WD40 works well to loosen things that are stuck, but doesn't leave much of a lubrication base. White lithium grease works well, in my experience, at lubricating door hinges, hood latches, etc. Power window tracks, too!
From Brooks:
Lubriplate (white lithium grease) is available in spray cans and also in a can that is marked Lubriplate. Any GOOD auto supply should have it in stock. I forget the manufacturer. The can is gray paint with black print. You can scoop it out with your finger and smear it on things (or a screwdriver if you prefer) or you can put it in a grease gun.
From Jim:
I had a tube of Lubriplate several years ago. It was a thin white grease about the consistency of cold cream. I have not seen it around any of the parts places that I frequent for several years but the last place that I saw it was an industrial supply house/machine shop. If you cant' find it at NAPA or AutoZone (etc) maybe a place like that would still have it. Lately I have been using an aerosol spray can of white lithium grease for the same general applications. Its a little thinner but seems to do a good job.
From John:
I have had good luck with lithium grease. When I bought my '67, I used it on the hood bars and it stopped the squeak after about ten openings. The hood does not squeak after two years.
From Rich:
WD-40 is not a much of a lubricant. It is a penetrant...for a while. The problem is that WD-40 is 70%+ kerosene, so it evaporates fairly quickly. To lubricate using aerosols, I prefer to use Industrial Grade products, manufactured by Diversified Brands. They make a penetrant called "The Protector" #S00711 , which is a great lubricant, & rust preventative. ( This product carries a Mil Spec., as it was designed for protecting the U.S. Navy's small arms at sea). Then for rusted bolts, there is "Rust Breaker"#S00103 , which is a great penetrant for freeing rusted components. (This product also has a vanilla fragrance, which is kind of nice when you are working in enclosed or tight spaces on your IMP !) If I have a job coming up where I may encounter corroded fasteners, I start soaking things down a time or two the day before. When I am ready to do the job, I have had great luck in disassembly without broken parts. Then...there are groups of lubricants called dry lubes. These are great because the carrying agent evaporates, & you end up with a dry film on the part. There are dry Graphite's #S00204 , Dry Moly's #S00200, & Dry Teflon #S00708 lubes available. The big advantage here is that dry lubes do not attract & collect dirt, like wet lubes do ! So, they are great for door & hood hinges, and any area where you would prefer to keep lubricated, but not dirty/greasy. The big thing on window tracks & other horizontal & vertical parts, is keeping them lubricated , & having a lubricant which does not wash away. The old stand by has been white lithium, which is available in an aerosol #S00100 , & also available in "tubs" from several grease manufacturers. There are now a whole class of "Food Grade" lubricants on the market. This means that they have USDA approval for use in areas where incidental food contact might occur. This is important.... because food processing plants must wash down once each 8 hours of operation. So...most food grade lubricants are formulated to have good resistance to water spray, so that they do not wash away. Otherwise, the plant maintenance guy would have to lube everything once every shift after the wash down. You can consider using food grade lubes on your IMP anywhere where you are concerned about them being washed away. There is also a great Aerosol & Bulk product, called Tri-Flow. This is a Teflon lubricant that has been around for many years, & is well known in the Bicycle industry. ( So if you have a large bike shop anywhere locally, they may stock it.) The wet formula is available in aerosol cans, as well as in bulk from 2oz, 18oz, 1gal, 5gal, & 55 gal packages. This product is what F*ord has speced. for use in the assembly of the parking brake cables during assembly, to help protect against "sticking". There is also a new Tri-Flow "Dry" bulk #TF21013 which comes in a 2 oz. squeeze bottle. ( I have just recently got some of this & I am going to try it in my door latch mechanisms, as it should not collect any dirt. ( And if my memory is correct, Teflon has the lowest coefficient of friction of any material know to man) You can find many of these products at a local Industrial Supply House. Many of these places have a "will call desk", where you can make purchases in cash or credit cards.
You can also go on the net, to http://www.sprayon.com and find information on these products. There is also an area where you can look to see who sells diversified brands products in your area. I would then call this distributor & see if they stock the item you are looking for. If not try another. The one problem I have encountered in buying Industrial Grade Products, is that if the distributor does not stock an item, he will not be willing to order it in for you unless you buy a case, ( usually 12 cans) because the Distributor does not want to get stuck with 11 cans of something that they are not selling. So, it can be some work to get your hands on Industrial Grade Products, but it is usually worth the effort. The products perform better...& they generally cost about the same as the Retail Grade Products. We are fortunate to have all of these new "high tech" lubricants at our disposal, so we can keep our IMP's running strong for another 50 years.
From Allan:
As far as greases and hardware you guys and gals might want to try McMasters since they have a 3300 page catalog of all kinds of industrial stuff. Their service is excellent and they have their entire catalog on line. If you call them, they are not to good at finding an item just by description, but they will try.
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