CHROME

[gasman826]

Another post was discussing steering boxes and the sticker shock of a '58 reman'd.  $495 plus $175 core and somewhere there is shipping.

Anyway, has anybody had any fresh re-chroming.  I was using an ole boy just down the road.  He made my stainless 'hockey sticks' straight and like mirrors.  He striped old chrome off some aluminum valve covers and buffed them better than new.  He straighten both bumpers, welded in studs, and chromed them for $500!  He even chromed the bumper brackets (who's going to see them but they're chromed anyway).  He even restored some pot metal pieces for me.  Slow but good...fair priced too.  Slow was the big word.  After having my grille and some other parts for 2-1/2 years, I told him I could not wait any longer and needed the parts.  We found most of the parts.  Dementia has set in so bad that we would meet at the end of an aisle and I had to introduce myself again. 
So I'm shopping for a chromer that does pot metal.  I got may grille done for $200.  Pot metal is a different story.  I sent 6 small console pieces out for estimate............$1000.00!!!!  I sent them some where else...$875.00 plus more shipping.  $180.00 for two exterior door handles!  Repops are $110-130 but I didn't what 'Made in China' on them and have to source metric bolts!  My interior has nearly 25 pieces of pot metal to restore.  It will be a few more years to adjust this budget!  I'm considering learning to lead pot metal.

[Jeff Norwell]

Trust me....EVERYWHERE...chrome has quadrupled..........I am dealing with this issue on another car Gary...... it's freaking just crazy....
And cheap mean cheap work.In this dept...... you truly get what you pay for.

[rmk57]

Chroming is becoming a small market these days. How many cars are out there with chrome on them besides pickups? Plus the environmental part of it to, chrome plating is probably one the most toxic industries there is.

Randy

[6cyl57]

hmmm..... another reason I will just keep mine as a driver .
I feel the same way about the off shore parts on an old car.
But sometimes there is no way around it. And with mine
even some of the U.S. parts are to shinny. I had to replace
the voltage regulator. The new one looked out of place, so
I switched the cover on it. And I am far from a #s match kind of guy.

best of luck to you .

[geraldchainsaw]

to gasman,     heres 2 places i've used in Detroit area,     Dynamic metal finishing,  1-313-922-6455, email is www.dynamiccustomchrome.com,    hes very good with pot metal,   he did the trim around the back of my conv (57) top, he took around 3 weeks,     the other would be Hajjar plating svc, inc,     1-313-865-4200,  or 1-313-718-2953,  located in Wayne, mi,   he did my front bumper,  took 3 months

[Limey57]

There's a 57 Chevy over here running chrome powder coated bumpers & it looks really effective.  Okay, right up close and you can tell it isn't plated, but from six feet away they look like freshly plated parts at about a quarter of the cost.