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Author Topic: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400  (Read 3162 times)

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Offline Apexxn

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It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« on: November 23, 2012, 03:56:26 PM »
Just for fun I emailed these pics and requested quotes............








$1700!!!!!!!!!
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Offline Retro Rocket

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #1 on: November 23, 2012, 04:18:22 PM »
Start polishing.... ;D
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Offline Tim2005

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #2 on: November 23, 2012, 04:45:05 PM »
77 bars and 75-76 filler cap? Maybe they priced it for 2 bikes!
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Offline Apexxn

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #3 on: November 23, 2012, 04:54:07 PM »
'77 bars?

This is why I come here. This bike had a Goldwing style body kit on it with bar riser blocks. I'm guessing the PO wanted even higher bars and installed the '77 bars. Which after a quick search are higher than the '75, correct.

So back to the classifieds for some correct bars.

Thanks.
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Offline goldarrow

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #4 on: November 23, 2012, 05:32:02 PM »
And that is not even every pieces if chrome off the bike....
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Offline Stev-o

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #5 on: November 23, 2012, 05:43:48 PM »
I found that out a couple years ago, local chrome shop wanted $225 to rechrome a front fender.  I bought a nice used one instead for $50. 

You can get those bars new for about $25. 
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Offline jas67

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #6 on: November 23, 2012, 06:53:22 PM »
You could buy a lot of NOS parts for $1,700.    FYI, there are some decent repro turn signal housings out there that you can't even tell from OEM.   I pad about $26 ea. for the ones I got from eBay.

The high price of rechroming was part of why I jumped on the CL160 deal I got a couple of months back.    The P.O. had EVERY chrome part except for the rims rechromed, and it was a quality job too.
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Offline Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #7 on: November 23, 2012, 06:57:28 PM »
Re-chroming will require that you do all parts since it'll be so much nicer. Many of those pieces you can still locate new for cheaper. If you can't find 'new' then do a nightly NOS search on EBay. I only did that for 3-4 years for my restore and bought from 9 countries. But then I was in no hurry.  :) 
 
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Offline dave500

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #8 on: November 23, 2012, 08:13:14 PM »
i recently bought a 550f less all the chrome,,the seller had dropped it all of for a quote,,the chromer rang back in two weeks saying its all done ready for pickup and its 1400 bucks,my seller only wanted a quote so let him keep it all,,i got the chromers number and he still has all the parts(two years!)and said mine for 850,,ill ring him in another month and offer 500,,its not all the fiddly stuff like in your picture apex,,only two fenders,grab rail,instrument buckets,chain guard,tail light mount and maybe some other bits.
« Last Edit: November 23, 2012, 08:15:22 PM by dave500 »
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Offline CycleRanger

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #9 on: November 23, 2012, 10:08:10 PM »
They'd probably over polish it so it wouldn't look stock anyway.
Most chrome shops won't even touch mufflers.
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Offline jamesb

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #10 on: November 23, 2012, 10:32:22 PM »
Wholly crap!! I guess I'm lucky to know someone in the chroming business. I got a pile of stuff done for $50.00 and getting ready to have my springer front end,4 foot sissy bar,handle bars, and electrical box done for another 50.00.
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Offline Rigid

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #11 on: November 24, 2012, 02:37:46 AM »
I have pulled hundreds of flaking, pitting, discolored parts off of hondas over the years that were chromed back when it was still affordable.  From my observations, you would be throwing money away on the exhaust parts and any aluminum bits. NOS and nice used will be better in the long run and look correct.  Remember, patina is now very much in style ( meaning it doesnt effect value much) and pitting and scuffs add to the look.
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Offline l2edken

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #12 on: November 24, 2012, 10:37:48 AM »
aluminum foil and wd40, get on it
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Offline Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #13 on: November 24, 2012, 10:41:40 AM »
Send 'em to JimmyB and he'll get his friend to do them  ;D

Aluminum parts will chrome just fine if done properly   
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Offline purf_man

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #14 on: November 24, 2012, 03:22:18 PM »
shop around.   

A firend at work was looking to get some stuff done on his Fairlane.  One shop wanted about twice that of another but could turn it around in 6 weeks or less vs 8-9 months....the longer lead time shop put out better work I guess but did not fit his time schedule.

He told me to go drop the parrts off for my Fairlane now since I won't be ready for at least a year....

I would skip the mirros as I am sure you could find NOS or REPO's cheaper.  same for the stem nut and bolts.

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Offline Apexxn

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #15 on: November 25, 2012, 12:56:59 PM »
I'm still waiting for a few more estimates to come in and we'll see if it gets any better.

When I do these rebuilds I try to stay away from repops as much as I can. The quality just isn't there but sometimes there is no other option.

Love NOS parts. No matter for bikes or cars NOS parts are where it's at.

I'll keep looking for used pieces that are in good shape but what I've seen so far everything is just as crusty as what I have or worse.

Appreciate the responses and I want to be JimmyB's friend.  ;D
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Offline CycleRanger

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #16 on: November 25, 2012, 01:36:53 PM »
The stem cap, washer, and fork bolts are still available for Honda.
I recently picked up a set of Emgo (yeah I know) mirrors intended for my XL250s.
I was surprised, they looked so good I put them on my K5 instead.
Otherwise, yeah I agree OEM is better. :)
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Offline Tripps

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #17 on: November 27, 2012, 06:52:02 AM »
That's an awful lot of parts, I would have expected an even higher number, to be honest. A cup a coffee aint a quarter anymore...
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Offline iron_worker

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #18 on: November 27, 2012, 08:28:43 AM »
Do a little reading at how nasty some of the chemicals are that they deal with and how tight the safety and environmental regs are getting on shops like that and it would probably start making a lot more sense why it cost so much.

But yes, I quickly decided that the chrome on my bike that was in decent shape would work just fine after I realized how much a re-chroming would cost.

IW
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Offline Apexxn

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #19 on: November 27, 2012, 09:43:20 AM »
Yea in my first post I put "for fun I emailed pics", knowing how much it would be.

I've been chroming parts since the '70's. It's always gone up like anything but with the new laws here in California it's really sky rocketed in the last couple of years.

Even as little as 10 years ago I'd just take a box of parts like this to the chromer without even thinking about getting estimates but times change.

What a lot of restorers/rebuilders do here is send the parts out of the state or out of the country but I'd rather get it done here and support the state.

I'm heading out the door right now with some of the important pieces to a place I used to use back in the day and see what they can do for me.
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Offline Tripps

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #20 on: November 27, 2012, 08:55:25 PM »
I live near the Canadian border, most guys around here take them to Canada.

I had a friend that owned a building that used to be a plating business, he never paid the taxes, for 20 years or more, the city wouldn't foreclose on it because of the chemicals left behind in the soil. They turned off his water, but that's about all they could do.
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Offline dave500

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Re: It's Expensive To Chrome Every Piece On A CB400
« Reply #21 on: November 27, 2012, 09:20:51 PM »
we used to deliver and remove bins once a year at a platers,,they must get the tanks desludged and all the muck gets treated and ph level etc tested by the epa,we didnt empty the steel bins it was in but left them sit for a couple of weeks,all this green copper sulphate looking ooze was coming out the drain holes and those bins rusted out in about six months after that,it cost the platers 25000 for the desludge!!he also told me their bank wont supply them with an eftpos machine anymore as the atmosphere in the place keeps on ruining them!
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