Dang, that looks great. Do you have Ed's contact info...Sac is just 40 mins down the hill from me....
If this isn't significantly cheaper than real chrome I don't see the point... I know prep is the key, but I can't imagine the prep is as time consuming or difficult when you're simply painting a part. To chrome plate you have to metal finish every square inch, to paint a part you can use fillers and the such.
About $700 for the Grille, opposed to $2,500 plus for real plating.Was told by one shop it couldnt be chromed..
I hate that stuff... But I have to admit that looks pretty NICE! It would be most interesting to see how it holds up over several seasons on the road. Thanks for sharing.
That's why I love my local backyard crackhead chrome shop. I'll probably pay $350 to get mine chromed. Haha!!! Probably won't come out as nice as the painted on though.
How tough is it to road debris / sand / chips etc.? I've seen that stuff advertised & always worried it was only suitable when not on an exterior part - what do you think now that you have the part in hand?
Yes it looks very nice now but hope it was fitted to car before all the work, guess your tailgating days are over!
7 coats of clear, supposed to be able to buff out any scratches pretty easily..Time will tell however..
$2,500 to plate that grille? So, using THAT math, could we assume that most pieces that we WOULD have chromed will be 30% of the chrome cost? Why in the world would a grille like that cost $2,500 to chrome? Maybe I'm out of touch... Heck, I can get my '56 Chevy pickup grille and 2 bumpers for around $850, and I'd pay $300 to have them spray chromed in a heart beat.
Intersting concept for sure. As far a durability, i wonder if there is a flex agent in the paint. Makes a big diffence using it on painted grilles and bumpers on modern cars. My 02 Ram grille is painted and looks great to this day. I live in a harsh climate to.
anybody knows how well this stuff holds up? does it yellow over time? I have a rare pot metal trim piece in poor condition that would be a good candidate for this
I can't see the grill costing 2500 to rechrome unless it needed some serious rust and/or straightening repair. Without seeing the before shot, it is all speculation. The prep is easier when using paint, as opposed to plating prep. If Ed had a lot of work into prepping it for paint, then it must have been rough, I imagine. The shop that said it couldn't be plated was saying in a way that they themselves didn't have the capabilities to restore it properly. It is not chromium, it is actually a silver nitrate with clear over it. It's durabilty is dependent upon how well the job is done, but it will never be as durable as a real chrome finish done right. The silver spray can only be as durable as the clear painted over it. BTW, any yellowing with age is caused by the clear, which goes back to the quality of clear used. That said, I think the stuff still has it's uses. Merc-o-madness, send me a pic of this pot-metal ; I'm pretty sure I can restore it. I fix rotten pot metal regularly (with real plating,) and warranty it against all plating defects for as long as you own it.
Looks great! I have a piece of chrome on one of my cars that's made of really thin steel, the part is unobtanium, very prone to rot and everyone I know who has ever tried to chrome one saw it warp badly. This might be the ticket... be less aggravation than trying to cast one in Brass.
this... and as said before, the more coats of clear will ensure long lasting durability against scratches, just buff them up and after a few years if the piece is still good just wetsand and clear again....
Wow Marcus that came out bad ass. I hope it holds up for you and I cant wait to see that car all together.
your chevy grille and bumpers are way different than that grille you have to buff every grill bar on both sides after every dipping....not to mention all rust repair anf what not needed done....i talked to a buddy that owns a chrome shop about gettinga 36 grill plated and the discounted price was $290wheni get my appletons done ther run about $1000 a piece in chrome
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