Looking for recommendations on chrome platers in Wisconsin/Illinois/Iowa area. Have some bumpers and other parts to do for a project and looking for input on who others have used and their experiences. If there is a thread somewhere else on the HAMB about this, please point me there!
Custom Plating Spe******ts in Brillion, Wi is really good at fixing really rough pot metal stuff. They're not cheap, but nobody is who does good work anymore. I worked there 20+ years ago. All of their full length bumpers go to Northstar/Keystone in Minnesota though. I've had bumpers done at Northstar and they've always been amazing quality. There's another place in Appleton that I think is just called the Chrome Shop and I've known people who've brought stuff there and had good things to say but I don't have any personal experience with them.
I was going to mention NorthStar for the bumpers, at least. So I'll 2nd squablows' mention. IIRC, O'Reillys is connected w/NorthStar, so's you could drop off your bumpers there, they get trucked to NS, then sent back. Saving a lot of freight cost. Check w/NS 1st. I've seen their work at the Btt50's, looks nice. They also repair bumpers if needed. Sadly, the cost has gone up. A few yrs ago, it was ~$435 to do a bumper, now more than double. Ouch... ;( . They used to have a "show spl" price, that was good for a short time after the Btt50's, helped, but still... I'd use them when needed. There's another chromer from Forest Lake(? . Don't have his card handy) but the display items(incl potmetal ornaments) looked real nice... Marcus...
So my project is a '57 Chevy, nothing special, and recently stopped at LKQ in Dubuque (IA) who I think also works with Keystone/NorthStar? (LKQ was going to have to ship the bumper to whoever did it for them.) Anyway, the 57 work must be common enough that it was on their price list and they quoted approx $1800 to do the front bumper. That prompted my question here on the HAMB.
I have a '57 Chevy also, and my advice is that almost anything you need for your car, you're better off to just buy it new. Every chrome piece is reproduced in very good quality (as long as you're getting it from the right sources) and those new pieces are always cheaper than having originals rechromed. There are a handful of stainless bits that aren't reproduced and would be worth having a pro go over, and if you're doing something custom that wasn't originally chrome plated, that would be another reason to have it done. But bumpers and tail lights and stuff like that, you're better off just to buy the new ones. All of the new pieces I've ever gotten from Danchuk or one of their retail partners has been excellent quality and way cheaper than having it redone.
Brand new 5 piece 57 bumper for about $700 for example (more like $800 if you need it shipped) but still, that's $1000 cheaper than having your originals redone, and the quality that I've seen has been excellent.
Good point on the availability of 57 parts and prices. As long as the new items are decently made and plated and will hold up, that's the direction to go in. Thanks for the advice.
I can strongly recommend The Chrome Shop. They are in Menasha, WI. Had a lot of chrome done for my 53 Pontiac Chieftain convertible and it was excellent. Nicest guys I ever met too. It was all done back in about 2010. Right about the time precious metals started going up for the 1st time. I told them if they did bumpers I'd be in Heaven but they don't. Reason I said that is because I got my bumpers for the same car done at Northstar. I sent them through a company that is no longer in business. It was Fond du Lac Bumper Exchange. I paid for concours chrome and what I got was street chrome with stains all over the chrome that looked like coffee. They offered me a free bottle of chrome polish and asked if I'd mind trying to polish the stains out myself. NO. So they polished it up and asked if I'd accept it. I did but I never used Fondy Bumper Exchange again and I have a hard time convincing myself to ever send anything to Northstar again. There was a Buick GS bumper sitting there with all the flaws circled too. And they were nibs that would actually catch cloth if I remember right. Others might have had great luck.
I have had my bumpers, complete grill and several other parts re-chromed by "The Chrome Shop" in Rock Island, Il. almost ten years ago with great results. I have also had them straighten and polish some stainless steel to show quality. I would highly recommend them to anyone.
Custom Metal Finshing of Indiana is the family of ChromePlaterJosh here on the HAMB. Excellent quality and wonderful folks. 765-478-9990. -Abone.
I have used the Chrome Shop in Menasha WI. For 20 years, and highly recommend them. (Although they have change ownership in the last year or so, but the new owner is Motion Products, a internationally renowned Ferrari restoration shop that produces top tier restorations, so I would expect the quality will continue) I have also used North Star Plating, they did the bumpers on my avatar, they turned out perfect, you could shave in the reflection.
AIH in Dubuque is hands-down one of the absolute best in the country. With that comes a higher price tag. If your bumpers are stock, what about Bumper Boyz? They go to the Jefferson Swap Meet, Iola, and Back to the 50's in St Paul.
Bumper Boyz are a complete hit or miss, I know a few people have gotten bumpers from them and been OK but what I've seen is terrible quality and very dependent on how good the core was that they redid (they don't redo your core, they take your core and give you one done. If it was rough when they started, it'll be **** when it's done). There's no way the (not that) discounted price they give is worth the chance of getting **** quality work, especially when you can buy new '57 Chevy bumpers for less than what they would likely charge that are sure to be excellent. I would avoid them at all costs.
If you get one from the Boyz at a show, un wrap it and check it over carefully. I have seen some with the chrome peeling from the back side when un wrapped. And never give them a core to have them plate it. You will loose a good core and maybe your money.
The place I used to chrome plate all the difficult parts on my Mysterion reproduction is amazing. Not only did they do a super job on hard to plate carburetors, deep headlight doors, their prices were a fraction of all the other shops I contacted.
Uh oh. I wasn't aware of the poor quality issues. I haven't looked at Bumper Boyz since I was last in the market for a bumper and that was 10-15 years ago. I stand corrected.
Northstar did the bumpers on my 57 Ford 20 years ago and they still look as good now as they did then. The Chrome Shop in Rock Island did some pieces for my 32 about 5 years ago. They were reasonable on the price and the quality was what I was expecting. I would recommend both shops.
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