teardrop puller Posted September 4, 2008 Report Posted September 4, 2008 Hey guys check this out. I was on vacation for three months and "Essie" had to sit in the carport. Check out the new front bumper and the old rear bumper. Guess the real bumper are much much better. Bought the bumper from a guy in California, this is the second one and it is not any better than the first. E-bay sometimes can get you kai Quote
oldmopar Posted September 4, 2008 Report Posted September 4, 2008 3 months ! that is a real bad rechrome job. How do it look when it 1st arrived Quote
teardrop puller Posted September 4, 2008 Author Report Posted September 4, 2008 It was shiney, I guess I do not know good chrome from bad. Does anyone know of a mail order place that is good? kai Quote
Frank Elder Posted September 4, 2008 Report Posted September 4, 2008 That rear bumper really knocks you socks off! I wonder where the other one got too? They do disappear don't they! FRANKIE47 Quote
58prostreet Posted September 5, 2008 Report Posted September 5, 2008 Try Bumper Boyz in Calif. They sent me a rechromed front for my 58 Ford, and took the core to them about 6 mos. later at a show in Charlotte. They gave me the core charge back. It's no the best in the world, but the price is decent and the work was satisfactory. Bob Quote
dezeldoc Posted September 5, 2008 Report Posted September 5, 2008 Stay as far away from Bumper Boyz in Calif. as possable, I can tell you horror stories you would not believe about them! One of their main deals is swaping good parts for bad. Quote
BobT-47P15 Posted September 5, 2008 Report Posted September 5, 2008 There is a little ol chrome shop about 45 miles from here......a ratty looking joint if you ever saw one. The owner is a real character. He did my rear bumper a few years ago. Probably not the very highest quality work, but has held up well in my opinion. I tried to get him to do the front one several months ago, but he was too busy with some other projects at that time. Need to get back to him again. I believe he quoted me about $350 to do it. The guards were new old stock. He also chromed the heads of the original bolts after advising me to remove those stainless covers that get so beat up. Quote
Normspeed Posted September 5, 2008 Report Posted September 5, 2008 Yeah Bob, that bumper looks real nice. Kai, I'd like to know the name of the shop that did that front bumper so I don't deal with them. Email or PM me if you get a chance. Quote
De Soto Frank Posted September 5, 2008 Report Posted September 5, 2008 Kai, The best chrome plating method (for chrome on steel) is "triple-plating": the bare steel is prepped and de-greased, then plated with a layer of copper. The piece is next plated with a layer of nickel, then finally with the Chromium. Chrome does not bond so well to bare steel; the other two metals act as bonding agents, like primer-coats in a paint finish. There are MANY variables that can cause a plating job to fail: contaminated solutions, poorly-prepped parts, poorly trained staff in the plating shop, etc. Just from your photo of the front bumper, I would think the shop put the chrome directly on the steel and/or did not prep the bumper thoroughly. There's a lot of labor involved in a good plating job, and it seems "you get what you pay for", so if the price seems "too good to be true", it probably is. I have heard enough bad stories about b____ b____yz that I would be reluctant to go there... De Soto Frank Quote
teardrop puller Posted September 5, 2008 Author Report Posted September 5, 2008 The guy is from southern California, however I have not seen his add for a few months on E-bay. I think I need to find a good "daily driver" bumper from a parts car. Any one have a bumper they can part with? thanks kai Quote
Reg Evans Posted September 5, 2008 Report Posted September 5, 2008 Was it Chromabonito company in Rowland Heights, CA. ? Quote
teardrop puller Posted September 5, 2008 Author Report Posted September 5, 2008 yes they are the ones. Nice guys when you call, but... kai Quote
Reg Evans Posted September 5, 2008 Report Posted September 5, 2008 Oh great. That's where I got mine. Good thing it lives in a closed garage. Maybe I should clear coat it. Quote
Fireball Posted September 5, 2008 Report Posted September 5, 2008 Clear coat will not stick. First thing to do is protect the backside with rust prevention of some kind. You don't want the dirt build up there and collect moist. Second lifeadder is keeping the front always clean and waxed. These tricks have proven to give more shiny years onto rechromed bumpers, even the el cheapo ones. Quote
58prostreet Posted September 6, 2008 Report Posted September 6, 2008 Sorry if I offended anyone by suggesting Bumper Boyz. I have only dealt with them one time, and it was a good experience. It is not triple plated, but is very satisfactory for a driver. They let me bring my core to them in Charlotte,and with the reciept they gave me core charge back. I would not tell u to try them if I knew anything bad. Bob Quote
Olddaddy Posted September 6, 2008 Report Posted September 6, 2008 Tri-City in Elizabethton TN did mine, very pleased, good service and reasonable price. Anything smaller than the bumpers try Custom Metal Finishing in Indiana. They do really nice pot metal work. Quote
Normspeed Posted September 7, 2008 Report Posted September 7, 2008 58prostreet, I don't think that would offend anyone. I haven't used any chrome shops yet so no opinion. There are definitely some stories floating around about BBoyz, I've heard the one about core swapping a few times. I guess the bigger the operation, the more chance for screwups. Quote
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