Chrome, where to get it done?

[JimVonBaden]

I have a couple of exhaust tips for my Saturn Sky Redline that are polished aluminum, and they look like ****. I took them off and polished them and they lasted a week. I took them off again and painted them and they lasted a week. The corrosive exhaust eats into the paint and bare aluminum making them black and ugly. I have some friends, and even my Nissan Rogue, with chrome tips and they clean up easily and look great even after many miles.

So, I want to get mine chromed, but VA doesn't seem to have any places to do it, and the ones online are all over the map for price and time.

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced and reliable place that I can send mine to to have chromed?

This is what I have:

Raw

Polished, and I have a spare set.

Painted

How they seem to always end up.

Jim

 

[Travisnd]

http://www.advancedplating.com/

Used them before, very good service.

 

[trbomax]

Chrome plate does not hold up well on aluminum.It will peel and corrode rather quickly in this app.Also,they will not be able to get the plate to hit in the recessed area without a special anode or a wand. They would look better and hold up better if you ceramic chrome coat them. The name for that process is ceramicote and will work better in this app.

edit) its an aluminum ceramic coating similar to powder coating.After its applied and cured it is buffed (the coating is very high solids aluminum), then clear ceramic coated. It may be possible to just buff the alum parts and then clear ceramic coat them,Ive only had this done on steel.

 

[dare23]

Leave it black, you don't like to drive anyway... (lic plate) ;o)
Honestly I've heard aluminium is a pain because it will degrade under the chrome and flake off.
New chrome over steel tips may be the answer

 

[mayday0017]

Cut the pipe coming out of the mufflers and put turn downs on, then those will always stay clean

Being serious though I agree with Ceramic Coating or (Jet Coating)

 

[Cobra6]

http://www.advancedplating.com/

Used them before, very good service.

+1 - reputable and established

 

[JimVonBaden]

Leave it black, you don't like to drive anyway... (lic plate) ;o)
Honestly I've heard aluminium is a pain because it will degrade under the chrome and flake off.
New chrome over steel tips may be the answer

I like to drive, top down, no cage over my head. But yeah, that plate started when I drove a beater and rode my motorcycle everywhere.

If they made steel tips that were very similar to these I would, but all you can find is round and square with a slight slash top to bottom. These have a very specific angle that match the car. I like the shape, just hate to clean them.

I considered powder coating, and ceramicoating (I use that on MC exhausts), but they are not chrome, and the car has just enough accent chrome that I wanted to use chrome.

I'm surprised that aluminum is so hard to chrome effectively. Is it just exhaust that is a problem? I see a lot of chromed aluminum.

I don't ride a cruiser, so I don't know much about chrome.
Jim

 

[mayday0017]

Ceramic will LOOK like chrome, if done well you can't tell the difference & it will clean and hold up better. Why don't you want to do that?

 

[trbomax]

When I ran the drag boats I had quite a bit of al chromed.The plater that did it was (still is) a friend of mine and told me that the problem with plateing al is that it oxidizes so fast that they cant keep it clean long enough to get 100% adhesion. As a result there is oxidation under the plateing even as the plateing is being done. He did a bunch of interior parts for my KW motorhome that held up for several years,but even being inside they pitted and peeled. The parts on the boats would start to show little white pimples in a few months,and they were kept clean and polished.I ended up just haveing him strip and polish the parts and had the gf (now wife) work on them with semichrome every week.They still look good today and that was 45 yrs ago! Ive had some parts on my sleds suspension cermichromed in 2005 and they look as good as when it was done,and I never do anything but low pressure power wash them.

edit) in the early 90's I had my friend plate EVERYTHING on my xl1200.Most was aluminum,and in acouple years it all started the pit and peel thing.I just said screw it because it was just a rider anyway and today I can go down to the shop and peel strips of it off by hand.Just washing it will blow it off. Dont waste your time and $.

