Rechroming Costs

[Hollywood]

I have been having trouble getting a close "ballpark" figure/estimate on a rechrome for front/rear bumpers.....Prices seem to be all over the board.    Does anyone have a rule of thumb on what a quality rechrome job runs.....Obviously not trying to hold anyone to it-just looking to get some "good' insight on the costs of.....Thanks a ton in advance.....H'wood

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

G'day Eric,

I realise my reply won't answer your question but Chroming questions remind me of the old saying, "If you have to ask the price, then you can't afford it".

These days, Chroming can be amongst the dearest part of rebuilding a vehicle, and I am sure it will rise as places are shut down due to the Environmental Issues that abound.

Anything too cheap will be a waste of time, that is for sure.

But, as for cost, everything depends on the condition of the items to begin with.   What might seem like a perfect part, once stripped, could require a lot of time to bring the base back to perfect shape.

Bruce.

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

I have to agree with Bruce here -- lots of variables but chrome plating is certainly not getting any cheaper.  Main reason is that he EPA has shut down all of the "marginal" operations and the ones left have to put the waste treatment into their cost to survive.

Some points to consider:

--What type of chrome finish are you looking for?  Driver chrome vs. "Show" chrome is
a big cost difference.  The reason is the manual buffing that must be done to the copperized
cores.  Labor costs are high -- so show chrome is a big premium over "driver".
One note -- if you do plan do drive the car -- don't waste you money on show chrome -- it's
so perfect that every tiny scratch is very noticible.  If you drive the car you will regret it.
"Driver Chrome" from the best shops is as good or better than what came from the factory.

--The condition of your cores.  If your cores just have tarnished / thin chrome then that's
one thing -- however, if they are rusted so badly that they will need holes welded up
and major copper plating to fill the pits -- that's extra labor and money.

--Lastly, look at the warranty that the plater will give you.  Most reputable plating shops
guarantee their work "lifetime" to the original owner.

Some recommendations:

Paul's Chrome Plating, Evans City, PA
http://www.paulschrome.com/

Graves Plating in Florence, Alabama 
http://www.gravesplating.com/contact.html

Both have been in the business for many years and guarantee their work.  I have used
both companies and have been very pleased.

Most shops (with good reason) will want to look at your cores before quoting you a firm
price.  A couple of Cadillac size bumpers could easily run into $3,000+ for street chrome.
I had mine done for my '73 Eldo about 6 years ago and that's what I paid -- and my cores
were solid.

Good Luck,

Mike

[Bill Gauch #23121]

Without any idea of what specifically you are trying to rechrome, figures will be all over the map. Back in '06, I got a phone quote from a plater for my '38 bumpers which are just curved pieces of heavy steel. They were primarily an industrial plater, but did some other work. I heard they lose a lot of small pieces of odd-job orders. All those things put them on the low end of my rating system. That said, they quoted $600 a piece for the front and rear bumpers and $120 per pair for the bumper guards.

Just the other day, I called Paul's Chrome and asked for a phone quote for the wheel covers for my car which are basically just 16" round discs. They do show chrome with a lifetime guarantee. I was quoted $250-300 each. That said, if I had $1500 to spend on looks right now, I would do that in a heartbeat. Back when I first started, I asked a similar question and people told me they spent $12000 to $15000 for the exterior chrome on their cars when they did them half a dozen years prior. Calling around in '06, it looked like prices had doubled. Now, in '09 I am betting prices have doubled again. I don't even want to know what Paul's would charge for my egg-crate grille.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I agree with the previous comments made here. You will get what you pay for. I would go for a reputable plater who focuses on hobbyist/restoration jobs. The industrial platers, who will be happy to take your money, will not give you the service or quality that you want. In 5 years, you will be looking around for someone to replate your bumpers again because yours will be rusting/peeling.

[Hollywood]

Guys, thanks for the insight and the well put comments!.....But...As you probably guessed, those dollar figures are scary  ....Most people look at the chrome on my car and make the comments, "Man, that's bright" or "Wow, really shiny"  The truth is their not bad, but the chrome is thinning in some areas.  The underside of the bumpers out of sight is thinning the most.  The bumpers aren't rusted or twisted (the fortunate part), and they are holding a shine when polished....but, in all honesty a rechroming would take them to a whole another level.....Guys, again thanks for the time put into your replies......H'wood

[Bill Gauch #23121]

If you have smooth and shiny bumpers and you take them in now, it will probably be significantly cheaper than the high prices you are hearing. If you are just getting phone quotes, you will probably find that they are giving you numbers based on worst-case. It doesn't take much to remove a bumper. You may want to take one off, wrap it carefully in a blanket to prevent any damage, and take it to some places. If you are in an area with a lot of major car shows, you could bring it along. You may find that your estimates become less variable. If there is no pitting and everything is still nice and smooth, it shouldn't be all that much for rechroming. Most of the cost is in labor during the buffing/polishing phase.

