chrome??

hey, any one know where i can get my chrome done around here?? does any one know if i can get my chrome fixed up, or do i need to buy new?? thanks!!

Here's my experience with chrome plating. There's a company called Art Brass Pating, www.artbrassplating.com in Georgetown who do a pretty good job. They are quick doing bumpers but other small parts can take months to get done.

A lot of the parts on our Falcons are pot metal and can easily be burnt up during the plating process so expect to lose some detail (at least). They do triple plating (copper, nickel, chrome??) which is what you want.

And get ready to give your wallet a workout. Chrome plating (done well) is an art, involves lots of specialized techniques and nasty chemicals, and the EPA highly regulates the industry.

You can also just order bumpers from several Falcon catalogs but the quality can be sketchy. Also, reproduction parts that are chromed don't usually stay looking nice as long as NOS parts do. If you can find NOS I would spend my money there. Of course if your car spends it's life indoors none of this will matter.

In general, you get what you pay for with chrome plating as long as you stick with reputable companies.

As I get nearer to having all the bits purchased to put this Ranchero I'm working on back together, the thought process moves to bumpers. The chrome on the two sets of bumpers I have is really bad. I have been reading that chroming can cost a $1000 per bumper, which I think is just ridiculous. Has anyone had chroming done on anything recently and if so is this number seeming about right? If so, for a driver, that isn't going to happen. I'll be grinding down to bare metal and painting them (or finding a powder coater somewhere :) ).

I use EFS plating in Port Orchard. They do excellent work but like stated before it is pricey. I had a liscence frame, back up light bracket and 2 other small pieces and it cost $300 and they fit in a zip lock bag.
Now powder coating on the other hand is a cost effective alternative to plating, BUT chrome power is not as shiny or strong as plating. (I do own a powder shop by the way) I have done bumpers in chrome powder as well as silvers with metal flake in them. They look great. Also the new powders have the ability to be wet sanded and polished to make them smooth and shiny like paint. So there a couple of options out there for you.

I use Art Brass and the quality is usually great. I've had one bad experience with them and it involved pot metal. I've since learned my lesson.

They do bumpers for a flat fee based on the make and model. The Falcon bumpers are/were $350 each which includes straightening.

All other parts are quoted when you bring them in. My Monte Carlo bar was $225. Me export brace is going to be $400 (it's at the shop now).

I've been in Tucson for the last month and a half and will probably be coming home around May 1st? I have used a small company here that does good work and their price is about 1/3 or less what Art Brass quotes me. Art's company does very good work but, they quoted me $2100 for the interior parts that go around my windshield (4), and 3 parts that are on the console. I got them done here for $330 and they look very good. I tried for a couple of months to find someone to redo my grill and the cheapest I could get for re-anodizing (not counting shipping) was $890. Then I decided to have it chromed instead and Art Brass wouldn't do it because they have had trouble breaking the pieces. I checked with the place in Mukilteo and they wanted $1400. Got it done in Tucson for $300.
I powder coated my hood hinges and they looked ok but I felt chrome plating would look better so I brought them along to Tucson with me. I went to several car shows here and looked at their chrome hinges and didn't like the looks since they were shoddy looking inside because the coverage and polishing didn't work too well. Sooo I drilled out the rivets, took all the parts down and they chromed and polished all the parts (along with a few others that I brought along) total of 18 parts and got them chromed for $165. The hinges look fabulous.
The company down here is Royal plating and all they do are car parts for show and hot rods. I have it easy because when I am not coming down here I ship the parts to my brother who lives here and he gets them done and reships them to me. If you are interested call the company and set up shipping arrangements and you will still save money. I see lots of bumpers in their shop. 520-622-7826

So, was that your brother's phone number... :ROTFLMAO:

I did a little research on this place via the web last night and a guy on the HAMB said they quoted him $450 for an Edsel rear bumper. They used a lot of chrome back then, so that's probably cheap - though he was whining a little. I have not called Art Brass to see if they can quote from a book. Probably should. The Mukitilo place just sounds expensive reading their web pages.

I wonder how much shipping 2 bumpers would cost... :rolleyes: