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Anyone out there straightening/replating trim/bumpers?
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58Jackie
Posted 2019-09-03 12:39 AM (#586955)
Subject: Anyone out there straightening/replating trim/bumpers?



Veteran

Posts: 123
100
Location: Southern Idaho, USA
Wondering if anyone here knows if anyone is out there in the business of restoring/straightening and replating Forwardlook stainless trim, pot metal, and the bumpers?
Anyone here had this done to their car/ done business with them, or know anyone who has? Results?

I will need to do this to my car sometime; my stainless needs to have some dings removed along with replating it. The bumpers too have a couple dings in them and will need to be rechromed.

Thanks.
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StillOutThere
Posted 2019-09-03 9:25 AM (#586965 - in reply to #586955)
Subject: Re: Anyone out there straightening/replating trim/bumpers?



2000100010010025
Location: Under the X in Texas
Have you tried searching the internet for "straighten or polish stainless trim" or "chrome plating"? Have you considered doing the stainless yourself at home? You can. Hundreds of small businesses do stainless. Hundreds of platers around the country for your bumpers.

I'm not singling you out, but it is flabbergasting to me as an older hobbyist that the ability to SEARCH out needs has been lost today in the age of the internet!
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56D500boy
Posted 2019-09-03 10:46 AM (#586968 - in reply to #586955)
Subject: RE: Anyone out there straightening/replating trim/bumpers?



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58Jackie - 2019-09-02 9:39 PM; my stainless needs to have some dings removed along with replating it.



Ummm....Your stainless trim was never plated. It was just polished. You can polish yours with commercially available products like Mother's Aluminum and Magnesium Metal Polish and/or Autosol, a nice soft rag and some elbow grease with good results.

I start with the Autosol and end with the Mother's.

For real Chrome, I start with Quick Glo and then go AutoSol and Mother's.

http://quick-glo.com/





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JGC403
Posted 2019-09-03 1:34 PM (#586983 - in reply to #586955)
Subject: Re: Anyone out there straightening/replating trim/bumpers?


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Posts: 57
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Location: GREENEVILLE, TN
We just had the front and rear bumpers and exhaust tips re-chromed and straitened at Tri-City Plating in Elizabethton TN. They did a very good job. They only do steel parts though. I had to take the pot metal somewhere else. I don't remember the price but It was a couple grand, I'll update later.
http://www.tricityplating.com/

For the pot metal parts, We just took them to R&D Finishing today, about 2 blocks from Tri-City Plating. This is for a 1957 DeSoto, I took the chrome taillight assemblies, the chrome piece at the end of the rear fender under the exhaust tip, both of my side view mirrors, both outside door handles that are really bad, inside door handles, window cranks front and rear, all of the dash knobs and knob bezels, the horn ring I think that is everything. $5000 for everything. Most of it is labor to fix the pitting. They have to break the glass out in the sideview mirrors, so I'll have to find a glass cutter to replace the glass.
http://rdfinishing.net/

R&D Finishing also straightens and polishes the stainless trim.

Edited by JGC403 2019-09-03 1:57 PM
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StillOutThere
Posted 2019-09-03 3:41 PM (#586996 - in reply to #586955)
Subject: Re: Anyone out there straightening/replating trim/bumpers?



2000100010010025
Location: Under the X in Texas
Some stainless steel IS additionally chrome plated. During the Korean war era and beyond, the chromium content of stainless steel used by most auto manufacturers was lowered. It caused a "soft" stainless that was easily etched by road chemicals including salts. A great example is the '55-56 Chrysler 300 Letter cars. ALL the stainless on the outside of the car has been "flash chromed". The factory blue prints of the original parts call that requirement. If a stainless polisher does not first strip the chromium, the polish job will likely be very blotchey in "color" if a lot of polishing is done. I've seen this on a finished show car and it was not pretty. I don't have any sort of complete list of what years, makes, models this applies to. Doubt such exists anywhere. Can tell you that many years of Chrysler and DeSoto and Imperial wheel covers are "flash chromed" because of the road abuse of their location on the cars. So what is flash chroming? Not much different than taking a piece of steel or pot metal and doing the first two steps of copper and nickel. The final chrome step for them is a fairly quick dip in the chrome tank of a few seconds. Similarly for stainless steel: a quick dip in the chromium.
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56D500boy
Posted 2019-09-03 4:01 PM (#586998 - in reply to #586996)
Subject: Re: Anyone out there straightening/replating trim/bumpers?



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StillOutThere - 2019-09-03 12:41 PM

Some stainless steel IS additionally chrome plated.


Okay, I learned something today (usually learn something - typically not to make some mistake) but that was different. I thought that the stainless was just that and nothing more.

Thanks Wayne.

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56D500boy
Posted 2019-09-03 6:59 PM (#587005 - in reply to #586996)
Subject: Re: Anyone out there straightening/replating trim/bumpers?



Expert 5K+

Posts: 9855
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Location: Lower Mainland BC
Wayne: So what do you think about these 56 Dodge wheel covers (not mine but I do have 6 like them)? I thought that they were polished stainless but now I have to think (??) that they were flash chromed (???).





Edited by 56D500boy 2019-09-03 7:00 PM
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StillOutThere
Posted 2019-09-03 9:09 PM (#587010 - in reply to #586955)
Subject: Re: Anyone out there straightening/replating trim/bumpers?



