Hot Rods Engine turned chrome???

Ok fellas, I have been driving my 30 model A Ford coupe, and I ran across a little issue. My car does not have a roof insert, and the sun reflecting off of the 4 spoke steering wheel is blinding. Not always, but once or twice is enough to make me wanna do something about it.

So, here is my appeal to the HAMB community: Has anyone ever engine turned chrome? The instrument panel I made for it is engine turned, and I’m thinking that engine turning the steering wheel would both look right, and fix my issue.

 

I'm doubtful, but have not tried it. The chrome is a very very thin layer over nickle and copper. You could try it on a scrap bumper or something like that; who knows? An alternative might be to spray it with a matte clear coat.

 

I'd email this guy, sounds like he's done Chrome before: https://www.cs.ucr.edu/~eamonn/et/et.htm

 

What about doing it with silver leaf the way the sign people do? Might not be durable enough. Model car builders use some stuff called Bare Metal Foil, real thin aluminum foil with adhesive back. Agin, not sure if it would stand up.

 

I’ve used that bare metal foil, restoring an old gauge. Not sure it would work on spokes. Here’s a similar product, not sure it’ll work either. But pretty cheap to try.

https://www.rvinyl.com/Engine-Turn-Vinyl-Film-Wraps

 

You wont know until you try.
Get a smallish item that is chromed (for a test piece).
A piece of round 1/2'' dowel, 2'' long (or whittle down a bit of wood) and tighten it in your bench drill.
Smear some medium valve grinding paste on the end of the dowel, and start the drill..
Hold the test chrome and work the wooden dowel down onto the chrome for a few seconds, raise slightly and move the chrome piece slightly to do the next swirl.
I've done this on shiny stainless steel with great results.

 

Or you could put an insert in the roof. Or a piece of tinted plexiglass.

 

'33 Ford dash insert was engine turned chrome; read on the Ford Barn about someone restoring one doing the same process.

 

Feel like that’s how you get a rusty steering wheel.

I would look into that clear protective film they put on the front of cars to keep it from getting chips. Shouldn’t change the look much and should kill the glare .

 

I'd get a thin sheet of aluminum big enough to cover the hub and spokes of the steering wheel. Trim it generously to leave extra material beyond the edges of the hub and spokes. Drill any necessary mounting holes in the hub and then do your engine turning to the entire face.

Mount the piece to the steering wheel and use it as a pattern to do the final trimming to match the hub and spokes. Bend and shape the aluminum to fit as flat as possible to the wheel. Dress up any rough edges and use double face tape to attach the new trim to the face of the existing spokes.

 

IMO: I would fill the roof.

 

Well if that's how ya feel..... duct tape

 

Try something like these 1” discs.

 

Ever think of using a "wrap" material like that used on all types of car exteriors and race cars? The company below has a turned aluminum wrap. If you get tired of it or want it removed, most wraps are removeable. Larger communities usually have businesses that do wrapping or hopefully can get you a material you like.
https://www.fpmmetals.com/store/Aluminum-Engine-Turned-DGL-75-p471514639

 

I get the same issue sometimes with my wheel and I don't have the option of 'filling' the top...Everyone is making some suggestions, some good, some not so much. I personally don't think the engine turning will help since it just offers many more areas for reflection. Love what you did with the insert. Nice work there. I don't have a good answer short of changing the wheel or painting the spokes a matte color or just live with it. Sunglasses help.

 

I think if you did the steering wheel it would overpower the look of the interior.
With that being said I put this engine turned vinyl, in my top less t-bucket, on this gauge panel 20 yrs ago and it's still holding up great.

 

Thanks for all the replies fellas! I’m gonna try to engine turn the underside. If it doesn’t work, I will figure something else out, paint maybe?

I think I will use a small tool. I used 1” diameter on the dash panel. I will try a 5/8” dia tool because the spokes are so damn narrow. I would like to have at least 3 or 4 swirls in the across direction.

 

Well damn. Your car is a LOT nicer than mine! Mine is brush painted and more than little rough around the edges. Yours is lovely, just lovely.

 

...Thanks. You're too kind.

 

I have. It will require the course Cratex like you would use on stainless steel. It won't bite in like aluminum but the pattern will be quite vibrant still. This is a cleaver that I "hot rod restored" (new rosewood scales, welded on a new handle with hooked end, re-profiled the blade) for a friend. It is hardened steel, not an easy surface to cut into. The pattern is still deep though. I used course Cratex and left it on the surface for at least 2 seconds where I typically would be down around 1 second on softer metal. I like masking the edges of odd items like spokes and this cleaver with duct tape around the edges to give it a border rather than run the pattern off the piece. I think that would look nice on your spokes.

 

I wear sunglasses when driving a cool car.

 

Finish the roof,> Ya,that's the first thing comes out at me. Love look of rest,sorry I just don't get not finish of things= I love shiny stuff,we'er not all the very same= thats a good thing..

 

A repro Crestliner wheel would look good and solve your issue, but the cost!!!

 

Thank you,Sir! That is super helpful (Cleaver turned out pretty sweet too BTW).
When you use the duct tape, do you use a masking tape layer first? Or just go straight to duct tape and deal with the adhesive residue?

 

I like the unfilled roof. It is a bit like having a roadster. The roof insert does nothing for me except trap heat. Well, I guess it keeps the sun off my bald head, but I don’t mind that too awful much. I only drive it when it is nice out anyway… hell I don’t even have door glass in it, and I have never missed it.

 

Engine turned vinyl…worked pretty good

 

I have used masking tape alone but the Cratex cuts right through. Here is a picture of a trophy I built earlier this year for upcoming Lloydfest III.

I apply the duct tape directly but your idea of lining it first with masking tape is clever. The only issue I see is the thickness of the tape will affect the pattern on the edge.

I remove the tape, clean with whatever solvent is at hand and then I run the edge on the buffer lightly to polish it. You will have to be creative working on those spokes and leave out the polish step. I think it is much cooler leaving a border than running the pattern off the sides. This the is the panel turned and cleaned up.

And a close up of that tricky bit at the bottom. As you can see, I like to round off the sharp edge of the panel to create a "softer" feel. I like that about polished metal, the way it feels in your fingers. You can't do that with a chromed surface as it will peel.

This panel was done entirely using 3M masking tape to protect the edge and give me a place to work my pattern. You can see a very slight difference in thickness of the border from side to side. You can also see the "looseness" of my pattern on the right compared to the left, I was stretching the pattern to fill the panel and slightly overdid it. You can measure all you want but engine turning comes down to touch and feel. It is art not just maths. Imperfection is part of the beauty IMO. In the examples above of the vinyl, they are perfect and very nice.

You can see I used a full circle around the boarder, rather than filling the pattern with a half circle which I would have preferred If I was to be picky. For that, the duct tape is the only thing I have experimented with that allows me to set the Cratex down "on the tape" and not tear it up and not be so thick as to prevent the Cratex from hitting the surface. This is just aluminum so a soft Cratex was used.

 

Wrap it in electrical tape, that's the traditional option.

 

Sell that wheel and buy one with the profits that isnt chrome maybe?

 

I've never seen a 4-spoke sprint style that isn't chrome or stainless... Do they exist?