I own a few old holley carbs that while mechanically sound, look hideous. Its not that they are dirty, but the plating or whatever is worn and they're just plain ugly. My question is, what can I do to make them prettier? I'm thinking of polishing or painting, ideally I want a uniform semi shiney grey look but I don't know how to achieve it. So what have y'all done to make rebuilt carbs look better?

 

some have acid dipped them to make them look new again. otherwise i'm sure holley can refurbish them somehow.

 

rustoleum metallic bronze paint

i used rustoleum and have had good results. i haven't had any problems with fuel eating the paint either. I did take it down to bare metal and roughed it up some and baked it in the oven for 20 minutes before assembly.