cost to chrome parts

[joelj]

Hi group,

Just a quick question. How much did it cost you to have the chrome parts of your car rechromedd and how long did it take and were you happy with the chromer?

Thanks

Joel

1969 280sl auto
White exterior
Blue interior

[merrill]

JoeLJ,
E-mail Gernol at sl tech or the guy at motoringinvestments.com
they can give you some ideas.

I have heard that you can spend up to 10K US on chrome plating, there was a post somewhere of a guy that was sending stuff to mexico to get plated at a lower cost.

http://www.sltechw113.com/
http://www.motoringinvestments.com/Intro.htm

matt

[Longtooth]

I've spent upwards of $6k on rechromed parts.... happy as a clam with results... after 4 years, and I still have a few pieces left ... probably another $1k - $2k worth I'd guess.  All triple plated (Cu, Ni, Cr) show quality polishing by Superior Chrome in San Jose, CA.  That was 3 & 4 years ago though, so I'm not sure of current quality/pricing. The pig-metal pieces were done by another shop that specializes in pigmetal rechroming... also in SJ... I forget the name of the place... in some run-down shack in an industrial zone.... wouldn't surprise me if they've been run out of business in the meantime by environmental / safety laws enforcement which has been being cracked down on for several years now.  

I've had following rechromed (partial list):
 - Front  & Rear Bumpers,
 - Front Grill parts, not including the Star itself,
 - Threshold (not new running board chrome yet)
 - Boot Cover Chrome -- all
 - Hard-top Latch Cover's
 - Interior Mirror housings
 - Interior Mirror mounting brackets
 - Windshield chrome at top & inside/top of Windshield...not the uprights yet.
 - Rear Deck-latch handle
 - MB Star on rear Deck Latch
 
Probably some other pieces here and there that I've forgotten (interior fresh-air grills?... not sure if I polished these out or had them rechromed, fresh air grill parts/pieces on hood was rechromed though...)  Most of the hard-top chrome left to be done though.

Rechroming's quality is in the prep work.... which is where the labor and skill elements come into play... prep prior to Cu plating, then post Cu plating finishing and polishing... multiple interations of Cu plating, finishing, polishing if heavily pitted or scratched. If the Ni and Cr plating baths are well maintained and parts properly mounted/hung and connected to current carriers, then it's only a matter of plating rates for the Ni and Cr to do the rest... but if the prep and Cu plating work aren't done right, the Ni and Cr layers won't hide it.... and in fact, accentuate the defective conditions.


Longtooth
67 250SL US #113-043-10-002163
'02 SL500 Sport

[Eryck]

Hi Joel, Pare.  Are you located in the Philipines?  It should cost very cheap there.  I got mine done in Hong Kong and it was cheap compared to the US but of course, the quality is not as good - but good enough as an improvement for my car.  Most parts came out okay.  The trims on the side of the cars, which costs a fortune to replace, came out very well while the bumpers were so so. I think it also depends on the base metal.  I hear in Thailand, it's very cheap as well but you don't get the quality one would find in the US.  Just lack of QC in many countries in this part of the world.

1965 230 SL White Manual
Hong Kong

[joelj]

Hi group,
thanks for the post. here in the Philippines for most of the parts to be cleaned polished and rechromed it costs maybe USD 1700.00 the reason I posted the query is because i felt that the chrome seemed a little thin but my restorer said that it only looks that way since it has not been fully polished. I was thne wondering if sending the parts to the USA would be an option since another friend of mine said he was thinking of sending some chrome parts to the US for restoration.

Maybe thailand has better chroming techinques.

I'll keep you guys posted on the final outcome of my pagoda.

Cheers

Joel

1969 280sl auto
White exterior
Blue interior

[merrill]

joel,
from what I understand the longer you leave the parts in the chrome bath (last step) the more chrome you get

so, the thickness of your chrome depends on the bath time. find out how long the plater left the parts in each bath.  


matt

[mdsalemi]

It's a bit more involved then just how long the part is in the bath, so to speak.

Decorative chrome plating consists of several steps; base metal repair/prep; copper plate; nickel plate (sometimes two nickel plates, dull and bright) and chrome plating, and then polishing and finishing.  The places with good repuations have standards for plating thickness and don't shortchange you lest they tarnish their reputation.

Shortchanging any of the steps will result in a poor chrome plating job.  That being said, if you get a "bad" chrome job in a 3rd world country, I would bet they skimp on the materials as that is what is most costly there.  In the USA or 1st world countries, it is the labor that is most costly and that is where they would skimp (in addition to materials, too!.  Because of the cost of the materials, the many steps involved, and all the hand work in preparation, buffing and finishing, it is always expensive and just gets higher--no matter where you have it done.

Decorative chrome--that's what we are talking about as opposed to electro-deposited hard chrome for tooling--is a business unto itself.  In the USA there are quite a few people that specialize in it and have excellent reputations, complete with long resumes of prize-winning cars.  Graves Plating in Alabama is one; B&L Plating in Warren, Michigan is another, but there are many, many more.  You can search this site for some other recommendations, you can do an internet search, or look at Hemmings, too.  Ask for references.