 

[Falcon67]

Ceramic or powder coat on aluminum will do what you want. I don't think you want - or can - chrome aluminum. The chemicals used would probably destroy the parts. Which is why you don't see a lot of chrome platers anymore - just about every plater work space is probably a Super Fund site by now.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Ceramic will LOOK like chrome, if done well you can't tell the difference & it will clean and hold up better. Why don't you want to do that?

Because, in my experience with MC Ceramichrome, it just looked like shiney silver, not chrome. Like the photo I have in the OP.

Jim

 

[JimVonBaden]

This guy, from two posters above, seems to be able to chrome aluminum: http://www.advancedplating.com/auto_price.htm

I might just give up on the idea if I am paying $200+ for chrome that won't stick. I don't want it to look like shiney paint. I may as well just polish it every now and then.

Jim

 

[mayday0017]

Close enough to chrome for me... Doesn't look like shiny silver at all....

 

[volvo]

....
In this case I like the blacked out look myself. I would just rattle can the tips mat black or powder coat them if your wallet will allow.

 

[38Chevy454]

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced and reliable place that I can send mine to to have chromed?

No chrome plating is reasonable priced, it is all expensive. But your parts being aluminum will be difficult to stay nice chrome plating just as many other said. Just get the aluminum-ceramic coating and have it high polished finish. Not perfect replacement for chrome, but will hold up to exhaust gases.

 

[mayday0017]

Oh yeah another option... Clean them up like new like you did before and apply Blackfire Metal Sealant, then wash car as normal and will come clean every time. Refresh the sealant from time to time as needed...

http://www.autogeek.net/blackfire-all-metal-sealant.html

 

[pop pop]

Get them anodized and forget the plating.

 

[JimVonBaden]

Oh yeah another option... Clean them up like new like you did before and apply Blackfire Metal Sealant, then wash car as normal and will come clean every time. Refresh the sealant from time to time as needed...

http://www.autogeek.net/blackfire-all-metal-sealant.html

That might be the only option I am willing to do.

Like I said, I have experience with "chrome" ceramicoat, and it is not a reasonable substitute for chrome in my opinion. If chrome won't stick, then I'll pass on a fake substitute and just go with polish. I can get a near chrome look with it, and it won't cost much.

Thanks for the info everyone.

Jim

 

[JimVonBaden]

Get them anodized and forget the plating.

Anodized? How does that come out looking like chrome? Is there a process I am unaware of?

Jim

 

[ovilla]

Google a guy named Al Reed out in CA. All of the Porsche folks know him for the work he does on Porsche Fuchs (911 rims). He can make any aluminum sparkle like chrome and he does anodizing too, and he's very affordable. Just google "Al Reed Fuchs" to see tons of examples of his work.

 

[buildmyown]

Most of the chrome you seeing peeling on aluminum is single stage which is just a thin layer of chrome. Good chrome is a multi stage process starts with the part being polished cleaned then a layer of copper then nickle then the chrome. Most chrome shops in the US have been shut down because the EPA regs and cost. Thats why when you do find a good chrome shop in the states it costs money. Most not all shops based in Cali send everything down to mexico to be plated.

There is a place up here in Mass called Nuchrome they do very good work but there is normally a wait and they are not cheap.

Ceramic coating is not like powder coating. The ceramic coatin goes on as a liqued and then it is air cure or baked in an oven at 700 degees for how ever long is called for. The part is then cleaned with 0000 steel wool and polished out with mothers aluminum polish or the like. If it ever dulls or fades it can be cleaned up and looking new again by doing the same thing steel wool and polish. If done right it does look like chrome.

Another option would be to polish them out and have a clear powder coat applied that will keep them looking good and make cleaning them very easy. It will also be the cheapest way to go.

 

[wakeboarder311]

custom chrome in grafton ohio is the best

 

[HOTFR8]

+1 for the Jet Hot Coating as it is easier to clean. I have very little chrome on my last project and went with the Jet Hot Coating for many items and not just exhaust.

 

[Cinneagh]

Call Hanlon Plating in Richmond and see what the say.