I'm about to have a bunch of chrome done for my chevy soonish, I want to fill the bolt holes on the bumpers. Do I need to keep filling any low spots with weld, and then grinding smooth, and repeating till it's perfect, or is there anything I can use as a "filler" that will work with the chrome? I'm fine with a lot of welding and grinding, just want to know my options. Also, the bumper guards are a little banged up, I assume the chrome shop has the means to deal with stuff like this, but I'd like to do what I can myself. I know I could ask the chromer, but I like you guys better thanks.
Leave the repairs on the bolt holes a little high and let the polishing guy do the rest as you will put marks in that he will struggle to get out. Any repairs you do yourself will save you money but they will have to be good as chrome will show any defect.
we always metal finish them. hand file, block sand and DA the repair area. we don't use a grinder that clean leave low spots. we also give it to the chrome guy to dip it in copper. bring it back to the shop and block sand the copper then send it back. if it needs more work we get it dipped again in copper and block it out once more. what you get is a flawless bumper. a lot of time but better product. also clean the back of your bumpers. you'll be happy you did. bumpers always come back with flaky dirty chrome on the back sides. spend some time and you won't get that.
Who ya going through anyway?? After i rob some banks, and get my model t a little closer I'm gunna be in the market for some shinny stuff
Thanks guys. Lowsprings, I'm planning on doing the work by hand. I don't mind the elbow grease and I like "sneaking up" on the perfect repair, no what I mean? Thanks for the tip on the back side. Shaggy, I haven't decided quite where yet.. I'll let you know when I finger it out.
JKustom, In plating you will have to use metal as the filler. As stated by low springs you can have the plater copper plate the bumper to work out the final areas before the final Nickel and Chrome is put on. Not all shops will be willing to do this. This practice is one where you will need to find a shop close by. If you are going to ship it then find a shop that will be able to do the repairs for you as it would be cost prohibitive to keep shipping while you are working out the final touches on your own. Check with some local car clubs to see who is the place to go to for bumpers like this. Some may require they do the repairs themselves since they have dealt with many novice welders that made the job much harder than it should have been. If you are willing to ship the bumpers out then check out the 1951 Kaiser Dragon build thread. There you can see the chrome work on the bumpers he had done by "ChromePlaterJosh" in Indiana.
I worked at a chrome shop and I can tell you this from lots of personal experience. Take your bumpers and guards to the shop and explain what you want to do BEFORE you do any mods to them. Some shops won't touch shit that has been welded on, some will want to do it themselves, or they'll have a certain method they like to use and will instruct you. They may want to straighten dents before the bolts are welded in, to make it easier to fix (it's a bitch to beat a dent out with a stud sticking out in the way of the hammer). I just can't stress this enough. Talk to your plater first. You will regret it if you don't. 99 times out of 100, the shit you did ahead of time to save money, will cost you double in the end.
Thanks guys. Seems like I once read on here that guys would sometimes use jb weld as filler before chrome. I personally don't really like the idea, it just doesnt sit right with me, and I'm not even sure it's a decent idea. Squablow, thanks for the k'nowledge.. I'm definitely gonna go somewhere local, mostly because I'm lazy and a little afraid of shipping a bunch of my parts. After I talk to the plater about what I want done and get the green light, I'll post pics with how it turns out. The rear bumper is gonna have a few things done to it besides just the shaved bolts.. Kustoms are fun
x2 on asking the place you want it chromed before you do any work. I saw a chrome shop at a swapmeet telling guys to get lost once they told him they welded on their bumpers. Said it could ruin his chemcials potentially. He said to break it down into pieces that you can bolt on after chrome, for over riders and such. I've no clue about the filled bolts but I'd love to know. Please keep us posted
Ogden Chrome Plating...Ogden, Utah, 801-394-9449...talk to Charlie Thornblad- [email protected] and read this: http://ogdenchrome.com/jetter Please tell him I recommended them. R-
In the past I used brass to fill imperfections in a couple of pieces that I had chromed with great results. But I still would talk to the plater and see what they would prefer to do or prefer to have you do. The suggestion on getting the back side cleaned up and smooth is a great one though.
Whatever you do DO NOT weld a stud or bolt directly to the back of the bumper as a means of fastening the bumper to its bumper brace. REASON: The stud will "pull" the metal upon tightening and "pop" your chrome finish.
Another good point. The shop I worked at did one where they suggested cutting the head off of a carriage bolt and prepping it so it could be welded from both sides, not just on the back side, then they had the guy take a big, fat flat washer, put it on the stud from the back side, and weld that in too. It was a way to spread the pressure out over a bigger area, so the bolt wouldn't pull through and leave a mark when the bolts were tightened. Even then, you won't want to put them on with an impact. That method does effectively shim the bumper out the thickness of the washer, so if you have tight bumper-to-pan tolerances, you'll want to compensate. The '51 DeSoto bumpers I'm planning to use on my '53 Ford have no exposed bumper bolt heads on them, but also no welded studs. Mopar welded in a piece of steel that bridged the top and bottom of the bumper from the back side (the welds are at the top and bottom of the bumper) and then there's a square hole for a carriage bolt in the center. This seems like a much better way of achieving the no-bumper-bolt look, and if you ever break a bolt or strip threads, you can just swap a new bolt in, no problem. It also eliminates the "pulling" issues. Granted, you have to fab up new brackets because again, this method shims the bumpers out, but I think it's a much better system than just welding a bolt to the back side. I can take a picture of it if you don't get what I'm saying.
Also, JB weld can't be plated over, so don't ever put any on anything you want to plate. Ever. I can recall spending hours cleaning that shit off of parts that customers wanted chromed. Even if it was only visible on the back side (like a replacement stud epoxied on) we had to get it off to avoid melting it in the tanks and contaminating the plating chemicals. Custom Plating Specialists in Brillion, WI uses silver solder to fill in pits when it's necessary. But again, your shop may want to do that themselves, so contact them first before you do it.
That is exactly what I was planning on doing... Until I read the rest of your post. The idea of a plate on the back of the bumper seems like a better way to go, and build new bumper brackets ain't no thang.. I was under he impression you can not plate over jb weld, so thanks for verifying that. I've actually never used the stuff, and definetly was not going to for this project. Solder or brass however might be something to think about. I'll be talking with the chromer next week I think. My buddy has a guy he likes a lot, so well see what be says..
No weld is going to mess up the plating chemicals. Only non-metallic stuff that seeps into them will, ala grease, JB weld, most paint, etc. A big reason not to plate customer-modified bumpers is because of too many crappy welds and overground low spots making the plater go insane with frustration. One more possibility is if the modifications cause the bumpers to not drain well enough causing drag through of chemicals from tank to tank. The brackets used on the modified 51 Kaiser bumpers I did needed some hole drilled, but it wasn't a big deal. Everything else has pretty much been said. Brass and silver does make good filler. Low spots suck, and straightening must be done before mods.
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