To do all the chrome on a 113 properly will cost upwards of $8,000 today and I wouldn't be surprised to see a tab approaching $12,000.  I would suspect that some parts are simply less costly to replace then replate.  I replaced many parts rather then replate them, and this is particularly true if the part is a base-metal casting such as a door-handle.

Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored

[joelj]

thanks for the reply group.

i should go to the platers and see how they are doing with my parts. My restorer says it is industrial grade chrome (It has a hint of blue when light reflects on it) . Is that what it should be?

It would be nice to find a supplier in the 3rd world who can give great quality work that we would all be happy with. I would send my parts to them for re-chroming.

The reply of Michael on the cost to chrome in the USA really seems like a fortune.

cheers group,

Joel

1969 280sl auto
White exterior
Blue interior

[mdsalemi]

Yes Joel, it can be a fortune.  In 1999 when the Canadian dollar xchange was better then it is today, it cost about $1,100 to do the full bumper set in Canada--about 15% less then in the USA.  As I said it is expensive no matter where you go and then just gets worse!

But you get what you pay for.  There are a lot of people in Southern California that go to Tijuana Mexico and have the plating done there...want to know what its like??

Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored

[joelj]

Hi michael,

It would be interesting  to know what the quality is like off mexico.

thanks

Joel

1969 280sl auto
White exterior
Blue interior

[mdsalemi]

quote:Originally posted by joelj

Hi michael,

It would be interesting  to know what the quality is like off mexico.

thanks

Joel

1969 280sl auto
White exterior
Blue interior

Gee, Joel!  I'm trying to be diplomatic here!  While I have no doubt that there are some platers in Mexico that do fine work, there are a lot of them that do subcontract work for places in the USA.  They do substandard work and very low prices.  The same thing happens with body work and painting.  Go to the side streets of Ensenada, Mexicali, Tijuana, and you see all kinds of "body shops" and paint shops doing all kinds of work on cars with US plates.  Substandard work at very low prices.  You can judge plating much like painting--prep work yields a smooth surface, the "depth" of the chrome is noticable by comparison to other parts; and overall smoothness.  Finally, how long it lasts...go to a really nice Concours and see some really nice cars (they don't have to be Pagodas) and look at the chrome.  Compare to typical factory chrome and you'll get a feel for quality.

If you know what you are getting, that's great--I suppose it then isn't substandard.  But if you are trying to get a really nice chrome plating job the equivalent of a well known plater with Concours reputation at a bargain basement price, you are probably wasting your time.

Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Signal Red w/Black Leather
Restored

[joelj]

Hi Michael,

I guess the saying, "you get what you pay for" is quite appropriate.

Thanks

Joel

1969 280sl auto
White exterior
Blue interior

[n/a]

Joel

Michael makes some very good points on chrome plating.  The most important is that concours quality chrome plating in the US is expensive and there are only a handful of shops that I know of that can (will) do top quality work.  Of course the better part you start with the more likely you are to get good quality chroming done at a reasonable price.  Any imperfections in the part must be filled and polished smooth before the part is plated if you want show quality chrome plating.  This entails stripping any chrome, nickel and copper from the part, polishing the part, copper plating, polishing the part and maybe plating again and more polishing and maybe more plating and polishing until the part is smooth.  Then it will be nickel plated, possibly polished again, and finally chrome plated.  Some platers will include even more steps than this in the process.  Of course not everyone wants concours quality work.  The key is to decide what quality you can accept and what you are willing to pay to obtain this quality. Then look CAREFULLY at the work of any plater you are considering.  Of course the best work will command the most money.  HOWEVER, price alone does not assure high quality work.  Some will charge show quality prices and deliver industrial grade plating.  Others will deliver quality commensurate with their prices-whether it is show quality, driver quality or industrial grade.  There is no way to know which you will get until you research throughly the work of plater you are considering.  Again, do not take the platers word for the quality of their work-look for yourself at the quality and decide if it is what you want.  

A further caution.  Many parts on the 113 cars are brass.  An overzealous polisher can turn a perfectly good piece of trim into just so much junk in very short order.  Would you like to know how I found out.  It happened to me on the trim around the hard top rear window.  

When I look at a car, the chrome trim is one of the things that I inspect very  carefully. Missing or damaged trim can turn what looks like a bargain purchase into a deep black hole that sucks up endless amounts of cash.  Bumpers and other similar parts are not usually a big problem as they are the easiest and cheapest to plate.  This is the reason you can find more shops that plate only bumpers and other large heavy parts.   Small trim items are another story.  They are often difficult and expensive to plate, especially any "pot metal" parts.  

Anyway, good luck on your search for a plater.  Let us know how you fare.

Iverson

[joelj]

Thanks Iverson. I appreciate your inputs.

How did the plater turn your windshield trim into Junk? Did you have to purchase a new one or did theplater salvage the part?

yes I'll keep the group posted regarding my restoration,

Thanks

Joel

1969 280sl auto
White exterior
Blue interior