Customs Hypothetical Question- Chrome Plated Heads

Not talking flatheads here, and lets keep all the smartass comments clever

OHV engines...Caddy, Olds, Hemi..Anyone done it or seen it? I think the Trendero did, though I'm not sure. Any educated thoughts on how it would hold up? I'm guessing there would be bluing around the exhaust ports. I'm just curious and obsessed with WEIRD shit right now. So lets hear it..

 

I think you need to go racing with us this weekend at S.A. Raceway.

Get your mind off silly shit...

 

Sure, it's been done.
Not too long ago I saw a set of chromed 322 Nailhead heads on Ebay... old chrome, done a long time ago.
On the 1963 Hot Rod YearBook there's a FED with chromed heads. I think it's a Pontiac motor, but don't know. Center-bolt valve covers and shared middle exhaust port.

-Brad

 

There was a set of chrome 392 hemi heads at a local swap meet i dunno if i'd run them though, peeling chrome on the inside of my motor doesnt sound too good....

 

I figured before chroming you could bolt thin plates to the combustion surface and the intake and valve cover surfaces...

 

Thinking they would retain a lot more heat, but I could be wrong.

 

After doing a dyno test on transmission pans, specifically testing the fluid temps, I am certain they would retain more heat.

Chrome and polished aluminum trans pans retained the most heat, then bare steel, unpolished aluminum and black painted aluminum.

-Brad

 

Were the differences huge?

 

I'm sure a few 60s show cars had chromed heads, although i guess they weren't run much. Not sure how it would stand up to street use. I don't think it take long for the chrome to turn ugly.

 

Just my stupid $.002 but I think the chrome would be a thermal barrier that would stop the heat from releasing and dissipating. Boy that almost sounded smart !! How bout Jet Coating them ?

 

Jet coating them would probably be worse than chrome It's advertised as a thermal heat barrier that keeps heat in, like in headers to help lower engine bay temps. Plain, textured iron or aluminum is best for cool running temps.

-KK

 

Chroming them would make them retain more heat.

The best color they can be is rough and black. That will irradiate the most heat from the part.

Heat transfer occurs three ways. Conduction (touching surfaces), convection (think air or water moving across a surface), and radiation (think electric stove top glowing red).

For heads, you want lots of conduction to pull heat out of the chamber and away from valves and potential hot spots. You want good convection in the water jacket to move heat away as well. You then want good surfaces and decent surface finish to maximize the radiation of heat back into the cylinder.

oh, by the way, hi.

 

I seem to remember as a kid once at a car show I saw a Caddy with chromed heads... show car of course, but it didn't look blued to me. I wouldn't do it to anything I own though, as it holds heat...

 

jet hot. totally good for cylinder heads. Lots of racers doing the piston tops, combustion chambers and the outsides too. My
Buddy runs jet hot on Harley panhead jugs without a problem. jugs! smooth out the surfaces and it will bling pretty good.

 

The other thing you guys are forgeting on heat is if you are buffing them to a mirror, depenting on the type of casting you will remove quite a bit of material

Probably not enough to offset it, but it'd help

 

I vaugly remember seeing a show car that was displayed up here (shipped up just for the show) in the late 70s that had a chromed engine, whole thing, block, heads, intake, exhuast, and all the tin.

Small Chevy as I recall, unlikely it ever ran as none of the chrome on the exhaust had turned blue, and there was no soot in the exhaust pipes.

Funny I remember those details, but I don't remember the car.

 

It would work if you just want to look at the car, not if you want to drive it regular.

 

Did you guys also test the temp of the oil? What temp difference was there in the materials ? Thanks.

 

THIS ^^^


Good for show car, no good if you wanna drive it.

 

I have a friend with a chrome Hemi, block ,heads , Intake. Runs great looks great.

 

years ago-i had a chance to buy a chrome olds engine [the whole damn motor from carb-2-pan]it had something like 80.ooo miles on it,way to pretty for my getto a**!so most be possible..i kinda regret not buying it..{$500 for motor & polished tranny}

 

You would also be removing a lot of surface area by smoothing them out. Less surface area to dissipate the heat = hotter running.

 

I'm trying to figure out how they got a whole engine block into the tank in the first place, unless they had an overhead crane or something. Even just a head, strung from two cables, trying to lift it without touching the head itself to get it in the tank, that'd be tough.

Wouldn't be cheap either, would require a ton of prep work. Better off to find an all aluminum motor and polish it for a show car look.

 

If you were chroming the heads all you need is platers tape or a wax bath to mask off everything except the outside. The part that normally gets painted. No reason for the chrome to get in the water jackets and little chance that it would even if you left them open Heat dissipation is the job of the water and the radiator. Not the surface radiation. Unless it;s an air cooled engine. That said I would never chrome my heads. "If it don't go. Chrome it."

 

I love this discussion! All the responses are appreciated. Personally I think it would be awesome to see a car with chrome heads. It sort of fits with the showcar ideology of "excessive for no reason" that I find fascinating. More thoughts, please!

 

I've done iron motorcycle heads, and they would only do the nickel, and not the copper. looks weird to do car heads any other color than what the block is IMO. polish the hell out your intake, valve covers and chrome your carbs .

 

bucket seats??//// not:d

 

If you just want shiney why not polish up a set of Aluminum heads. I have seen high end street rods with all polished block, heads, manifolds and everything else under the hood. Not my style but it was shiney.

 

If you have a set of early Caddy aluminum heads, point me that way!

I think I've seen them for Olds rockets, but I don't know if they were available back then... I don't know of any for Caddy's. Oh..and not interested in anything newfangled goshdarnit!