Hey guys. So I got my 409 valve covers bead blasted and i WAS gonna paint them the original silvery gold color for a 62. (I already bought from show cars). But after going to back to the 50s and seeing so many restored 62 409 cars, i kinda got tired of the factory look. And being my car isnt a factory 409 car and isnt restored original, more hot roddy. I was thinking about something different. A place in town does powder coating and claims to have a close to chrome powder coat. Has anyone had this done? And does it look like chrome? Thoughts?
I had these done by a local powder coater. They first coat them with the chrome color, than follow up with a second clear coat. This won’t hide many imperfections, but very Happy with results. Great price at compared to chrome at $140
Everything but the valve covers and air cleaner that looks chrome is chrome powder coated. It's not nearly as shiny as chrome. It looks better in person than it does in these pictures.
I run a powdercoating buisness and I do this all the time. The best chrome for under the hood is called super chrome, and it is not UV resistant. Looks great for the price. UV resistant chrome or a clear coat just looks like a shinny silver..... that has been my experience. Doug Sent from my SM-G965U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
What I saw that was supposed to be chrome powder coat looked like polished aluminum. It looked good, but was not like chrome.
I had an intake done about 20 years ago, I hated it so much I sold it the day after I picked it up from the powder coating place. I had to eat the price of the coating...........it was well worth it.
It doesn't look like chrome... I've used it, the finish is best described as a milky polished aluminum look. It photographs better than it looks in person IMO. Clear over it dulls it further, but without the clear it scratches very easily. A 'normal' silver will look nearly the same and be more durable to boot. Only chrome looks like chrome....
I wasn't impressed with "chrome" powder coat. It looked decent until they put the clear coat on it. Claimed life was very short without the clear coat. Pictures are left to right: Chrome Powder Coat, Chrome, Polished Stainless. I'll never use it again. We also had some pieces done with the Spectra Spray Chrome process. Very thick and a little tender. Chips easily. Looks more like chrome but not nearly as smooth. Think of shiny paint that hasn't been cut and buffed yet. That is what it reminds me of. No substitute for real chrome that will last AND shine AND be smooth. SPark
I thought about having my beam axle powder coated chrome. When i told the what i wanted done, they said that it would chip like paint would, & would start to look bad in a couple of years. i've seen it on other pieces, & it does look great
Think of it (powder coat) as "burnished aluminum." I have some and used it, but not for a chrome substitute, because there is no substitute for chrome.
Ok, I have always wanted to ask this question and this thread seems like the right place, what is Endruashine? The Edelbrock coating that looks like chrome but is some sort of powder finish? And why cant powder coaters do this? From what I can find, it is a 3 step process, base coat, aluminum oxide, clear coat. Edelbrock offers it on carbs and intakes and it has been on the market for quite a while so It must work. They claim durability of powder coating, no bluing, soap and water clean up. So does anyone offer this coating?
It holds up pretty well, I have a Edelbrock endruashine intake on the Ranch Wagon and the only reason I used it is because they sold it to me at the same price as a bare casting aluminum intake. After 7 years it is peeling in a couple of spots but for the most part still looks good., I am not a open hood guy, I thing on this car it always looks better with the hood close. I have seen the chrome spray and it really doesn't look like chrome. HRP
It's a cross between powdercoating and vacuum aluminizing (the process they use on model car 'chrome' and Detroit used on dash plastic and more in the '60s/70s and beyond). They start with a powdercoated 'base', then aluminizing, then clear powder over that. There's plenty of complaints about it peeling over time. Powdercoat really like a surface with good 'tooth' to stick properly, that's why all coaters worth their salt sandblast first.
I don’t know the process But jet-hot coating looks damn good and better than the so called chrome powder coat and it’s tough as hell They can’t do valve covers ?
Spell check "Endurashine" https://www.google.com/search?q=edelbrock+endurashine+problems&oq=edelbrock+endurashine&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j0l3.18806j0j7&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
I predict that one of these days, someone will come up with a process that will replace chrome plating. Technology marches on. Unfortunately, I'll probably be gone when it happens.
They been using some stuff on Ford F-150 wheels for a while. I've never had a problem but some guys have had it peel..
I've been thinking about this stuff for a couple interior pieces. I don't know if it would hold up to the heat of an intake manifold. Sent from my VS835 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
That's a ceramic process and I don't think aluminum can take the cure heat without detrimentally affecting it's metallurgical properties. Steel parts should be no problem...
So do you think I could have my valve covers jet hot coated? If so, any rough idea how much it would cost? And More importantly, would it look cool?
That is the same as Spectra Spray Chrome process. It's very brittle, chips extremely easily and is not very UV friendly. I've seen it used on some show cars so they could chrome the unchromable but if you try to drive it down the street you won't like it. It chips badly, is only as good as the prep under it and very finicky about that prep. Any tiny bump is magnified and it looks like a bug trapped in the paint. It's similar to the process that mirrors are made with but inside out. We sent som pieces of a race car restoration out just to see what it looked like. From 10' away it looks like chrome. We sent 4 pieces and all 4 came back tightly wrapped individually in a tissue paper and bubble wrap, all 4 were chipped and they get more so every day. They are just lying on a counter at the shop and people pick them up to look at them and another piece flakes off. Was told that was normal for it. Not a fan of that crap at all. SPark
And thank you too, LM14... for sharing your experience with it. Look like crap? Smell like crap? Taste like crap? Glad we no step in it. Sent from my VS835 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The Jet-Hot vic is sharing with us is ceramic. It gets coated and baked, then there's a polishing procedure by tumbling or peening the part. Over time you have to polish it like aluminum wheels to keep the brigthness. Mothers works good for that. The O/T street rod I recently finished has it, and it still doesn't compare to chrome. I'd chrome the covers if they were mine. It's not like you have to do it every couple years so go for it. As to saving $$$ on chrome, any bumper shops near you? They don't do copper and that makes for a huge savings on some stuff. They're usually limited to plating brass and ferous metals, aluminum, diecast and stainless are a no-no. Worth a look.
When I built the 2004 NSRA giveaway 30 model A RPU I used a local coater that did a ceramic coating similar to Jet Hot on the exhaust. This coating was then polished and while it didn't match the chrome on the suspension exactly it looked dam good. I have no idea how it held up as the last I knew the car was in Germany. Unfortunately this company is no longer doing coating for the general public.
The advantage of ceramic coatings is they don't discolor from exhaust heat like chrome or polished stainless does. It will stain if you allow 'crud' to get baked on though. I'm surprised that guys with exposed chrome exhaust don't use 'heat shields' like Harley does on their OEM exhaust. It won't stop the discoloring, but would hide it.
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