02-03-2013, 04:29 PM | #1 |
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Wilmington, NC
Posts: 60
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Got Chrome?
I got my '30 Coupe a month ago and have done a lot of fixing up on it. The car was halfway restored and painted 12 years ago. The last guy got it in 2004 and just drove it. The lower part of my front bumper had rust on it. The lower left piece of the rear bumper was also rusted. I have not been able to find replacement pieces, only complete new bumpers. I don't want to spend a ton of money on the car right now, but I want it to look good. I bought 2 rolls of Trimbrite Chrome tape from Advance Auto Parts. They are 3" x 60" and cost $4.99 each. I took the bumpers apart, cleaned them up, and hit the rust with a sanding disc on my high speed grinder. One roll did the lower front bumper perfectly, 60" covered from end to end. I rolled the tape over the top edge and stuck it to the back side as well. I used just a small amount of the second roll to do the rear bumper. For a $10 investment, and a couple hours of work, they look much better. For me, that's better than spending $500 right now. It is a great temporary fix for bad chrome.
Last edited by Donvito; 02-04-2013 at 07:01 PM. |
02-03-2013, 04:42 PM | #2 |
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Location: Glenmoore Pa
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Re: Got Chrome?
From a distance no ones the wiser.
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02-03-2013, 05:03 PM | #3 |
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Location: Victoria, Australia
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Re: Got Chrome?
How thick is the tape?
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02-03-2013, 05:10 PM | #4 |
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Location: Southbridge, Ma.
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Re: Got Chrome?
Looks very decent, I'll tell my friend about it , he sanded and painted his silver.
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02-03-2013, 06:00 PM | #5 |
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Location: Portland, Oregon
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Re: Got Chrome?
Great idea for us guys with limited budgets! Thanks for sharing.
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02-03-2013, 06:24 PM | #6 |
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Wilmington, NC
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Re: Got Chrome?
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02-03-2013, 06:48 PM | #7 |
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Re: Got Chrome?
i tried this & it worked very well.
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02-03-2013, 08:15 PM | #8 |
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Eastern CT
Posts: 2,732
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Re: Got Chrome?
I used aluminum tape on my tudor back in 1975, when I did not have the money for chrome. I still have those bumpers somewhere.
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02-04-2013, 08:20 AM | #9 |
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 90
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Re: Got Chrome?
Here's another alternative to chrome plating. I have no idea how much this stuff costs, perhaps a group of guys could get together and share the cost.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-1cTpSZ1l8
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02-04-2013, 09:14 AM | #10 | |
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Location: Victoria, Australia
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Re: Got Chrome?
Quote:
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02-04-2013, 01:32 PM | #11 |
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Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 330
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Re: Got Chrome?
wow!.. that looks better than I would have thought from the description.. Will be interesting to hear how it ages and weathers
Thanks for sharing! |
02-04-2013, 01:51 PM | #12 |
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 316
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Re: Got Chrome?
It is probably Mylar, which is used in chrome like application at times. Good job!! At the very least it looks like nickel.
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02-04-2013, 02:37 PM | #13 |
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Central FL, USA
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Re: Got Chrome?
Wow! Donvito that looks super cool. I've been wondering what I can do to the rusty/old silver paint bumpers on my '31 roadster. Looks like you have given me the answer. Thank you!
Bob-A |
02-04-2013, 03:53 PM | #14 |
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Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Southern Nevada
Posts: 149
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Re: Got Chrome?
Sign me up. I've been sweating over those ugly bumpers. Thanks for the tip.
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02-04-2013, 06:52 PM | #15 |
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Wilmington, NC
Posts: 60
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Re: Got Chrome?
The rust was pretty bad on the rear bumper. On both the front and rear, I only re-covered the lower bar. The upper bars are normal plating. The match is very good. I also installed new clamps that came with the car. As PetesPonies says, I do believe it is Mylar too. I drive my car, but it is garage kept. I should easily get a year out of the faux chrome. I will replace the bad parts with good used ones, when I can find them. I really don't want new bumpers on the car, because the whole car shows normal wear. I would like to keep the "older restoration" look of it.
Last edited by Donvito; 02-04-2013 at 07:05 PM. |
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