Chrome Masters

[304065]

The below was about $350. Lisa and Darryl are outstanding people to deal with and I recommend them without reservations.

http://www.chromemasters.com/

26 3rd Avenue North Nashville, TN 37201
Phone: (615) 256-9828
Fax: (615) 256-9876
E-mail:chromemasters@cs.com

It is impossible to photograph chrome.


My seat recliners are going next along with a near perfect set of SWB horn Grills (thanks Lars!)

[davep]

What kind of condition do the gearshift lever and throttle/heater lever need to be in to be successfully refinished. Most of mine have some rust showing.

[merbesfield]

Thanks for the reference. I need to send those exact parts off soon.

[304065]

What kind of condition do the gearshift lever and throttle/heater lever need to be in to be successfully refinished. Most of mine have some rust showing.

Dave,

The better they start, the better they end up. My shift lever was probably fine to use as-is, it had a few dings in the shaft and the chrome had a dull patina. The patina I didn't mind, but the nicks and dings made it look rough.

If you send in a rusted piece it will take a lot more work to bring it back, and no matter how good the chrome shop is, nothing has the same definition, crisp edges and flatness of the original piece. That said, they did an incredible job with the pitted door handles I sent.

The rechroming process involves an acid dip to remove the surface plating, followed by grinding the pits, down to bare metal. The pits are then filled with lead and then the piece is copper plated, then nickel plated, with polishing in between each step. The chrome plate is the final coat, it can be thought of as the "sealer." I didn't know that the shine comes from the nickel, and the bluish dazzle is the chrome over the top.

The good thing about the above parts is that they are all widely available, so if your shift lever is badly rusted, it's easy enough to find one. You could even use one from a later car, although be mindful of the threaded/crush sleeve method for attaching the knob.

[davep]

Thanks. Yes indeed the brilliance of chrome plating is in the nickel layer. The copper layer there is to give a good base to build the nickel layer on. The chrome itself is a thin layer and essentially transparent; it's purpose is to protect the nickel layer and preserve the brilliance. The chrome also tends to be somewhat porous, so waxing is important.

[kenikh]

This is Lars brother right? They do great work!

[304065]

Lars brother? I don't know. They are in Nashville.

Here is a before photo I found. . . yikes!

[Semjon]

I'm missing the horn grilles

just kidding, chrome looks amazing!