i had my 55 chevy glass bumper done 5 years ago in chrome (not spray paint) but it is in spray paint now after it rolled into the car trailer...but before that it looked gret everyone thought it was steel. it was done by xxx chrome plating but i cant seem to find them online ..just alot of bad reviews from unhappy customers, wich makes me stay away because i take other car guys warnings ...we are are own better buisness! i see alot of places selling the new spray on chrome but i dont want to start a shop,it was only $300. to have it chromed, the stuff they sell is much more and might work or who knows. does anyone know of a shop i can have this done...rember it is fiberglass. closest to new england would be great.
i remember seeing a show where they plate on plastic! they etch the plastic and add some kinda carbon to let the chrome adhere to the plastic. dont know if they could do that with fiberglass? but its worth looking up?
Look in the model car mags. There is a business (Hales Corner, Wisconsin?) that has been going for ages, he does model car grilles and bumpers. (real chrome plating, NOT paint) But he knows everybody in the business. Nice gent, too. A friend of mine sent his dashboard surround for his gauge cluster for his Galaxie, and the work was superb.
I'm working a good spray system out of Kansas.Stude-sled on this forum is in Missouri having success with the same system.You could call our supplier directly if you would prefer referral to a closer shop.I know there are good shops in the east.The supplier web-site is goldtouchinc.com. Ph.-800-941-7874
Check out this thread, maybe this stuff will work for ya! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=580579
I don't believe the vacuum-plating process used for plating plastics will work for your fibreglass pieces, as I had a reputable plater have a go at some parts I had. He spent a lot of time with them, but could not get the pin holes to stop appearing when he put them through the vacuum test before plating. I think the best bet is someone who has the professional water-bourne paint system as that stuff looks super. (I've tried the do-it-yourself kits and it looked awesome until I hit it with the clear.. blah!). If you get a different response from your vacuum plater I would love to hear it as I'm not sure why fibreglass would pin hole any more than the plastics they plate..: confused: -Dave
Now see, if I had read this thread carefully I would have noticed what big creep had said. This sounds like a different process than the vacuum plating I was referring to. -Dave
The business here in Australia that did my vacuum metalising does funeral gasket handles, yes they come in plastic and look like real chromed brass or steel. Try a mortuary supplier and you could be surprised.
These guys "chromed" a fiberglass T-Bucket body. More at: http://www.tbucketplans.com/2011/04/05/how-about-chroming-your-fiberglass-t-bucket-body/
i tryed pauls site,no luck. i would like to buy a kit to do it myself but i saw alot of good looking spray chrome jobs go bad like spectrachrome. the place that did my 55 bumper 5-6 years ago did a great job,it looked real and lasted until last year when i messed it up. i was going to buy a steel bumper last year at the swap and sell from the bumper boys but they would not sell my a 1 pc bumper without a trade in...they told me to go to ca. and find a bumper the bring it back next year to buy a bumper they had sitting there for $800.00 ,of corse i told them to take the heavy steel front bumper and mount it in the rear! i have no problem painting/clearing but i would like a proven system before i spend my money and time on it. i know the stuff is out there because i have seen it but when i try to find it its not for sale in the us or it some cheapo stuff from china.
i'll do some digging through my reciepts and find the name ! i had em do my radiator shroud on a 67 mustang which was made of fiberglass about 6 years ago , just cant remember the name of the company , but it was gorgeous and reasonable !
I had some fiberglass window garnish moldings done. You can't tell they aren't steel when they are in the car. They are also quite a bit heavier now. They were done by these guys http://www.dsplating.com/ Talk to Doug and tell him Don from Altered Engineering sent you Real chrome, not some spray on paint like stuff!
I saw them do this on one of the cable TV car programs. They use a primer that has copper in it. Once the part has been prepped with this primer, it can be chromed, pretty much as usual. I would think that any good chromer would know how or know someone that does it
I was talking to the owner of the plating shop we use at work, he said that the old guys 'back in the day' use to chrome stuff for kicks after work, apparently they chromed an apple, amongst other stuff! Not much use to you I know, just thought it was interesting. He also said that plastic chrome plating use to be big business when auto manufacterers use to have chrome inetrior trim etc.
Be neat to see the "Red Baron" rod get its helmet-top plated like the circa 1970, Monogram model kit . Might be a pretty bright reflection on the street in certain angles of bright sunlight though.
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