Just got my bumpers and a few other items back from the chromer. I'd heard all the horror stories about backed up chrome shops that would tell customers 'parts will be ready in 3 weeks' and 6 months to a year later they're still in the shop! So, I was prepared when they told me 'parts will be ready in 4-6 weeks'. I figured, sometime around summer I may get them back. Imagine my surprise when they called me 23 days later and told me 'everything is done, come and get your parts'! I've gone over every part thoroughly and everything is near perfect! Very nice job. Can't complain on the price either. $425 per bumper. I guess they make their money on the smaller parts 'cause they were a bit more than I expected but overall......I'm quite pleased! For the SF Bay Area, I have to recommend www.atbumpers.com BTW, I called Sherm's in Sacramento and they don't even chrome bumpers anymore!
Good to know. Hard to find a good chrome shop anymore...hell it's hard just to find a chrome shop period.
I am lucky in my part of the woods. LeBrandi's shop is 15 minutes away. Top quality work, but not cheap .
I’ll go out on a limb saying it would be tough to get a 23 day turn around from SF to Mexico and back.
Those look good as new. A long journey to make for me, but I need chrome doing. How bad were the parts when you sent them, though? Mine have the usual pits and dinks from 70 years of rain and general abuse. Phil
Yup. I agree. When you put a border crossing in the mix, two-ways, you add a significant delay. When I am next out that way, I will see if they are all in-house for the plating, or if some/all of it goes else where.
Thank you for letting us know. Very helpful for a chrome newbie like me (as in, all my chrome to date has just been polished and cleaned and, uh, it'll have to do) to get a bit of an idea as to the piecemeal cost of getting it done. My brightwork isn't quite as bad as yours was in terms of where the nickel/copper had come off to leave just steel below, I honestly thought you started with something better given the final result which is really nice. Phil
They have a small shop in Hayward where they do business but they own their chroming facility which is outside of Fresno where they actually do the plating. I surmise this is because the Fresno facility is outside the Bay Area Air Quality Management District meaning way fewer regulations. $200 for the hood ornament, $200 for each backup light, $85 for each bumper guard and the grille wing they did for free. Everythng was rusted and pitted but no dents. The car had sat in a farmers field for 20 years before I got it. Here's a pic of the front bumper. The rest was pretty much in the same condition.
I'm seriously considering an unorthodox alternative: I'm looking into getting the bumpers for my 39 Chevy chrome vinyl wrapped to save some $$ I saw a car this fall with chrome wrap on parts of the body - and it was pretty convincing (unless there's cars with chromed roofs that I don't know of) Something to consider for simpler parts for the short term????
I was considering the same thing but dang..........the small pieces look so good, I'm glad I bit the bullet and had them plated!
It's been a number of years, but I've had several sets of bumpers done at North Star Plating in Brainerd, MN and the results were excellent. They are affiliated with LKQ; I *think* you can drop off bumpers at any local LKQ facility to get them shipped to Minnesota but I'm not sure about that. https://www.northstarplating.com
Glad to know you got them back quick and at a “reasonable” price. I have tried to avoid getting anything chromed for several years ever since the price went through the roof and most places shut down once the EPA jumped in the middle of it all...
wow! Cheap, & on time. I sent some pieces in to be chromed in early December, & i'm fine with the three month wait i was told, because there is not much to do here until march anyway. But, a pair of split bones, drop axle, rear 40 ford axle bells, & backing plates is $3000
Price on my 50 Ford bumpers was quoted to be $600 per two years ago. I should have jumped on it. Last year the same shop quoted $800 and by last Fall same shop was $1,200 per. Shoebox Central was quoting them at $600 per with exchange but they told me they haven't had enough bumpers to justify sending them off to CA for quite a while now and didn't anticipate having them in the future.
I'm far from the finished stage on my car but, I wanted to get the chrome taken care of while I still can. I'm sure prices will increase due to our current inflation but the big factor for me was when I read this article. https://www.hemmings.com/stories/20...aily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2021-05-04 Basically, the powers that be are trying to pass a law here in California that would ban hexavalent chromium from the state and replace it with trivalent chromium (which looks nothing like the chrome we're all used too)! And, for those in other parts of the country, you know what they say..............'as goes California, so goes the rest of the nation'!
That is who did the bumpers for my 49 Buick. $1,200 each, and their prices went up 80% after that in Feb 2021, so much more now.
Those bumpers look beautiful. Thanks for the link to this place, their prices seem very fair. Chrome is obviously expensive but its one of those things where there is such an immediate reward when you see the shiny parts that it seems like it hurts less hahaha
I'm kind of shocked (but happy for you) to hear that Auto Truck and Bumper stepped up! The quality, price and timing is pretty amazing. I had them do some interior garnish molding for me about 10 years ago and the chrome was bad, on top of them losing small pieces. Like you I contacted Sherm's only to be told they're not taking any bumper work now, so I'm looking for a reliable plater to do my rear bumper and two bumper guards. I've also used Classic Chrome in Sacramento who did my front bumper. They're also backed up or short staffed and meantime my bumper developed a blister— which bugs the hell out of me. Through the search here I found a shop called The Best Chrome in San Martin— anyone have a recent experience with them? Or do I roll the dice with Auto Truck and Bumper again...
I need to get the front bumper on my Falcon re-done, after I get the bend out of it. Not sure where I am going to head for it.
There work was very good,but my last bumper I made for the rear of my Model was 700.00,just 2 blades and bolts.
Thanks for the feedback. I guess it's like the saying goes: good chrome isn't cheap and cheap chrome isn't good. This is the last piece I need chrome plated, the rest of my trim will need polishing, so I want this done right!
I'd let them do the bumpers on my '53 in a heartbeat for those prices. But i'm betting the shipping there and back would negate the savings.
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