I recently cleaned my 500 L and its not till you polish it you notice the rusty bits. I built this car from almost a complete pile of bits. The bits missing were the door handles bumper spacers and bolts headlight rims etc. I purchased them from usual suppliers and they have all got some pitting. I noticed some sellers offer best and budget parts but not on the ones I purchased. I am thinking of leaving now till next winter and sending for re chroming. Has anybody else had parts chromed and did you prepare your parts beforehand.
General rusty chrome
- Thread starter phoenix1
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General rusty chrome
Same as my experience. Trouble is that re-chroming is well known for being expensive
Bigvtwin996
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I have been looking into plating etc etc.... you may or may not know one of the chemicals that produced the "blue" tint that we see in chrome is about to be banned....
However... Why does new chrome parts corrode so quickly.....
Nothing to do with poor preparation....
Without writing a complete "paper" on chrome plating, basically it is due to the process that is used these days to produce cheap chrome plate....
Essentially there are "micro-pores" in the chrome and the steel beneath the chrome surface actually "sacrifices" itself to try to protect the chrome...
I am sure someone could explain how sacrificial anodes etc work in boats, but basically it is the same.....
If you look at the price of a cheap chrome headlight rim about 9€ how can that cover manufacture, chroming and profit for a dealer?
Solution.....
1) buy new cheap rims.. take them to a reputable plater in the UK and have them triple plated...
2) buy alloy ones and polish them till you can see your face...
3) buy genuine original patinated alloy ones and leave them "as is" for easy maintenance...
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You can use cola instead of the vinegar as instead of citric acid it contains a trace of phosphoric acid which is present in a number of rust treatments. Use the tin foil like Brillo pad and scrub hard so that tiny aluminium particles get lodged in any rusty patches. If you give the surface a coat of wax polish afterwards it can give a remarkable effect that will last for some time.
A lot of the new chrome parts available now are not the same quality as the originals. I did wonder if you are considering re-chroming then it might be better to try and use earlier parts that have become tarnished.
Bigvtwin996
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yes it will work temporarily and on old chrome it is more effective, but the newer stuff you are fighting a loosing battle, it is a constant chemical reaction that you cannot stop...
Thanks guys I will probably take them all off and prepare myself as I have the time. ( retired ). Stripping old plating with acid or alkali and polishing to make sure I get a good job done. I know a lot of the smaller platers have gone so it will have to be a lottery who I pick.
I tried the old foil and vinegar option, which worked a tad but not mind blowing.
Gave up and put a polishing wheel onto a drill and got a cheap tube of chrome polish
The end result was amazing!
Gave up and put a polishing wheel onto a drill and got a cheap tube of chrome polish
The end result was amazing!
