Has anyone ever had these three pieces re-chromed? Mine are peeling. I have searched as Chuck will -- tricky to find replacements.
Hi Jim,
Yes, I have had everything rechromed on my car including these pieces on the dashboard. Further, I went against conventional wisdom, common sense, and the advice of experts and completely disassembled the fresh-air vent louver assemblies. I did this in the hopes to actually plate each louver blade, but equally important to isolate the pieces which you need to do for plating. There is a trim ring, the louver assembly, the defrost flap, and the base plate that comprise this trim item.
The platers
would not touch the actual louver pieces--there was a problem with finding a good place to mount the electrical wire, and there were very small pegs on each end which would get their dimensions compromised. Then, there was the possibility of one or more of these dropping in one of the tanks. Lastly, these fine pegs--part of how they hinge--could easily get broken during the
buffing process. Too many trouble spots.
One big challenge, prior to any rechroming, is actually getting the entire assembly off the dash w/o damage. The castings are zinc, and they are held to the dash I believe, by pegs. Then, clips friction fit onto the pegs.
They are not designed for service. It is easy to break these pegs off during removal or reassembly.
One challenge I faced, successfully, was removal of the defrost flap from the assembly. I did this carefully with a pin-punch and a hammer. It too, was not designed for removal; this flap is held on by a friction fit pin.
So, I only had the trim ring and the base plate replated, along with the defrost flap. The assemblies went back together with more effort than I would expend today, but it can be done. Here are some photos I took during the process.
The upper photo is the louver assembly after removal but prior to disassembly; it is held in with a spring wire and a zinc casting. I don't suggest taking it any further than what you see here, which is the advice given to me and I pass it on. Only by the good graces of a superior being was I afforded the opportunity not to screw it up.
The lower photo is the actual pieces that I did have replated; the base, the trim ring, and the defrost flap.
Best of luck to anyone who tries it.
