I restored a set for my customers '70 Hemi Cuda. After taking the springs apart there was clear cut evidence that they were bare metal and you could still see the heat treat coloring on them. I bead blsated each leave and then re-colored them with a bluing solution to the shade I wanted. Afterward I put a light coating of the CRC cosmoline that was thinned down appreciably. This stuff dries down way better than the Eastwood spray and even has a different look. I then re-assembled the springs. Man I thought they looked really good and still appeared to be bare metal.