I was thinking about getting a set of 327 valve covers chromed.Been a long time since I been to the chromer.Any thoughts on price?
Did someone say 327 If you can swallow telling people they are reproductions; I'd go with them as the sticker shock at the chromer will stunn you. If you have this style cover and you do decide to have yours done make sure to tell them not to overbuff the letters as it distorts them, these were overbuffed. They were done many years ago when it was affordable and before repros were available.
If you just want chrome valve covers, I second the repro route. I had a pair of hubcaps re-chromed and they ran me about $300 from a reputable shop. I imagine a pair of valve covers would be about the same ballpark.
It is not cost effective for chroming your valve covers. Just buy new after market ones. Considering one wheel will run about $250 to do. Contact these guys to get a quote... Contact Paul's Chrome Plating, Inc. 90 Pattison Street • Evans City, PA 16033 Tel: (800) 245-8679 • (724) 538-3367 • Fax: (724) 538-3403
Hi .. Its not the chrome that cost money...it all the government regulations associated around the process....very expensive....EPA fines are off the planet ...........
I've just had all this done for the rear end on my Center a Door "T", it's not the chroming that costs over here it's the prep work and polishing. Still big bucks though.
Very true. The proper waste chemical and heavy metal disposal process is quite costly account of the safeguards to human health that need to be taken. Plating was relatively inexpensive years ago when the shops could still get away with draining the stuff out the back door through a hose into the nearest storm drain or river.
I used to work at a chrome shop, I'd say between $80-$150 per valve cover sounds about right. If there's any kind of baffle or dripper inside it will have to be removed in case oil would be trapped behind it and that will ruin the plating chemicals. We used to run into that with oil pans, it was up to the end user to figure out how to reinstall a baffle without ruining the new chrome. Most valve covers won't have that issue but a few do. If this is a cover you can buy new, buy new ones. If the chrome on the new repop ones isn't up to snuff, buy a new set to bring to your plater. Less prep work for them will give a nicer result and cost less. We used to get new repop Mustang parts to rechrome since the new shit was poor but we'd have a brand new casting or stamping that way.
All well and good and true- the chrome still costs plenty of money to get it in your grubby little hands - it's just not the plater getting to keep it. Your pocket don't know the difference. I'm telling you it's the biggest bunch of bullshit there ever was. Buy a plain steel chrome bracket for $ 49.95 or buy the chrome one for 64.95 - that's 15.00 right? Buy the steel bracket, modify it so it works and take it to the chromer and now it's 150.00 to chrome the same damn bracket with a nut welded on it ??? BULLSHIT !
The other thing is that unless it is large run manufactured items chrome is pretty much being done for hobbyists so shops know they have a captive audience and can charge what they want. There are not 20 chrome shops in town anymore replating bumpers by the truck load like when chrome parts were on pretty much every car made. I was told point blank by a local plater that he was the only guy around doing it so he can charge what he likes.
The chrome you get on a $65.00 bracket or any other cheap part these days is complete and utter shit compared to a high quality triple plated job done by a good shop. Apples and oranges. I agree that they do milk it for all it's worth but that's what happens when there isn't competition.
Large runs huh? Let's say a guy is plating 6 totes full of 17mm deep well sockets. Do you expect me to believe that he couldn't do a set of shackles for the $0.xx same price and at the same time right next to the sockets and never miss a beat? That's like saying if you give him 1 1-1/8 socket in the mix the price goes up 100 fold.
Most small chrome shops are not doing large runs. Manufacturers that are producing large quantities of chromed pieces are chroming themselves or farming out to companies that only do large runs. A chrome company chroming a thousand pieces for a manufacturer doesn't want to piss around with the hassle of chroming and keeping track of our shitty little parts.
The 15.00 chrome job works just as fine as can be. Is it show chrome? No but it's working chrome, it does what it's supposed to do. Apples and oranges huh? There ain't much difference in screwing a supermodel or screwing the cleaning lady now is there? The difference is in taking them out to dinner.
Read K13s post. The multi parts runs of plating things like sockets is nothing when compared to a high quality show chrome job. The triple plating show chrome job is extremely labor intensive and is not comparable to the factory runs of chroming that you are trying to use as examples. Like was said, your bracket without the nut welded on it is pure shit in chrome plating quality as is most of the chrome plated aftermarket stuff you buy. I am in the process of getting my parts ready to ship off to Ogden chrome in Utah. I have spent hours and hours polishing and smoothing my wishbones and other parts and they will undoubtedly spend more time before they plate them. It's not going to be cheap, but I believe this is a case of "you get what you pay for" As far as the guy here in Alberta (Calgary) who says "I can charge what I want because I'm the only guy around" and then charges a fortune for poor quality work..... he can shove his shop up his ass
You just ain't getting it If you think I don't know or understand the difference between show chrome perfect and production quality you're taking me wrong. If I want show chrome one of the absolute best on the planet is 2 communities over in Grafton Ohio. There's another not to far the other way and another a bit south. Getting a perfect chrome job isn't a problem. Keeping perfect chrome perfect is a perfect problem. I dont need it perfect,
Chrome just holds in heat, and the stamped tin ones will leak over time. You could find a set of old vette valve covers, and have less in them making them look good. With good gaskets, they will stay dry too. Chrome is way overrated on engines, and looks like a model car.
I get it, I just don't think it's valid to compare chrome plating a production run to plating a few odd parts. There is a small shop up here that anodizes aluminum stuff. He has huge batch tanks and does a lot of production runs. He takes in small jobs and slips them in when he is doing a large batch. Things like aluminum snowmobile parts that someone wants anodized black. Not many production chrome shops (if any ) are willing to do the same unfortunately. I'm not going nuts with the chrome because I don't want to spend hours polishing it. Just a little for bling and accent purposes.
I'd be happy with some of that "socket" chrome for a good price. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The chrome shop I use is about 100 miles from my home. I get down there about once a month on business. I go in the shop with the part I want plated and say "how much cash do you need right now to plate and send it to me" This was I think $80 including shipping. I got it UPS in less than a week. It looked like the top leaf when I started but I actually cleaned it up a lot with my belt grinder before I took it to him. It is actually better than it looks in the photo. Except the center couple of inches that are covered when installed it is pretty perfect. What looks like imperfections are reflections. Gary
Only a guy with a Hemi in his A would try to pull off that analogy. Nicely played! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
A couple years back I was restoring a 1920's candlestick telephone and looked into chroming the brass receiver hook and finger stop for the dial. The lowest quote I received was $150 and ranged up to $250. I just buffed the brass and put it back together...