Featured Technical CHROME PLATING AN OIL PAN

Not sure what soap or solvent the hot tank may use but, I would talk to the plater first before introducing yet another chemical. The plater probably has a vapor degreaser that uses a solvent like Perchloroethylene and a hot alkaline soap bath such as sodium Hydroxide. These guys are usually very picky. They have to be or things can go bad in a hurry.

 

Good advice there.

 

I probably don’t really understand this thread, but why not remove the baffle as that appears to be hiding the area of concern, and then weld some mounting studs back in to fit it to before you have it chromed.

 

This ^^^ weld some tabs with nuts welded under.
Re-install the windage tray with ****on head cap screws.

@Bandit Billy instead of chrome plating why don't you get it chrome powder coated [it is pretty slick these days]


In a few years you won't have rust coming through it [chrome is porous]

 

Removing the windage tray isn't going to happen. I was just asking a question based on a conversation with a friend that flash chrome in the inside of the pan (anywhere in the inside of the pan) may be detrimental. Even with the tray removed the flash chrome will still exist It was another post that mentioned oil and contaminates that may be lurking beneath the windage tray that likely prompted your comment

I haven't seen a chrome powder coat in person that remotely comes close to chrome. I hope they make one, but as far I know, they have not. I saw one at SEMA that looks kinda like dull polished aluminum if you stand back, squint and were mildly intoxicated.

 

Nothing to worry about I have lots of Harley junk plated , air cooled , little to no filtering , steel and aluminum . Plating was stuck tighter than white on rice . If done correctly . As far as pits tripe chrome process should fill those pits fully . If you have concerns , TIG / GAS weld the pits and sand . MIG wire is hard and causes lots of heat to sand down .

 

Removing the tray is pretty much mangle the tray or the pan to get it out. It's is 16 gage as the rest of the pan.

 

Will it hold more heat if it’s plated vs paint?

 

That is good news. I never had a pitted item plated, i usually polish everything before dropping it off.

I agree fully. I saw those spot welds in the pan while I was doing some initial sanding. I have found recently that the fewer holes one has in their pan, the fewer the oil leaks.

Buddy that is an age-old question, I have heard it on the HAMB and elsewhere. @Taboo56Chevy has a chrome pan but that isn't a flathead so not an apples to apples comparison. My friend Bob Schoonhoven plated the pan on lil Louie's flathead but that was just a show car, don't know how many miles it ever saw. I don't have any field of reference to answer the question. I would think that whether the pan is coated in primer, base, flake and 3 coats of hardened clear (as it is now) or a single layer of chrome wouldn't make much difference to the temperature of the oil. I haven't measured the capacity of the pan, but this merc rear sump pan looks larger than my 8BA center sump pan. Not a lot bigger but I'd recon another half quart or so. If so, that may even run cooler? Again, not a lot, but definitely an advantage.

I guess I have the opportunity to test the theory. I can warm up the flatty and note the temp on the dash and the direct fit gauge on the water pump with the painted pan and then do the same with the chrome Merc pan. Science is about to happen!

 

I compromised on the pan for my Dual Range Hydro in my Willys. I welded in a strip of sheet metal to double the capacity of the ****** fluid. Since the pan hangs down below the frame raisl (on purpose! Nothing ***ier than a Hydro in a Willys.) it had to look good but I didn't want to polish my welded masterpiece to chrome quality finish, nor trust my gas welding to be pinhole free so I had it silver powder coated. Good look and a coat of oil-proof seam sealer. Best of both worlds.

 

Well, they actually have one now, but it's not without its own issues. I bought a set of OT OEM 20" wheels for my also OT new (to me) truck. These use the same process that Edelbrock uses on their 'chrome' intakes: this consists of a black undercoat, then the 'chrome', with a protective clear over it. Advertised on CL as chrome wheels, looked great in the photos (as chrome powdercoat does) and the price was right. ***ured that they 'looked like new', that's when I made my mistake. These were two hours away, but my GF was in the area so I had her pick them up instead of going personally. I asked her to 'look them over' and if there were any issues to call me. No call...

When I first pulled them out of her car, they had what appeared to be white paint 'mars' all over them, like something with white latex paint had rubbed against them. Upon closer inspection, I realized these were powdercoated, not plated, and were actually mars in the clear coat. The key fact is I had forgotten just how bad her eyesight is... when she reads her Kindle, the letters are 1/2" tall...

These had been mishandled multiple times it appeared. Now, I've tried removing flaws like this on other powdercoated parts (although not clearcoated) with little success but liked the alternatives even less; stripping the coating, then polishing the bare metal (low cost as I have the equipment, but hours of work) or having them re-coated (lots of $$$), so I decided to experiment on an unseen area.

I tried plastic polish first, which worked on the very lightest flaws but didn't touch the heavier ones. Rubbing/polishing compounds were too aggressive; they removed the mars but left a duller finish. Then I remembered a trick from way back in my model-building days. Few of the styrene kits had a true gloss finish on them out of the box, but Simichrome polish would do the trick, so I tried that. A 3" cotton buff in my cordless drill did the trick, removing all of some of them and most of the others. They still don't look new, but I'll consider them 'acceptable' at this point. Took me a bit over an hour per wheel.

Bottom line? While I still like powdercoat as a very durable, nearly chip-proof finish, the fact that it's a plastic coating means that retaining a high gloss over time will be difficult unlike paint or plating. All the 'chrome' coatings I've seen are somewhat fragile, and few will look like actual chrome. This one gets close and at a glance can fool you until you put an actual chrome part next to it. And it will stain if exposed to hot oil, etc.