[Walter Youshock]

The whole thing with "Show Chrome" and "Everyday Chrome" is really a foggy issue.  When the pieces were done at the factory, all the pot metal was freshly cast and the bumpers were freshly stamped, so the cores were excellent.  Cadillac always did triple-plating:  copper, nickle and chrome.  BUT:  it wasn't meant to last forever.  I bought NOS front and rear center bars for my '91 Brougham and the chrome is definitely not what anybody would call "Show".  It is, however, NOS.

When I had the front bumper done on my '57, I noticed the undersides of the Dagmars weren't really ground smooth like the top portions were.  It was an original detail that, once the plater got hold of them, were ground smooth (adding to the cost) and they don't look original anymore.

[Hollywood]

Walter, nice point...Bill, that is a little bit of a "silver lining" to hear!....There is no pitting, and the chrome has not flaked.  The chrome is simply starting to wear over 40+ years.....again, to unscrutinizing eyes the chrome appears to be bright.....it is mostly, but I'm hoping that with the bumpers being straight the costs will be kept down.....I guess to get serious I need to take them off, and get them in front of someone!  H'wood

[Otto Skorzeny]

If the place is local, just drive it over before going to the trouble of removing the bumpers if you aren't sure whether or not you're going to chrome them.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

I was under the impression that ALL quality Chrome Plating was of the "Tripple" variety.

Copper Coat for a perfect base, then Nickel for the Silver Coupuring, and then Chrome Plating to protect the brightness of the Nickel Plating, as Nickel on its'own will tarnish quickly.

Bruce.

[homeonprunehill]

03-09-09
H'Wood I don't remenber how much I paid to have the bumpers rechomed on my '38 La Salle but i know it wasn't cheap.
I look up the address and phone numbers for you if it's not too much to ship to  PORTLAND, OR   I am very pleased with their work.
their name and address is;  OREGON PLATING
                                     436  SE 6 AVENUE
                        PORTLAND, OR 97314-1103
                    PHONE NUMBER 502-232-1416                     
             FAX PHONE NUMBER 502-232-4543
HTH They  advertze thar they do bumpers Good Luck,Jim


           

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

Tassey is correct on his observations.  All proper chrome plating is "triple plated".

The "copper" coat is the first coat, and is used to fill pits and imperfections.  Based
on the condition of the original piece, it may have to be done several times and buffed
between applications. This is where the labor cost comes in, as the buffing is done
manually by a man standing and holding the piece in front of a buffing wheel.  This guy
has to know what he's doing or your piece will be ruined.  I've seen pieces literally
overbuffed and warped.

The nickle coat is the "silver" coating that plates over the copper.  That supplies the
silver / bluish color.

Think of the chrome as almost a "clear coat" -- it seals the nickle from the elements and
gives the longevity to the final product.  It is literally "transparent" in that if the first two
steps are not done properly, it will not hide anything.

Pot metal is a whole 'nother subject -- as the pits sometimes have to be individually
drilled out and silver soldered.  Improperly plating these will result in your plating peeling
off shortly after it's done.  Aluminum is still another issue, and has been covered in this
forum before.  Try the search feature if you want info on this.

As far as looking for a "cheap" alternative as mentioned in a previous post -- good chrome plating
is expensive --- period.  There are no shortcuts.

My '73 Eldo bumpers were quite good when I took them to Paul's Chrome Plating.  THe chrome
was thinning and very slightly starting to pit.  No rust, holes or major problems.  That cost
me $3,000 six years ago.  However, they still look perfect to this day.

In plating -- you get what you pay for -- PERIOD.

Mike

[Walter Youshock]

Triple-plate was a Cadillac exclusive for a LOOOOOONG time.  The 1982 sales brochure has a really nice write-up on how it was done (yep, first year of the 4100!)

Most car companies did nickle and chrome.  Back in the '50's on the Eldorados, and especially the Broughams, Cadillac worked with Alcoa aluminum to sand-cast bumpers and bumper ends (the styles couldn't be replicated in steel) to electroplate chrome to the bumper ends and bumpers on the Brougham and the sabre wheels from '55-58.  Plus, there was also gold anodizing on body trim and 1956 wheels.

Generally, anodized aluminum has a satin silver or gold look to it.  Aluminum is a non-reactive metal and chrome can't be plated on it, so it peels off.  They had to take sand-cast aluminum and MAKE it look like chrome and it had to have the same protective qualities as chrome.  They got chrome to plate to the aluminum bases and it worked, for a few years until the cars were well used and nobody really cared how they looked anymore.  It lifted and peeled off, the aluminum got devoured by road salt and exhaust heat and gases and the parts were just gone!

