Chrome - What will we do when it's gone?

I work in the environmental consulting business. The EPA (or state equivalent) definitely has a hand in it, however, if the shops were not spilling, mishandling or outright dumping the stuff on the ground, it might be safe to say that the regs/EPA might be less harsh today. I've seen some sites that just dumped it straight on the ground as late as the 80's - that's the only way this one site could have been that contaminated in only ten years.

Hex chrome is bad stuff - you wish 1ppm - try fractions of that concentration.

 

I just got the grille parts and tail light housings for my '51 Cadillac plated, about 13 pieces in all. It was just over $1400 total - the potmetal pieces were VERY expensive. Everyone I've spoken to who's had chrome work done recently told me I got a good deal. Anyone else I tell who hasn't had anything plated recently can't beileive how much it costs.

I'd planned on getting the bimpers done as well, but they're gonna have to wait til next year, cuz now I'm flat broke.

 

<meta http-equiv="CONTENT-TYPE" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><title></title><meta name="GENERATOR" content="OpenOffice.org 2.0 (Linux)"><meta name="AUTHOR" content="David"><meta name="CREATED" content="20080210;23104700"><meta name="CHANGED" content="16010101;0"><style type="text/css"><!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --> </style> Chrome plating isn't going anywhere. Hot rodders have far less than a .1&#37; market share in the electroplating business. Electroplating, including chrome plating is a huge part of the manufacturing complex. Every hydraulic cylinder, every shopping cart, bolts, nuts, machine parts, handles, industrial parts, look around, there is chrome plating everywhere.


Custom automotive chroming was never cheap, in much the same way hot rodding has never been cheap.


The money is in the labor; and the fact is, no one wants to plate rusty old car parts for a small time customer without an account who is far too cheap and picky. Not when he can put in a bid on plating 100 hydraulic rams and make 10 times the profit.


The EPA has little if anything to do with the price of custom automotive chroming. David

 

pffft.

Chrome will be the least of our worries when the oil runs out.

Seriously though..."Chrome don't getcha home".

 

Nope, sure doesn't....neither does painted bumpers/grills BUT chromed ones sure make your car look nicer when your pushing it.

No way in hell you can even compare which looks better/more complete. I'd eat ramin noodles or mac and cheese evey night for dinner till I saved up enough money to chrome my grill and bumper if I had to.

 

Chrome - What will we do when it's gone?

One things for sure,,I'll have more money to to put in my car. HRP

 

I second that motion.........Amen

 

I've got a Cadillac, dude. It has to be there, or the car won't run! LOL!

~Jason

 

I cried about some headlight rings a while back, 1953 caddy-pot metal.
I was qouted $500 EACH from one well know shop and said forget it.
I found a shop to do them for $180 for the pair, YES!
well 4 months and 5 re-plates later they still look like crap.
moral of the story, you get what you pay for.

 

The chrome looks better in the second pic. No arguement there.

Is one version "better" than the other? My guess is that you've had just as much fun with both versions. You've probably gotten just as many comments with both versions..... You've driven the wheels off of BOTH versions, so you've got no arguement from me....and you definitely value fine looking things.....and again, that's a good thing and you've got no arguement from me there. I like both versions for different reasons.

But if you'd never chromed that front bumper and grill....if you'd driven "Big Olds" looking ratty FOREVER and never changed a thing. I'd respect YOU just the same. 'Cause lets face it, your enthusiasm rules no matter what you'd drive.



(However, here are some drama stirring thoughts on the first version)

In the first version, it's got that PUNK ROCK attitude that used to be present on the HAMB before everyone started sneering at "Rat Rods" and finishing their cars and entering into the mellow afterlife of goldchainerdom.

haha. Delete that, I'll re-write it.

 

Hahahaha. True true.

 

Tingler, sweetheart, we're not talking about respect or fun. Chroming stuff isn't about respect for the owner of the car, or how much fun a car is, it's about what looks best for the car. I never planned on NOT chroming the parts that needed it and the only reason it took so long to do anything was because of money.

And no, no one ever commented on any positive aspects of the grill and bumper in it's before state, well except for a few that have tried to buy the grill from me....like I'd sell it. BUT many, many folks have commented on how nice it looks now and about the great plating job.

There are some cars that just scream to be finished, completed, and in my opinion Big Olds was one of them. As expensive as it was, I know I will not lose any money on the process in the long run.

For someone who changes cars as often as they change their panties, spending money on chroming might not be a wise decision but if a car has nice paint, interior, etc, shouldn't the chrome suit the whole package.

 

....and that response cannot be argued with. What looks best always trumps everything else. As an artist, there is NO way I could disagree.


edit: but is it too late to jack up Big Olds and paint flames down the sides and put some fenderwell headers on it? That would look best in my mind. hahahaha. (just gotta stir the pot you know).

 

I think you tried that and I've got the artist rendering proof on my wall that it's not the best look for Big Olds. xoxox

 

If you spend big bucks rechroming stuff then you worry all the time about keeping it clean.

I don't need more worries.

 

There are underground chrome shops and more will happen.
The biggest problem is finding them. Everyone who uses these is afraid to share the location and contact info. If that happens, sooner or later it will get into the wrong hands and (poof) they will be gone.

 

How is this an "alternative"? It looks like they chrome stuff.

 

There's always a BIG difference in opinions here, between the Hotrod guys, and the Kustom guys. Hotrodders could care less about chrome, while for most Kustom guys, the appearance of the car should be paramount, so good looking chrome is always your goal.
Now, I can see a point where some things in the car chrome parts business may change. Example: I see a permanent NEED for plating, chrome, copper, nickel, and other, if not in our hobby, but for industrail purposes. Manufacturing, too. Forming steel is easy, and cheap, but you will always have to protect it, make it look nice, to sell it. paint is not always durable enough.
OK, now, I go back about 25 years ago, to a guy I knew, who was divorced. He took a low paying job, so alimony payments were lower. To suppliment his income, he made contacts, and went to bodyshops, custom shops (including my old boss') and motorcycle shops. He would pick up parts to be chromed, and then went to a small industrial plating shop, where he would plate the parts at night, or if there was a big job, pay the shop for the actual plating. I assumed he did the prep and polishing of the parts a t home. He did VERY well for himself, and helped up car builders by giving us show chrome at a discount price.
I can see more of this happening, as small chrome shops go under, due to regs, or just as more enterprising individuals can supply a need (nice chrome for less than premium prices).

 

Denise, you are doing it wrong.

 

No chrome shop owner ever had an ugly daughter.