 

Selective plating is pretty common for obvious reasons. Temporary waxes, lacquers, tape can all be removed later.

 

That was a ton of work! Nicely done tho.

 

That ****s eggs. I hate that Edelbrock finish, its not chrome and its not polished aluminum, it's a 3rd thing and I don't care for it. I had one once, I ended up removing it from the car and selling it as the swap meet. Installed an intake I polished. That's the best look for intakes IMO.

I have had some stuff powder coated in what they call "chrome". It looks ok as long as you don't compare it to actual chrome. I had jack stands done for a Roadster Show display coated, still have them. Durable as hell, not chrome.

 

Yeah, put real chrome next to this and you can easily see the difference. But it does have one huge advantage over real chrome. It's very tough to get chrome into all the nooks and crannies on aluminum wheels and once the plating starts to fail (and it will unless you're extremely diligent about keeping them clean and dry), it will continue to go bad until they look like ****. Which is no doubt why Ford used this process. So this should be near-zero maintenance as well as holding up better with just semi-reasonable care. But absent that comparison, it's tough to tell the difference for most people.

And what the hell, they're for a daily driver, not a show car and look a lot better than the 17" steelies with plastic hubcaps it came with. The truck is a bare-bones model, the only factory shiny on the entire exterior is the small F150 XL letters in the fender vents, these give it a bit of at***ude...

But on a hot rod or custom? No effin way...

 

@Bandit Billy Let the plater deal with those pits. They may use braze rod to fill that big one big pit and the copper plating will fill the smaller ones. They will sand re-plate and buff as needed.

I also have the addiction to chrome and polished metal. Nothing compares to well done chrome.

 

I’m gonna be honest and weigh in here on my biggest concern.

it’s been more than two business days since the this post began and Billy hasn’t got that thing played, polished and bolted back on.


You alright over there??

 

When you are done working over the pan; block it in the upright position and fill it with solvent or thinner and watch for any pinholes or fractures that may show up and leak. Had a 59AB pan that looked perfect until we found seepage the next day after filling it.

 

A great suggestion, I was just trying make things easier on him. I get my parts faster that way.

I had to take the day off form the pan, the rear brake line for my dune buggy was on my doorstep at 11:00 am and it is on, brakes bled. She's getting a bunch of maintenance done so she can go to Rod Run at the beach in a few weeks. I had to replace the M/C, rear hoses and the rear hard line. That's done, back to the pan.

I have to weld in a drain plug repair, I will test it as you suggested after that is done. That is wise council.

 

"It needs a new bung hole."

He said bung hole.

 

And I just sent him one!

 

I don’t want to know.

 

Hey BB;

You feeling ok? Proper recommended daily dosage of Crown? I'm thinking about starting to be concerned - worry is next step... .

"It has been a lifelong commitment. My wife offered to have a casket painted with that chrome paint for me when the time comes, I told her to cremate me and use a polished aluminum overflow bottle I have in the garage. Live shiny, die shiny.".

WTF? *Only* polished aluminum??? What happened to the "lifelong commitment" to Chrome? Was figuring on at least *chrome* plated aluminum, if not a whole actual-chromed casket: 1st of its' kind, a one-off, probably trimmed in candy-something, & pinstriped w/flake... Then there'd be the interior... , but I digress... .
Marcus...

 

Heh heh, yes I did

And yes you did! Thanks again for the pan!

I’m taking my dosage daily as prescribed. In truth I told Mrs BB to not spend 10 cents on my funeral. BYOB party, stuck me in the recycling can and roll it down to the curb, don’t send the cars to BJ, give my tools and guns to my kids. Donate my golf gear to science. Spend money on me while I’m alive, not when I’m dead.

 

^^^
Well, there is that... .

Yah know, though... iffen you do the CHROMED (mini)garbage can, You could have her "prop it up by the jukebox(when I die!)" --- have parties & make folks put *their* quarters in the jukebox(for the mrsBB), etc, charge for rides in the blown(unmuffled) flattie roadster, etc/et-al. Oh & shots of Crown *cost them*... .

Who said death-planning has to be dull??? .

&, I suppose, you could order a (last)ride thru the blower at wot, & have the exhaust particles caught, & that then put into the Chromed mini-can. Yahwell, what the hell, why not, indeed??? Be a most-interesting Celebration-of-Life ever seen. Have heard of one fellows' ashes going thru a blown Fuel hemi, & another getting unfurled at 200+ at strip & anothers' at Bonneville, but no-one has been saved for posterity - yet. . Nothing like setting a Trend... .


"In truth I told Mrs BB to not spend 10 cents on my funeral".
Point sorta being, you both can spend some $$$ now, & make something damned-impressive(the way you want it), create a little shrine-to-be ( ), that could be enjoyed(good for laughs by all...) for a good loooong while. I hope... .

Marcus...

 

Put a bung in the pan below the oil level and run an oil temp gauge. Temp should run about ten degrees less than coolant temp.

 

Wouldn't it be a lot easier to use the IR laser and take a reading now and then with the chrome pan installed and engine at temp? After that, I'm not sure I care.

 

You're probably right. Back when I was racing, nobody said, "I wonder if I could take Ming the Merciless' death ray and use it for temp readings". Mechanical gauges told us what we wanted to know.

 

Former electroplater here and yes, there is a type of coating that is used to coat surfaces that you don't want plated called MICCROSTOP. It's a type of lacquer that dries fast, stays on throughout the plating process and easily removed afterward, usually by peeling it off. Used on bearing surfaces and the like. Easy to apply and easy to remove.

 

killer 'insider' knowledge!