The other GM brands didn't take their time like Cadillac did.  Most just did a nickle/chrome plate without polish.  Up through the 1960's, Cadillac wet-sanded and buffed their cars on the line BY HAND--nobody else did.  

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

Walter:

You're confusing the issue by talking about aluminum anodizing -- that is a completely
different process than chrome plating as we discussed in the thread.

For chrome plating aluminum, the parts have to first be dipped in a zincate bath, rinsed, then
the copper-nickel-chrome is applied.  This takes a completely different chemical bath vs. plating
steel, separate tanks, etc. which is why most platers don't want to do it -- not enough volume
to justify the expense.

As far as your comment about "triple plate" do you mean copper-nickle-chrome?  I ask because
this term was misued over the years and sometimes meant 2 quick strikes of nickle and one
chrome strike -- no copper.  I'd like to read the info you refer to just to expand my own
knowledge.

BTW --  Oldsmobile was the first to use chrome plating (over the nickle) for it's radiator
surround in 1926.


Mike

[Bob Kazawic]

I had my 40 Lasalle bumpers done ,front and back along with 2 bumper guards Had a $700  quote for triple plate (copper,nickle, chrome) for single coat or $1100. for same but with thicker "show" quaility " chrome. I opted for the $1100. option, I am glad I did.
Bob

[John Tozer #7946]

OK. That's a pretty good wrap on re-chroming and what to look for but what is the process for removing the old stuff?

I have a load of chromed pot metal on my '37 and need to get the original chrome etc. off before I can think about re-chroming.

Does anyone know what the process is for this and are there any pitfalls? I have heard of disastrous stories where pot metal has simply dissolved away because some idiot "over-cooked" it (whatever that means) during this stripping process.

Regards,


John Tozer
#7946

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

John,

The only way to remove the old Chrome, Nickel and Copper coatings is to have a Chrome Plating Shop strip the pieces.

They simply reverse the chrome plating process, and off it all comes.

Bruce.

PS.   The Chrome Plating Shops will love you because they get to keep the chrome that is removed for free, and can use it again on their next customer, and charge for it.   Plus, the older Chrome will probably be of better quality than their new stuff.

[Bill Gauch #23121]

Anything that is electroplated on is generally electroplated off in the same manner by reversing the polarity. As was said here when talking about the process, the item is coated first in copper, then buffed smooth, then nickel plated for shine, followed by chrome to protect the nickel. All three layers are stripped off. Because it is electrolysis, it is possible to pull some of the metal out of the "pot metal." That would be the "over cooked" scenario. Anecdotal evidence would suggest another cause for the destruction of pot metal pieces.

Pot metal is really just a junk mix of metals which are soft. It is highly prone to pitting which is one of the reasons why you can find pristine bumpers but even the best pot metal pieces are pitted a little bit. As such, after they strip it, they fill the pits with solder and then add a thick layer of copper to hide any smaller imperfections. The problem comes from the already labor intensive copper buffing stage. Low quality chrome shops will just grind/buff it smooth and pass it on to the nickel plating followed by chrome. You get your intricate and rare pot metal piece back as a shapeless but shiny piece of metal for either the scrap metal bin or the lessons-learned wall. Better shops will be more careful with the copper plating/buffing stage and you will get a better part out. Better still would be the people who specialize in pot metal restoration. The whole purpose of their existence is to make sure you don't pay lots of money for worthless scrap metal.

What does all this mean? Again, you get what you pay for. Go for quality, not price.

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

Bill, you've explained the pot metal recroming process very well -- I could not have said
it better.

How do I know?  Because, those  pieces on the upper door sills of the '55 / '56
Eldorados were pot metal.   I had to have mine done three times before they were finally
done corectly.  Not cheap -- but the end result was worth the effort.  What you stated,
the buffing off of all the detailed markings -- is usually what happens at shops that are
the "cheapest".  They copper that up and you have a slab of chrome with no detail.

The "art" is knowing how to restore the piece, preserve the detail and make it look
like NOS.  It can be done -- but not cheaply.

The problem (as always) is to find somebody who really knows how to do these parts.

Mike

[John Tozer #7946]

All good so far.

Next question.

My decent pot metal bits did not include two hood side pieces. I only have these as severely blistered examples that are beyond effective restoration but suitable for sand-casting moulds so I am planning to have my favourite foundry re-cast these two pieces in bronze. I know about the adjustments that have to be made to the lengths of these long items to account for the significant shrinkage in bronze but does bronze (a copper alloy) still have to be coppered before the nickle is applied?

Regards,


John Tozer