Im in need of a company that can chrome a car frame. Anybody know of someone out there? I will also want the frontend and rear end done as well as some small parts.
A whole frame? Wow, I guess we just figured out who won the $220,000,000 lottery the other night! LOL My buddy is into low-riders and had his rear end done somewhere. They did a nice job but I thought he said he sent it to MEXICO? I'll see if I can track him down and found out some info.
Didn't Advanced Plating have a whole car pretty much plated a little while ago? http://advancedplating.com/index.html Can't even imaging what chroming a frame would cost. Deep pockets
Jim, correct me if I'm wrong, but I have been told not to chrome suspension and frames as it hardens the part and can cause them to fail.
You are correct. But my frame is way over built. Im not afraid of it failing. As for money, Im gonna put it on the card and pay for the rest of my life.
Jim, I commented on your other thread about Advanced plating. I think he stopped production and put some of his tanks together in order to do this. I was standing around at a car show and heard that conversation.
Many years ago, my cousin worked for a company that made trampolines. He built a Plymouth coupe and bobbed the frame just short enough to fit their chrome tank. Looked impressive. The trouble is that the EPA has driven all these types of companys to Mexico.
Im up for whatever. If I can get a super shiney powdercoat I will do that. It is just that frame has a ton of holes in it and i cant see getting a good finish inside of it w/out some kind of dip or powder coated finish.
Hi Jim - long time no speak. Maybe American PVD Coatings in Downey, CA can help with the powder coating/vacuum metalizing (Endurashine in Edelbrock speak). They were the first to do it. They call it Americhrome.... http://www.americanpvd.com/pvd_coating
Shot in the dark Sib, however PM Metalman, years (and years) ago I was at his shop and saw a show truck low rider with a chromed frame....I'm not sure if he coordinated that part of the build or not however he may know who did the work....all thats left after that is figuring out if they still do that sort of thing or are even in business anymore....
Nissen Trampoline Co later to become Universal Gym Equipment. I was the lead plater there in the 80's and helped your cousin Jim plate that frame. Our tanks were around 4-ft wide X 12-ft long X 6-ft deep and were the biggest plating tanks west of the Mississippi River for a long time. And the employees could plate their stuff fro free! Sadly the place is long gone. And it was not the EPA that done it in but greed of the corporate owners.
Gee Cory, thanks for letting the "I worked on lowriders" secret out. Past life Yes, I was involved with that chrome frame but we built it to bolt together, nothing was bigger then 4'x5' when it was dissasembled so it could fit in the tanks. The chrome shop doing the job is long gone as well.
There’s a place in Fresno that does big rig stuff ….. they can do it. They did a frame for my old boss.
Just beware that all of those holes, the insides of the frame rails and other little nooks and crannies will not take the chrome very well unless there is a lot of detail polishing and special fixture built to "draw" the chrome into all of these problem areas. I have a feeling that a good, show quality chrome job on a car frame will go well into the 5 figure range. I mean, people are getting 15-1800 bucks to do a bumper!!!
Valley Chrome, they have been sold to a bumper company dont know if they still do outside work. But they do have the equipment to do big jobs.
The very nature of electroplating dictates that there will be little to zero plating on the inside walls of the frame, even with auxiliary anodes. Electricity takes the path of least resistance, therefore, the outer edges and points get the thickest plating, whereas the inside and covered areas get the thinnest plating, (the reason bumpers rust out from the backsides.) The only way I know of to get a metallic plating to fill the insides as much as the outsides is electroless nickel. I highly doubt anyone is set up for that and willing to run a frame through it. The pics of entire cars "chromed," it is not chrome at all. It is silver nitrate with a clear coat over it. It is not nearly as durable as actual chromium, but is neat for what it is. I certainly do not have tanks large enough to accomodate a frame. It would be very expensive to setup for a very small need overall. Most likely a specialty plater would be needed, like the trampoline place mentioned earlier. There is still a lot of plating going on within our own borders.
Wow, that truck is crazy lookin' with the chrome paint. Definitely cheaper then plating, but I reckon' cheaper doesn't necessarily mean cheap. That's pretty neat though.
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