Has anyone in the Bay Area had experience, good, bad or indifferent with Norcal Chrome in Benicia or Classic Chrome in Sacramento? Looking to get the bumpers on my '50 Fleetline rechromed. I used Walker's Custom Chrome in Redding for my grill and loved the work they did for a fair price, but they don't do anything over 4 ft. long. Any reviews appreciated!
Oh man, that's a bummer. I tried calling in case they did have the equipment to do larger pieces now, but the number listed everywhere for them was disconnected.
I don't know what level of work you are looking for; from basic plating to full custom/restoration level. I've been using San Joaquin Chrome Plating in Lodi. They've done well by me and best of all they get it done when they say they will. I think they do bumpers but I'd call 'em. If you're into real high end stuff there's Sherm's Custom Plating in Sacramento. I think they have three different levels of chrome plating. Basically, chrome plating here in California is expensive. The state is constantly tightening the regs and the businesses are having to spend huge amounts of money to comply. When I go there and see the doors still open I breathe a huge sigh of relief.
Thanks for the recommendation— I think I've seen their ads in the Cruizin' News maybe? Not sure I can afford Sherms, but they may be the last man standing in California soon!
I would not recommend Sherm's Plating. $300.00 to plate one Corvette valve cover and they didn't even polish it completely before they plated it. If I wanted it to match my other one it would have been 500.00+
I've always heard that Sherm's is THE place to go if it has to be the best, but they are expensive. I had Classic Chrome do the stainless trim for the windshield and back glass on my 55 Chevy, and they did a beautiful job. In talking with them, though, they told me they don't do plating, they do the prep work, then send the parts out to a shop in Fresno for the actual plating work. They do repair and polish stainless and other metals.
Oh that's interesting, thanks for the info. And it's amazing how many conflicting testimonials you read about Sherms— some people swear by them and others like Binkman, have had bad experiences. I have to go to Sacramento this weekend anyway, so my plan was to drop by Classic Chrome with my parts and get some prices. Thanks for the input.
I haven't dealt with Sherm's but I'm not surprised at Binkman's comment. If you get down L.A. way, Verne's Chrome in Gardena is a great place. When I lived down there I took all my stuff to Bob Barnes and never had any issues. They chromed my shaved '60 T-bird front and rear bumpers, they came out beautiful and I was pleasantly surprised at the price. (that's a lot a bumper) Anyone have anything done at Jon Wright's CCP? I always wondered if they are over the top expensive or if it would come out comparable considering the extra shipping expense from the west coast.
Look forward to hear how well Classic does, and pricing. San Joaquin Chrome in Lodi has gone downhill & prices gone up
Man, these chrome shops are a moving target! I did speak to the owners of Classic Chrome at the 2018 Sacramento Autorama and they seemed genuine and their display pieces looked good. They didn't mention anything about getting the plating done in Fresno though. I'll report back on Monday!
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