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Spray on Chrome

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In early December my older son had an accident with his '72 Spitfire. The front bumper was destroyed. I didn't want to invest the $500+ for a new, re-chromed bumper and all the used ones I found were a bit too rough for their price.

I had a bumper from a parts car that had a dent and really nasty chrome. In areas the chrome was pitted and had flaked off but the nickel plate below the chrome was still intact. Phosphoric acid cleaning and polishing only highlighted the areas the chrome was rough... and there were a lot of such areas. With the dents and dings this was not a good candidate for re-chrome either. However, I figured it was worth trying the paint David Doan mentioned above.

I sanded the bumper with 80 grit paper on a DA to provide a "bite" for paint then sprayed it with etch primer. I lightly sanded the primer and applied three thin coats of Duplicolor "Universal Chrome" paint (BUN0200). No... it does not look like chrome. However from a distance of 8-10 feet it does look like an aluminum bumper. I was surprised how reflective it was.

I would not say the Duplicolor chrome is anywhere near chrome in appearance but it did make this bumper look useable, particularly since there are no other chrome components near the bumper on our car. Next time I need to freshen up a lamp assembly I'll use the paint to improve the reflectivity of the old parts.
 
I'll take a picture tomorrow or Thursday and post it.

You won't mistake the finish for chrome but it was a pleasant surprise to walk out of the garage and find a brief beam of sunlight reflecting off of it... too bright for me to look directly at the bumper. I would say the finish itself appears much like that shown in Davie Doan's Bugeye grille picture.
 
Thanks. Looking forward to seeing the photo.

Here's a "chrome spray" comparison I did a couple years ago. I didn't have a chrome bumper to use as a test, so just sprayed on tinplate over black primer. To my old eyes, the result never even got close to the cap of the can.

ChromeSprayTest.jpg


Tom
 
I used a "stainless" color paint recently. It specified a certain base color. I used what I thought was close to what was spec'd. It didn't turn out well. So, I returned to the store and bought the spec'd base coat. It made a huge difference and I was happy with the result.

I'm not sure if any of those chrome paints require a special base, but I'd read the directions carefully just to be certain.
 
Hopefully the picture link below will work. The image is stored on a Google Sites location and it is sometimes difficult to past URL links to content. Since the info is cached on my machine it may show for me and not for you. Let me know if you can access the picture link.

The bumper on the left/rear is the end of the twisted bumper removed from our Spitfire. The one on the right and in the foreground was the one I sanded, applied etch primer to and then three coats of Duplicolor Universal Chrome. As I mentioned, you will not mistake the finish for chrome but to me it does look like an aluminum bumper.

We installed the bumper today and it is definitely serviceable on a daily driver.

EDIT: Assuming the picture link is working, you can see an even larger picture than the board software provides by right-clicking on the small image below and selecting "Open link in new tab" or "Open link in new window". That should give you the full-sized picture so you can look at the finishes in greater detail.


SpitfireBumperPaint.jpg
 
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Hi Tom,

I did not use clear coat on top.

I bought some Duplicolor clear and tried it on a sample of the chrome paint. As with most "aluminum paints" I have used in the past, when you spray clear on top, the finish goes from shiny to grey, very grey.
 
Thanks. Interesting that the "clear" actually causes it to lose its luster. Also just realized your "Duplicolor Universal Chrome" is a different product from the Duplicolor Chrome I used. Might give yours a try. I'd also like to try it over a base coat of a gloss black, at least for a comparison.

Anyway, congrats on making progress.
Tom
 
Thanks for your comments and thanks to David Doan for posting his picture of the Bugeye grille. If he had not posted his picture I would not have tried the Duplicolor chrome paint. I would have just installed a rather nasty looking used bumper on my son's car. Though not original looking, the resulting painted finish is definitely good enough for his daily driver.

EDIT: I had a thought regarding the issue of clear coat over the chrome paint. The issue is probably caused by the solvent in the clear paint softening/dissolving the surface of the chrome paint. Eastwood used to sell a clear coat that was specifically made to apply over other paint. I don't know what the solvent system for that clear paint was but perhaps it could be used over some of these spray chromes without making them turn dull grey.

EDIT 2: It appears Eastwood still makes their "Diamond Clear for Painted Surfaces". They even suggest using it over their silver wheel paint. Link below:
https://www.eastwood.com/ew-diamond-clear-gloss-painted-surface-11-oz.html
 
4242136200_c2a3b5369a_z.jpg
Gerard
Here is a picture of Eastwood's Powder Coat 2 part reflective Chrome (the Triumph TR3a Thermostat Housing). I have plenty if you want to give it a try on the grill, I can send it to you, if you return the left over. It is great for parts that are not traditionally Chromed, but it is just not Chrome. For an object as visible as a grill, I would go with Chrome. West Coast Chrome here in Modesto has a good rep.

Paul
 
NutmegCT said:
So - what did you hear back?
Click to expand...
Well, I finally god a call back the week before last. He gave a very rough ballpark, and asked for a couple additional photos. I also found a bumper in Missouri I want to sent him directly; sent him pix of it as well. He was supposed to call me back on the 30th, but haven't heard back yet. Between the holiday and being shorthanded, it may be a while. Nice guy though.
 
apbos said:
View attachment 30912
Gerard
Here is a picture of Eastwood's Powder Coat 2 part reflective Chrome (the Triumph TR3a Thermostat Housing). I have plenty if you want to give it a try on the grill, I can send it to you, if you return the left over. It is great for parts that are not traditionally Chromed, but it is just not Chrome. For an object as visible as a grill, I would go with Chrome. West Coast Chrome here in Modesto has a good rep.

Paul
Click to expand...

Thank you Paul, I appreciate that. I think if I don't go chrome, I would go a dark charcoal. I did the shocks on my Morris pickup with an an automotive finish silver over a black base coat, and it came out a very rich charcoal metallic. Also, this grille is 30 inches tall, so couldn't do powdercoat in a home oven.
 
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