Technical Spray paint chrome at home?

I want to chrome paint the art deco opening on this grille shell I have for my 32 Ford roadster. It would take many many coats of acid copper to fill the pits for regular chrome. Brand name please if you have had success with a spray can of chrome paint.

 

there spray "chrome" systems out there. but, too expensive for home shop. no aerosol spray cans produce a long lasting simulated chrome finish.

 

Take your part to the chrome shop and have them strip it. Them have them copper strike it. Take it home and fill the areas that need filling with solder and smooth it. Now you take it back to the chrome shop for one more layer of copper then nickel and finally chrome. Install...

 

We had a local here in Omaha for a time that invested in the spray chrome finish procedure similar to that of which Jay Leno featured refinishing a 56 Chevy hood bird on his garage video segment, you might check the archives. The items can be body worked as normal, & like any worked component the finish is only as good as the prep. I have seen two examples by the local, a 50's GMC grille & bumper with mounting holes welded & smoothed over & a pair of Nova headlight doors refinished, all of which were very impressive However, I've heard several comments that he had supply &/or quality problems can't confirm either. Ron

 

Chrome wasn't built in a spray.

That stuff will not live up to bugs, rocks, sun, UV, etc. It looks good out of the booth, and that is about the size of it. Maybe a chrome hydrodip? Is that a thing? Should be.

 

I heard the cost to rechrome a 1958 Buick ....the chrome bill was $125,000 ..Thats 125 thousand for all the chrome...

 

And there is 125,000 reasons I am not building an Buick!

 

Not enough bragging rights, Billy?
.
Marcus...

 

Isnt chrome plating illegal in Calif now days? just like everything else

 

A member here did spectra chrome (i think) on some exterior parts like grill and bumpers. After a year the finish was shot and looked like dull aluminum. It cant hold up th the UV, and clearcoat makes it not look like chrome.

 

It must have been the rustiest, crappiest, most dented and rusted out holes in the stuff imaginable! The most I have ever heard was $11,000.00 for a 58 limited. Inside and out.

 

Have you considered a chrome wrap, - may give you a better result than paint,
( warning - not considered traditional on this forum so may be criticised ).

 

I've never really seen a good spray on chrome. Some of what I consider the better ones are in a kit like Eastwood that uses a black base coat, chrome spray and a clear. Don't know about the longevity of them though.
I've been curious about the wraps like mentioned or I've seen some powder coating that comes close, but you can still tell it's not chrome.

 

Nothing you can do at home will look anythin remotely like chrome. There are companies that do chrome effect on non-metalic parts such as plastic etc so you could go that route.

 

I remember like maybe 15 or so years ago, watching the vehicle type reality shows. Some high end guys, painted an old car for maybe Billy Gibbons. They did the roof in a chrome paint.
Looked nice on TV. No clue if or how long it could stand up.
@dana barlow has chrome wrap on an axle from the HAMB era.
I’d call that “traditional”.

 

I had inquired about that at a local shop. I was told that the metallic wraps will crack on sharp bends. I know that there are cars around that are fully wrapped. I have never been near any to see if that is true.

 

How about Polish chrome... aka silver paint...

 

Has to be the quote of the year!!

 

I always thought my grill was chrome. I removed it to replace water pumps and noticed all the overspray on backside. I don’t know what was used but it looked good enough for me.

 

I have a powder coat shop, been doing it for 18 years. Some parts I shot in chrome powder coat a few weeks ago for a semi truck

 

I had some dash parts and the wiper towers done in a spray chrome on my 52 Buick by a reputable shop locally. Of course it was cheaper than chrome (pot metal parts) but it didnt last a year before it started deteriorating. The shop gave up on the service. To me, not worth the trouble and difficult to compete with real chrome.

 

We've used chrome vinyl wrap on some parts and it looks pretty good. We did a couple of simple bumpers and those are holding up well. From six feet away, they aren't bad at all. The one thing is, vinyl wrap will show every bump underneath, so you have to make sure the surface is smooth and clean before wrapping it. The wrap will stretch and conform to some curves, but no way are you gong to be able to do something like a headlight bucket without multiple pieces.
I've also had parts powder coated in a chrome finish. That came out pretty nice too, but the stuff that was under the hood and exposed to a lot of heat and dirt didn't last as long as the decorative stuff inside the car. The wheels we had done held up well and looked like real chrome from just a couple of feet away.

 

Silver metallic paint with clear automotive enamel top coat. Doesn’t look like chrome, more like powder coat, but holds up well.

 

I would like to know more about what could have been used on this grill. Looks great to me and would like to find something for my truck grill. Thanks

 

Never thought of wrap. Best idea of about 20 others here.

 

Being a hot rodder since 1950 I am well aware of the leading and acid copper deal for repairs. Way way way too many pits for that. The old chrome plating has been striped. Some copper remains. See picture. It will take 5 or more coats of fill primer and lots of sanding. Update. I just ordered a rattle can of chrome paint off the internet. There it looks like chrome. $30.00 shipped. If it fades in a year i will just repaint it.

 

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/graphics-signage-us/1080-wrap-film-series/chrome/

I trust 3M more than most any other supplier of "stuff." .

 

Chrome shop I normally use does not do acid copper. The right side molding on this dash had minor pitting. I had a local chrome shop strip and acid copper plate it. I sanded it and gave them instructions to put a second coat of acid copper. Don't chrome it yet. Out in the shop the dummys chromed it. I think it needed about 2 more coats of acid copper. PS; Beautiful Plymouth dash.

 

Like I said in post 5. Hydrodip.
Liquid Chrome — Hydrographic Solutions (justdipit.net)

 

Good luck. Keep us posted. I think you'll be repainting in a year.