Has anyone used or taken a good look at these repop aluminum Desoto grills? Are they worth it? Do they look good?
If they are aluminum, they CAN be chromed. I can prove it. Even if they are plastic/fibergl***, there are plastic platers that should be able to do it up.
Hey Josh, Does Chrome adhere differently to aluminum than it does to steel? I would hate to go with the aluminum ones and have them start peeling in a few years.
Plating aluminum requires a pretreatment that other metals don't need. We put an electroless zincate on the bare aluminum before copper striking. It prevents the microscopic oxide layer form forming during the few seconds it takes to go between different tanks. Sounds ridiculous, but it really makes the plating stick. It makes it take longer to plate aluminum than other metals too, due to more steps.
Bill, I called Sledsville in CA about their cast aluminum Desoto teeth and they told me they can't chrome plate them in CA because of the strict EPA rules. Please explain about why you couldn't get your's chromed. Was it due to the quality, porosity of the aluminum casting or that you weren't able to find a plater who would tackle the job? I also wonder if the chrome would not peel and be the same "show quality" obtainable with steel. Thanks, 19Fordy (Jim)
I just bought a 51-52 9 tooth Aluminum repop grill off the HAMB here from a guy who bought it off the guy that sells them on EBAY ( Confused yet?). I have a set of original Desoto turnsignals to put in them. They come in a rough cast finish. I was planning on polishing them to a high shine and sealing them. I got them for a great deal that I couldn't p*** up.
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