Call Odgen chrome, they pay shipping both ways and did a great job on mine. call them and talk about the job
I'll throw up this old pic as well. Get some good buffing compound and some old terry type rags and polish on that chrome for a while, see what you get. Might not be great but it'll be better than paint. Avoid using steel wool unless it's an absolute last resort.
Good plating is all about hours spent in prep. The older and more pitted the pieces are, the prep time goes up dramatically. A badly prepped job looks like you know what, and still costs you an arm and a leg. Pitted pot metal is a ***** to repair, and can't be guaranteed not to break out again. Unless your ride is a shiny high buck one, I would run what you've got and look out for better pieces as you drive it.......there, saved a fortune.
It seems to me the longest shot of all is to expect to ever find a Chrysler of this era with good chrome still on it, much less for sale. I had a very nice '53 New Yorker Coupe in 1964, a California dry climate car, and the chrome on the potmetal parts was going bad back then. Ray
i nver thought to tell you,if you have parts that can be separated.soak in clr,use scrub padsnot sos,you will be astounded.
I am saving a 53 desoto 8-p***enger limousine currently and ALL of my chromed stuff was super pitted and my car is black so I bead blasted it all and is getting powder coated a black/silver vein sold by Eastwood. Saves the parts from any more currosion, hides the pits real well and looks cool at the same time!
I have a local plater who doesn't mind working with me (I don't know about how he is with other builders, though) If I have a marginal part, I might take a chance and have him strip it, polish and copper it. If there isn't a lot of filling needed, or if the part is VERY hard to get, I'll take the part, and fill each pit with some solder. File it, sand it and then get it coppered again. If it looks OK, then just block sand it out. If it need filling, do it and copper again. For example I'm doing a cut and rewelded Caddy bumper for my Chevy. Each copper strike is 150$. I'll keep at it til it's perfect. You can save quite a bit if you find a plater to work with...I think most nowadays, don't have a good finisher "in house". Only the expensive guys do!
With the pitting that bad on pot metal parts there is a high possibility for the chrome to bubble. Be sure to get references for "pot metal" work, not steel, at it is a different ball game.
Chrome powder coating is not a good way to go, it will look way different than the other stuff. I say leave it ruff and get it restored piece by piece as $ allow. My 2 cents, chrome powder coating is great for some parts such as undercarriage etc. but just doesn't match up with factory trim. This is experience talking! Good Luck, that is a super cool ride to own, Congrats ~sololobo~
My parents had a 52 Merc from the time it was about a year old up until 63 when they got a new Ford. I can remember washing the Merc in the early 60's and all the pot metal parts in particular had freckles all over them then. No salt or other chemicals used on the roads here back then. Have to think it was just poor chrome right from the start as others have said.
I agree! Both chrome and gold powder coating never turn out how you want them. And on top of not getting the results you want, powder coat is ALOT harder to get off! My father is a powder coater
I only use Advanced Plating now after trying many other companies through the years. I'm a firm believer in you get what you pay for and this couldn't be more true than in the chrome plating arena. 1425 Cowan Court, Nashville, TN 37207 (615) 227-6900 Actually I did a piece or two every winter on my '47 Olds convertible for many, many years, till it was all done. Many of the pieces on my car are pot metal including the grill. The side spears were so bad they had chucks out of them. Advanced Plating in Nashville not only fixed the pieces in house BUT their work is guaranteed for life. I could not be more happy with how everything still looks after all these years.
Hadn't seen that the conversation went on - thanks for chiming in, everyone! I feel lucky to have original paint in great shape, and the original interior looks practically untouched. So I certainly won't let a little pitted chrome ruin the fun.
Hadn't seen that the conversation went on - thanks for chiming in, everyone! I feel lucky to have original paint in great shape, and the original interior looks practically untouched. So I certainly won't let a little pitted chrome ruin the fun.
No good chrome work is cheap. It is very labor intensive and the EPA is choking the life out of chrome shops in the US. Many have moved right over the border to Mexico or simply truck their parts across the border and have them done to cir***vent US law. I had the parts done for a 63 Comet five years ago for 1600.00. It is a tough call on how much to spend on a car. Be thankful you don't have a 58 Buick or 59 Cadillac. I have heard of some chrome bills being over 25,000 for those cars.
The Jalopy Journal
