The cost of chrome.

[LEERIVAS]

"Over-Restoration." That's something we hear very little about.

I'm old enough to have seen today's classic cars when they were new and in the showrooms. And believe me their chrome and paint usually never reached the concours levels we strive for today.

"Orange Peel" spray paint on a lot of American cars seemed to be the industry standard.

True restorers today are striving to reach a happy medium by purposely over-spraying wheel wells and other body components to approximate the sloppy paint jobs of yore.

I bought my 1960 BT7 used in 1965 and the workmanship seemed to me then, to be generally just okay, but nothing like what is expected today. The choice is yours.

As for my current restoration? Well after all I said, I'm going to make it look as cherry as I can.

 

[Mac]

My suggestion is to get price quotes from a number of shops in your area and check at local car shows to see who others have used and their experience with the shop. When I restored by Jag XK140, I first took the Chrome windscreen pillars to a shop that I had heard was good and the their bid for the two pieces came in at a thousand bucks, shocked to say the least. My friend that was with me said the problem was that we showed up driving my Porsche, so keep that in mind. I thought I would look around some more and talked with a local car guy that put me onto a chrome shop he used. I took the pillars there and the bid was $350 for both pieces. About a month later I picked up the pieces and they looked perfect. I ended up taking all my chrome there. Moral of the story, check around, you'll find prices all over the board. mac

 

[Cutlass]

Looked over my chrome expenditures for my 66 BJ8. Here they are:

Windshield frame
and misc. parts - $695.00
Door handles - 104.00
Grill surround,
headlight rims
hood scoop trim
and door trim 570.00
Emergency brake
handle 65.00
Bumpers 600.00

Total: $2034.00

All parts were plated with copper, nickel and chrome, by a local plater who does this type of custom work exclusively.

I have some knowledge in this area, having worked for an electroplating company, who did chrome plating, in college. I actually polished hot rod pieces prior to plating, among other tasks, and followed them through the process. I also worked in the lab doing quality control and environmental monitoring. To ensure a good job, you really know what to look for and what questions to ask.

The critical step is to know how to judge, to the extent possible, the quality of the job after it's done, and to demand that the work be re-done if not up to snuff.

To do this, you need to know the difference between the appearance of nickel and chrome plating. This is because sometimes the chrome will not "throw" into certain areas, due to the electronic fields associated with the process. This is especially true on the insides of bumpers. This can also happen around holes in the piece. Nickel will have a yellowish appearance when compared to the bluish appearance of the chrome. The differnece is subtle, but with practice unmistakable. If you see such, that means that the chrome did not cover the nickel in that area. The only option is to re-plate. Nickel will oxidize over time, and the difference will become apparent.

Also, nickel deposits more heavily in certain areas, again depending on the electrical properties of the piece at different points. It may deposit so heavily on certain areas, particularly edges, that it forms nodules, which can be both seen and felt. If you have, for instance, a bumper whose edge is unexpectedly rough after plating, that is probably a result of concentrated nickel deposition. You may live with that on some pieces, but you don't have to. Again, the only option is to completely strip the piece and re-plate.

To the practiced eye, bad chrome stands out like a sore thumb. Good chrome is a beauty to behold. Good luck.

 

[tahoe healey]

Many shops do not do the work themselves. They send it out sometimes out of the country due to EPA. As I have an extensive antique slot machine collection, I have learned over the years many things about chroming. Forget price. Look on their shelves and judge the quality for yourself. Some less expensive places are every bit as good as the high priced. Unfortunately the guys who do my small parts aren't equipped to do bumpers and other large parts.
Regardless where you go, make two photos of what you leave off. Keep one and give the shop the other. I've many times gotten things back that did not belong to me and the shops do not have a clue who they belong to.

 

[Randy Forbes]

Many shops do not do the work themselves. They send it out sometimes out of the country due to EPA. As I have an extensive antique slot machine collection, I have learned over the years many things about chroming. Forget price. Look on their shelves and judge the quality for yourself. Some less expensive places are every bit as good as the high priced. Unfortunately the guys who do my small parts aren't equipped to do bumpers and other large parts.
<span style="font-weight: bold">Regardless where you go, make two photos of what you leave off. Keep one and give the shop the other.</span> I've many times gotten things back that did not belong to me and the shops do not have a clue who they belong to.

I wholeheartedly agree. These are the pictures I left with the plater (who incidentally put them in a clear protective folder which stayed with the parts).

 

[John_Progess]

When I did my 64 last year my chrome bill was a little less than $3000 for everything. One thing the plater told me was to separate the windshield side supports as the stainless piece would not plate the same as the main brass section. As you will see it is made from three pieces of metal. I did this and then had to revit the three pieces back together. Something you might check with your plater. Have a good day!

John

 

[Cutlass]

John makes a good point. All parts must be completely disassembled prior to plating. All fasteners, rivets, itsy bitsy parts, everything.

 

[Rod_Barber]

Clutch engagement

Just bought this car. Got the engine running sounds great. Transmission shifts fine but when the clutch is released there is no engagement . Feels like the clutch is still in even thought the cluct pedal is all the way out. I looked under the car and moved the clutch pedal in and out and the arm to the throw out bearing was going back and forth. Car had been sitting for three years. Could something be stuck (Throw out bearing). Looks like a big job to pull the transmission.

It a 1963 6 cylinder engine with the four speed with overdrive .
Rod