Hot Rods Does a Hot Rod absolutely have to have chrome ?

Chrome looks great. Powder coat pretending to be chrome...eh....not so much.

Or just make it go fast. Like Stroker McGurk said...

 

Powder coat will melt with heat

 

I am not a huge fan of chrome either, not so much for the cost, but upkeep. I like the headlights and bar to be bright , maybe the front shocks and a nice set of ford caps and that would set off any paint you put on.

 

I like chrome and polished stainless. My Ford has a lot of stainless pieces which I've managed to dig up the whole set, so it will gleam. I have enough spare pot metal parts that slowly I can send them out to be refinished.

On older cars, I like chrome too, but can see how it gets expensive very quickly. I can see it as an accent piece like jewelry on a pretty lady, nice earrings, chains, etc.

 

That is be true but the shop I talked to in Portland, Ore can only due nickel plating due to environmental regs they told me.

 

But you will notice on this pic that Blacky's Pompadour is way more important then his chrome.




My excuse for the lack of chrome has always ben that chrome ways more than paint. The real truth is that lack of cash has always been the real reason that most of my stuff has little or no chrome.

I have managed to get way with little bits of chrome over the years, maybe it comes in the form of nuts n bolts, or headlights or shifter or gauge bezels. One can actually end up with too much chrome as easily as too little, anything needs to be tastefully done.

 

My headers on the wagon are powder coated and I haven't seen any indication of melting. HRP

 

It doesn't cost that much to ceramic coat headers if melting is a concern. As long as you are not timed too slow or running too lean it shouldn't be a problem anyway but there is always ceramic coat.

 

Specialty Plating in Mt. Vernon, Washington does all our chrome plating and polishing. We mail the long parts in a mailing tubes. Get your headers Cerakoted but don't use the chromex product it is only good to 1300 degree's. They have high heat colors in the new glacier products that are good I think to over 2000 degrees. I use G H Coatings to do my stuff but go to the Cerakote web site and they will have a list of their certified coaters so you can find one closer to you.

 

Prime example of a time when chrome was affordable. HRP

 

Any feedback on what a set of headers costs to ceramic coat. I've never priced it. Who are the go to companies?

 

will not improve speed

 

Blacky may very well have gotten that dipping done at the Mare island Naval Ship yard for little of nothing. He lived close enough and all it took was to know someone who worked there.

Chrome has never been cheap, yes cheap by todays standards but not cheap if you didn't make lots of money. I can still remember hot rod and bike magazines publishing build costs and lots of cars and bikes costing in the 5-7K range to build, but to me that was the national war debt or might as well have been.

it runs in the 80-125 dollar range around here.

 

Thanks for all the input guys, keep going.
As far as a royalty goes Rusty, the check is in the mail
It was suggested that I take a look at Alsa.
So ,I took a look and while a lot of the products they make don't interest me I was intrigued by their Powda Chrome powder coating product.
http://alsacorp.com/powda-chrome-and-equipment/
I think I will order a quantity of powder and give it a shot on a few small test parts.

I have no illusions on it's ability to exactly imitate chrome however a nice shiny silver would look real nice in contrast to the blue.
That example of powder coat that Cretin posted is pretty impressive, I hope he can provide details.
Larry.

 

To get any surface to look like it has shine the underlying part will have to be absolutely flawless before applying the powder just like chrome plating.

 

I like the powder coat idea. Chrome is for customs.

 

I tried the ceramic coating on my axle but didn't polish it before hand...it's "interesting" but I'm still not sure if I like it or not.
I like some chrome/polished stainless accent pieces on the suspension on my car. I have polished shackles, perches, nuts and bolts.

 

Here's my 27 T sedan with powdercoat and very little chrome{front shocks}.http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/pic-request-tudor-ts.148532/page-3

 

If you do choose to powdercoat it helps to do other things than just the steering/suspension.I also did the valve covers and intake manifold.I get a lot of positive comments on the powdercoat.

 

need as least a little chrome - maybe trans pan or oil pan for roadkill to see.

 

They used to say ' if it won't go, chrome it' in other words real hot rods did not have chrome. Posers customs and show cars had chrome.

If you still want chrome and why shouldn't you, look in to home chrome kits like Caswell and others. Most of the cost of chrome is prep and polishing. You can do a lot of parts at home at low cost. Nothing as big as a bumper or grille shell but anything that will fit in the kitchen sink will fit in a home chrome bath.There are hundreds of small parts on a hot rod that can be done this way.

 

HRP
I know there are more than one process that fall under the category of "powder coating".
I think your headers have been done in what is called "thermal barrier coating".
A lot of times people say ceramic coated, I'm not totally sure all these terms are one and the same.
Here in the Portland area, Russ Meeks @finishlinecoatings.com does a lot of ceramic coating of headers and other exhaust related work. I plan on them doing my roadster headers in what they call "titanium", it is low lustre, kind of a gunmetal gray.
They have a FAQ on their website that is an interesting read.
Russ is a well known, long time hot rod and custom builder and Bonneville racer.

 

A small amount of chrome goes a long way. I used chrome,stainless and nickel plating on my T.

 

I appreciate your reply,but Jimmy sprayed the exact same powder on the headers that he sprayed on all my other parts.

Jimmy even said it probably wouldn't last too long on the exhaust but it still looks good after 3 years. HRP

 

I have grown to like just a few touches of chrome on the suspension and engine. There's nothing wrong with a lot of chrome, but I'd rather spend the day driving, than polishing.

 

Combo of chrome and stainless , coated zoomie headers, and polished aluminum .

 

Not my car but an example of what I had to get rechromed on my 46 Olds. No other option, it had to be done; grill, front and rear bars, dash, side trim, emblems, handles, head / tail lamps etc. Lots of small other trim items.

 

I dont understand what some of you mean when you say its hard to keep chrome nice.
I cant come up with any other surfacecoating thats eysier to keep clean.
Just wash and wipe with some cloth.
Paint is constant polishing to keep nice.

 

HRP
I just need a clarification on this more than anything, cuz I am in the market for these services myself.
Next time you talk to him, will you ask him his thoughts on the subject.
I know regular powder is heat cured, did not think it would stand up to the temperatures that headers reach.

 

Sorry, I don't know the color, or if they were polished, but the work was done by Pacific Coast Powder Coating.
They do great work.

http://www.pacificcoastpowdercoating.com