Customs Hypothetical Question- Chrome Plated Heads

I think you should do it! I figure, theres no hood...so that helps it cool alittle.....what could happen?

 

'Bout time there was some sense expressed here...Thanks, Rick.

A kid had a Slant six block that was aluminum...wanted to polish it, but his machinist warned against it..."Smoothing the rough casting of aluminum will make an impenetrable heat barrier, that's why we don't polish Volkswagen engines."

I reminded the kid: "Volkswagens don't have water jackets and radiators."

 

I like the way you think dude!

 

Common on '60s show rods. But they were "all show and no go" as a rule.

Chrome heads won't cool as well so unless you are going to be driving a car that doesn't have cooling problem to start with you are adding a hurdle to overcome. yes they will blue around the exhaust ports and eventually they will look crappy and you will end up painting them. but if it is just a show car and you are only going to push it from the trailer to the ropped off area they are pretty cool.

 

Olds engine on the cover of that yearbook.

 

Won't make any difference if you don't drive it lol as in a show car.

But on a water cooled engine it shouldn't make any big difference to cooling as long as your rad is big enough. Maybe if you are towing a trailer up the Rocky Mountains with an inadequate radiator, chrome heads will make your motor overheat 1/2 mile sooner.

Heat could blue the chrome but a head doesn't get that hot, maybe right next to the exhaust outlets if they are not water jacketed. On a Pontiac I think the exhaust ports stick out, on a Chev they are flush with the head. The Pontiac might blue around the ports especially the middle paired ones but the Chev wouldn't blue.

Look at where the paint burns off the head, and chrome is more resistant to heat than paint.

So if you want to chrome your heads go for it. Apparently it has been done and they got away with it.