Phoenix Area Chrome Shops

I have a couple of 49 Plymouth bumpers that I need straightened and chromed. What shops have done a good job for you?

 

Tag, to keep an eye on the recommendations.

 

Not Phoenix, but Royal Plating in Tucson gets my business all the time.

 

I have heard good things about Kerr.
Papago will give you the best price and the most problems.
I used to use Aladdin but they closed.

 

A long time custom plater told me of his reluctant need to stop plating using hexavalent chrome. (NE M***. location)
This is the plating of choice for decorative Cu-Ni-Chrome plating.
He said that the presence of (?) 1 part per million (or even less, I don't recall the exact number he quoted) of the powder used to charge the plating bath was found to be toxic.
It sounded as though you would need a lot of paying customers, to justify setting up, to do this particular work, because of the caution required to properly handle the materials.

 

I just picked up some more chrome from them yesterday, A big HELL YEAH! there!

They do excellent work, and I take mine nowhere else. Really nice people, old-fashioned service, beautiful work... what more do yoou need? maybe the phone # on the reciept in my pocket...520-622-7826. Tell em John from Wild West referred you.

Funny thing is, 49 Plymouth bumpers is what they did for me last year for our '50 Burb. Beautiful!

 

what the hell??? if royal is doing good for all of us here in tucson why do ya need to go to phoenix?...just stay away from bumper boyz!........ I know for a fact a famous hot rod / rocker has stuff done at Royal!

 

How about Metro Plating in Mesa ?
Rik

 

Thanks for all the replies (so far). At this point I wiil give Kerr a call. Royal sounds really good but I am near phoenix. I wouldn't mind a couple of trips down to Tucson, but what I am probably going to have to do is have the bumpers straightened and stripped first, then modify them to fit my car, then get them chromed. The shipping and or travel time would be too much.

 

Metro is expensive and doesn't stand behind their work. We USED to use them but will NEVER go back.

 

I used Metro once, lets just say I was not happy...

 

3 or 4 hours round trips not that bad considering you get to enjoy quality work for years to come. And they're not far from Pats Chili Dogs!

and theres always UPS

 

Pat's Chili Dogs? Now I'm getting more interested, besides, the little woman says we need to go somewhere. I guess the one day round trip to the GNRS wasn't enough for her. Nothing like a trip to the chrome shop to stoke the romantic flames.

 

Hell yeah come on down! you might want to stop by Wild West Rods and talk to Mike he's building a 50 plymouth s/w for his wife..and its on the freeway next to the old ford store!

 

I garantee you wont beat this guys price or turn around time. The quality is also great.

Fernando's Metal Polishing, Inc.
623-581-2897
cell: 623-293-2525

He is in North Phoenix. He chromed everything on the front end of my 55 Chevy: the axle, leaf springs, tie rod, drag link, steering arms, pitman arm, etc. He did it in a week and I the quality was awesome.

He is also great for polishing aluminum and magesium wheels. Valve covers, intakes, etc.

No I'm not sponsored by him, he is just a small shop but I have sent many friends to him and all were happy.

I even had a guy do a straight axle on a 55 and shipped everything from the Mid West to get chromed by Fernando. Saved big even with shipping.

 

The only two guys in in the PHX area I will use are Kerr West and American Plating.

Kerr West Plating Inc
(623) 937-8676 4737 N 43rd Ave # 2
Phoenix, AZ

American Plating Inc
(602) 253-2830 202 W Gibson Ln
Phoenix, AZ


Kerr has a capacity problem. Some large things like bumpers will not fit in their tanks. I had the bumper, grille surround and dash for my green truck done at American. So long as you give them some cash up front they have an amazing turn around. The last 64 F100 grille got straightened and chromed in two days for $425.00.

You could always try Papago, LOL

 

No ****, Fernando did all the polshing on my Sportster for super cheap. He didn't have tanks then, looks like he is stepping it up! Good to hear.

 

Fernando doesn't have tanks, he does all the prep and polishing and has Concourse do the plating. It's a good set-up that works, but don't try to go direct to Concourse, that doesn't work. Bob is not hardly ever there, and now Pete formerly of Petes Plating is running the place. Royal is the best, and they come to Phoenix every other week for pickup and delivery. Call them, and they will tell you where you can drop it off. The downside to Royal, is that they are usually 6-8 weeks out. I have tried Kerr, and was very disapointed. I had them polish some stainless parts and they had lots of belt sander marks in them, and I had some small parts plated, and they ground them to about half their original thickness. All in all, Fernando is going to be your best bet.

 

If time is not an issue I always use Metro. I have used them since the early 90's and always rcv great work......I also know 4-6 weeks is a minimum so I take my stuff in very early. I have heard good things about American, I would try them If i was in a hurry.

The rear bumper of the Buick was sliced three ways and they filled, smoothed, and chromed them.

 

This is some very useful information here since I'm new to Tucson. Anything fun coming up in the near future?

 

Kerr wont do bumpers any more... he can strip them, but he does not straighten in house... he also no longer does wheels. We just had him do all the chrome for a 32 ch***is, it came out ok. you can stop by the shop and see.

 

Thanks again for all the info. I was wondering what happened to Pete's Plating. He did a great job on a friend's 41 ford grill. He thought that they were relocating.
Apparently Papago's quality hasn't gotten any better over the years. About 10 years ago, a friend took about 15 pieces from his Harley to get chromed. Each time he would accept a couple and reject the rest. Some of the last to be accepted were redone 6 times.
Glen, I have seen your (former?) car in person and the job metro did was ten times better than the work they did for me.

 

Ditto on Papago plating....... trouble there.

A buddy talked me into using them again after they messed up a part many years ago.

Well they still F'd up more stuff , did not repair stuff correctly or at all.

 

new info on Kerr West, I would not take anything else there.

tons of excuses, three + months, and still no parts. the only parts we did get back were pot metal wiper towers, which they destroyed.

 

a little update, Mike at Kerr West has made good on all of the issues we have had.

I still would not trust him with anything one of a kind.

 

Maybe I'll get what I deserve but...

I need the rear bumper for my 59 Edsel wagon straightened and rechromed.

I was going to use Royal in Tucson, but they wanted $450.
I thought I'd check with Papago Plating here in Phoenix just to see what they'd say.
They quoted me $225 and promised a job well done within 7 days.
I also gave them the headlight bezels for my 1960 F-100. One chromer wanted $100 each, some guy I saw mentioned on the HAMB who does a fake chrome process wanted $125 each.
Cliff at Papago wanted $30 each.

Maybe I'll get what I deserve for being cheap, but I'll report back next week.

 

I got my stuff back from Papago Plating.

I'm 100% happy.

The headlight bezels were very rusted and the original chrome could be peeled off in long strips. The bumper was pitted and had some pretty big dents in it.

They both turned out great, far better than I expected. And were done in 2 weeks.

 

Here's a bump for more current reviews. I need 2 bumpers, a grille and misc. small parts such as door handles, emblems and window hinges (A-100) done. I have a couple months to wait for quality. A decent price and competent work with communication is what I'm after.
Who should be avoided and who should get the business?

 

Papago seems to be the only one that meets all your negative criteria.

I have always used Kerr or American Plating. I have heard many suggest Concours as very good also.

 

Just picked up some stuff at Kerr West.

Some spotlights for one of MilesM's stuff, nice!

Talked to Mike about this thread. I asked about the bumpers, they do them now too. Full service chrome shop.