Technical Chroming engine parts

Got a couple questions on plating engine parts like a head,waterpump, or any other cast part on engine.When it comes to the head,I****ume the mating surface will have to be milled again to get the plating off? A waterpump Iam thinking the plating will get down in where the bearing surface is and that would need work to get back together??.Things like threaded holes and the like to.
Powdercoating would do the same thing too? I have retapped holes after powdercoating but nothing with a gasket surface.Mostly interested in the chrome issue here.Thanks

 

When you chrome plate a head or any other engine part that is designed to dissipate
heat, the chrome plating reduces the amount of heat dissipated and heat loss is reduced.

 

Didnt think of that angle.Water pump it might not matter but head would.Thanks

 

Holes and such can be masked with plugs, What type of engine is this for, might already be available

 

I'm going to definitely do a set of heads for my motor. The process I'm thinking is polish it out, Chrome, then surface, valves, etc... then a careful dressing in areas to make sure nothing flakes off, then****emble..

 

I've heard two sides of the "chrome plating will make it run hot" argument, and tend to agree with the side that says it doesn't make much of a difference on a liquid-cooled engine. I've also heard that smoothing the casting and removing all the roughness left by sand casting which reduces the area exposed to air will make more of a difference. So it may well be that, since most folks will smooth a casting before plating it, is more likely the basis on which the "run hotter" theory is based. Anybody have before/after experience in how hot an engine runs based on just plating the head(s)?

 

The engine in question is a 47 Olds 238 flat six.Valve location isnt an issue but I wonder if combustion area would need cleaning out also? The main plan is to work with what I have and add my own touches.The head may not be a good idier to do and maybe just use polished bolts.The look I want is black,chrome and polished brass fittings,original finish fuel pump and carb,stainless gas and vacumm lines.Clean and simple on this car

Would like to see any pics of similar please

 

I would mask off the entire engine / block interface side of the head. Plus, you won't get good coverage in and around the spark plug holes, and that is where it would likely start flaking from. You don't want the possibility of chrome flaking off and running through the engine. Chrome plating is extremely hard (65 to 80 Rockwell C), and even little flakes will tear up rings, bearings, and valve seats in short order.

 

I was going to say "You can get some aluminum heads for the price that a Chromer would want". Then we learn that you have a '46 Olds.... lots of luck finding an alum head for that. If you found a shop that would do a show chrome job,...you probably couldn't afford it. They might straight plate it with no polishing, that would give it a shiney industrial look. It it's not cleaned & prepped properly you can have peeling problems. Electroless nickel is a neat finish, if somebody in your area does it. Here again cleaning & prep is important, no plater wants to put your dirty old corroded part in their plating tank. How about ceramic coating? Looks good like polished aluminum and holds up good to the heat, but powder coat will hold up good too. Pick a color.

 

Keep the idiers coming please and Thanks

 

FrozenMerc has the right idea; mask off the block/head gasket side, and put some plastic plugs in all the spark plug holes. Note that this doesn't have to be liquid tight, just something to block the plating process; ask the plater what will work. If the head is real scuzzy inside, the plater may balk but usually an acid dip will clean that out.

 

Worked in an aircraft overhaul shop for some years. We chromed lots of parts including landing gear pistons and cylinder bores on radial engines. hard chrome not show chrome. But anyway. Those areas you don't want chrome on you mask. We dipped the parts in wax and then removed the wax from the areas we wanted chromed. Never plate the whole head and then think you are going to remove the chrome from the combustion chamber. try removing chrome from a bumper.

 

What is most expensive in a chrome job is the polishing, if you do it you're saving big bucks, also don't forget that a chrome platter doesn't know what your part is and what will show, he might polish parts that don't need to and it adds up to the cost or he might destroy your part by polishing something that absolutely don't need polishing.
Chrome is kind of lazy so if there are holes that need chrome the platter needs to stick an electrode in there to be sure it will be covered properly, otherwise it will start peeling off from those areas.
Clear and good communication with the platter is paramount.
Like the others are saying, mask off the areas you don't want chrome on.