2000100010010025
Location: Under the X in Texas
I only have the crossbar Lancer types because of owning a CRL so can't be sure. I would suspect the Plym and Dodge caps are not flashed. That would be extra cost built into the low end cars of the line. Might be though. Honestly don't know.
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58Jackie
Posted 2019-09-04 1:28 AM (#587021 - in reply to #586965)
Subject: Re: Anyone out there straightening/replating trim/bumpers?



Veteran

Posts: 123
100
Location: Southern Idaho, USA
StillOutThere - 2019-09-03 8:25 AM

Have you tried searching the internet for "straighten or polish stainless trim" or "chrome plating"? Have you considered doing the stainless yourself at home? You can. Hundreds of small businesses do stainless. Hundreds of platers around the country for your bumpers.

I'm not singling you out, but it is flabbergasting to me as an older hobbyist that the ability to SEARCH out needs has been lost today in the age of the internet!


Yeah I know there are a lot of platers around my area; why I was asking is that we all have Forwardlook cars here, being so, I was hoping that I could get some advice from others on who have sent out their stuff to platers/restorers of stainless trim and the reviews of the job.
Probably the more important reason why I'm asking for the advice and reviews is I really don't want to send my car's valuable items to some shop who has never dealt with Forwardlook items before. In other words, to a shop that doesn't really know what they're doing.

Yeah I have polished the stainless myself, it came out ok, but some of the stuff has dings and I don't have the know-how on how to remove the dings without causing further damage to the piece. My bumpers have some dings in them too, so they'll need to be straightened as well as rechromed.
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58Jackie
Posted 2019-09-04 1:40 AM (#587022 - in reply to #586983)
Subject: Re: Anyone out there straightening/replating trim/bumpers?



Veteran

Posts: 123
100
Location: Southern Idaho, USA
JGC403 - 2019-09-03 12:34 PM

We just had the front and rear bumpers and exhaust tips re-chromed and straitened at Tri-City Plating in Elizabethton TN. They did a very good job. They only do steel parts though. I had to take the pot metal somewhere else. I don't remember the price but It was a couple grand, I'll update later.
http://www.tricityplating.com/

For the pot metal parts, We just took them to R&D Finishing today, about 2 blocks from Tri-City Plating. This is for a 1957 DeSoto, I took the chrome taillight assemblies, the chrome piece at the end of the rear fender under the exhaust tip, both of my side view mirrors, both outside door handles that are really bad, inside door handles, window cranks front and rear, all of the dash knobs and knob bezels, the horn ring I think that is everything. $5000 for everything. Most of it is labor to fix the pitting. They have to break the glass out in the sideview mirrors, so I'll have to find a glass cutter to replace the glass.
http://rdfinishing.net/

R&D Finishing also straightens and polishes the stainless trim.


Thanks man! What I was after! I'll send my items to these guys if no more replies are here with reviews to shops closer to the western side of the country as I live in Idaho so shipping alone would kill me if I were to send my items to Tennessee, but I'll do it if I have to cause again, I find it important to send my stuff to shops that have worked with Forwardlook items before. I don't know, maybe I'm just paranoid.
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Darryl T
Posted 2019-09-04 2:39 AM (#587023 - in reply to #586955)
Subject: Re: Anyone out there straightening/replating trim/bumpers?



Extreme Veteran

Posts: 425
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Location: McCleary WA
Didn't know your location until your last post. I had my stainless straightened and polished by Eric Hayes near Tacoma WA (253-324-7705) and he did a fantastic job. Some pieces like the rock guards looked unrepairable but he saved them. Cost was reasonable too.

Edited by Darryl T 2019-09-04 2:41 AM
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rebel
Posted 2019-09-04 3:16 PM (#587062 - in reply to #587023)
Subject: Re: Anyone out there straightening/replating trim/bumpers?


Extreme Veteran

Posts: 309
100100100
Location: Western Colorado
I had Salt Lake Chrome do my front bumper on my 58 N/Y'er. They did an excellent job. Dealt with Chris.
Don't know about quality pot metal restorers. Superior plating and Brown's plating both ruined several of my pieces.
Paul's is very good but very expensive.
Bob
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wheelcover
Posted 2019-09-09 2:43 PM (#587300 - in reply to #586955)
Subject: RE: Anyone out there straightening/replating trim/bumpers?


Veteran

Posts: 130
10025
Location: Wyoming
I’ve had stainless trim for my 58 Firedome straightened and polished by Rodney at Stainless Trim Works in Wellington, CO and found his work to be excellent. Very easy to work with, finished on time and great communication.
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58Jackie
Posted 2019-09-11 1:04 AM (#587358 - in reply to #587062)
Subject: Re: Anyone out there straightening/replating trim/bumpers?



Veteran

Posts: 123
100
Location: Southern Idaho, USA
rebel - 2019-09-04 2:16 PM

I had Salt Lake Chrome do my front bumper on my 58 N/Y'er. They did an excellent job. Dealt with Chris.
Don't know about quality pot metal restorers. Superior plating and Brown's plating both ruined several of my pieces.
Paul's is very good but very expensive.
Bob


Just curious, how did your parts get ruined by a restorer?
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