Topic: Who has done your re-chroming work?

[HondaMan]

I'm having some pipes done, but MAN is it ever taking a long time! It's been a month already, and they called this week to tell me it will be another 2-3 weeks. This is for 4 header pipes, which were cut off some rusty mufflers. One of the pipes needed some holes welded up, but besides that they were pretty nice. But, 2 months? And it will be nearly $800 in the end (!).

This system is going to be a real nice 4-2 with some really sweet 2-1 mufflers, will have pix when it's finished.

So...who have you had do chrome, how did it go, was it good/fine/great? Cost?

I have a bunch more stuff I will need done over the winter, could use some advice!

[brandEn]

Ron aka MCrider has used Browns a bunch. They aren't cheap but some of the best work around from what I can tell.
http://www.brownsplating.com/

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Browns is one of the best but they won't contaminate their solutions with exhausts.

Also used a place in CA called Meclec. They did a rechrome on one of my Harley wheels and it came out great.

Why NOT Denver Bumper LOL (just kidding). Are they the only so-called chromer left in CO? I wouldn't use them.

[dlhoulton]

I used Brown's Plating in Paducah KY. They did some fork ears for me and I thought they were expensive. They took twice a long as the quoted time. But the end result was fantastic. I wanted them to do a set of headers. They said they would but quoted me a price of over $800 and that was way over my budget!!!!

[Stev-o]

My K4 has an aftermarket exhaust system made by Action Four.  1 muffler had started to "fade", so I had both mufflers rechromed by my local plater, CenTex Plating.  I paid $185 for the two mufflers, the header stilled looked great.  Chroming is very expensive these days and usually not worth the cost to me.

[HondaMan]

Browns is one of the best but they won't contaminate their solutions with exhausts.

Also used a place in CA called Meclec. They did a rechrome on one of my Harley wheels and it came out great.

Why NOT Denver Bumper LOL (just kidding). Are they the only so-called chromer left in CO? I wouldn't use them.

Denver Bumper seems to be gone now. I can't find an actual phone number for them that works? Besides, they have always had a major weakness, which is: you can't chrome at this altitude unless you have a pressure-cooker tank. I've had several bumpers done by them over the years I've been here, and 100% of them had the same flaw: after a few years the chrome peels off. This is due to the etching solution not being hot enough, because they use open tanks at 5800+ ft. altitude.

I sure wouldn't put my friends' pipes into that situation!
-Quality first.

[HondaMan]

My K4 has an aftermarket exhaust system made by Action Four.  1 muffler had started to "fade", so I had both mufflers rechromed by my local plater, CenTex Plating.  I paid $185 for the two mufflers, the header stilled looked great.  Chroming is very expensive these days and usually not worth the cost to me.

Thanks, Steve-O: I'll contact them and see what they say. I have several more bikes' pipes to go over this coming winter's projects.

[Johnie]

I have used a local plater 30 minutes from my house. Custom Plating Specialists did all my bikes and did Jerry's K2. He does excellent work and backs his product. Check out www.customplatingspecialist.com and ask for Terry. He is really a nice guy and tell him Honda John sent you. He will take great care of you and his prices are very fair especially if you have a number of parts to do. His turnaround time is really good and if you ship...he packs the stuff in special packing for the return trip.

[edwardmorris]

Calco plating in Chicago is where every last bit of chrome on my K2 went to get a new life. Slow as molasses, but for the price, and the fact that he'll even chrome 5mm washers, the guy is great. Can get a bit crazy when he packs things up even though I didn't have anything shipped.

[RSchaefer]

Hey Mark you should know, chrome and the time it takes is ridiculous.

That said, I'm your age and back in the day you could throw a bunch of stuff in a box, take it to the chrome shop and it was done cheap and quick.  I remember worrying more about how long t would take me to take the part off and put it back on relative to if I would or would not have it chromed.

I'm rebuilding my '75, CB750F and finding an "F" muffler, 4 into 1 headers is extremely difficult.  My original parts were in pretty bad shape, but after realizing how hard they are to come by I looked into repairing mine and got pretty far down that road until I looked into what getting them re-chromed would cost after the brazing.  Holy crap, the repair and re-chrome was going to cost more than almost any after market alternative would be, even some really close looking pipes & mufflers from the UK.  I finally gave up on that option and just went back to trying to find replacements in good/great condition and finally after almost two years finally got what I wanted for much much less than the re-chrome and in near perfect condition.

That said I did take some strategic parts to my local Phoenix chrome shop to get them chromed and it cost twice as much as I was thinking and took almost 2 months.

I guess I would recommend looking for alternative headers/mufflers in the after market or used in lieu of re-chroming cause that option is ALWAYS going to be cheaper, but you may ave to be patient!!

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

HM,

I talked to Denver Bumper once. They told me they only use a 2 step process. Not sure if they are leaving out the nickle or the copper.

Last I heard Brown's is using what they call a 7 step process. Can't say I know anything about that but you should see my 30+ y.o. valve cover and my more recent one! Call and talk with Ronnie Brown about turn around time. I'd bet you'd get better results in quality and time. But again, they don't do exhaust.   

[MCRider]

Brown's is pricey (pricebook on their website). But quality is never in question. I've had 4 large boxes worth done by them ($4,000). Attn to detail, and the environment is likely why. Springs, pegs, special bolts, nuts, everything except exhausts.

Don't know about exhausts. A phone call to Ronnie Brown would tell the tale. They may not want to pollute their tanks as mentioned.

Turnaround has never been more than 10 days. That's UPS from Indy IN to Paducah KY, shop time, and return time.  Been stung by local shops and the 2 month turnaround. That's crazy.

They broke 2 of 100+ parts. BEnt over backwards to get replacements (Mikuni floatbowl and something else). Quick and on their dime.

Jerry: Its still 7 steps. I notice they will do exhausts if they can plug them leakproof.

[lucky]

I'm having some pipes done, but MAN is it ever taking a long time! It's been a month already, and they called this week to tell me it will be another 2-3 weeks. This is for 4 header pipes, which were cut off some rusty mufflers. One of the pipes needed some holes welded up, but besides that they were pretty nice. But, 2 months? And it will be nearly $800 in the end (!).

This system is going to be a real nice 4-2 with some really sweet 2-1 mufflers, will have pix when it's finished.

So...who have you had do chrome, how did it go, was it good/fine/great? Cost?

I have a bunch more stuff I will need done over the winter, could use some advice!

As a welder I dislike rusty mufflers and exhausts they are expendable items.  They may have found some holes but what about areas where the rust is almost all the way through the metal?
Better to just get rid of them than spend any money on them.

[HondaMan]

It's becoming tough to find good header pipes (at least the last 6 months or so) to go along with the 4-2 systems. I have these gorgeous 4-2 mufflers for this resto-mod 750, and after looking for almost a year I gave up on any new pipes (usually square-bend types for 4-1 headers) and went for some decent used ones that had bad mufflers. The owner wishes to retain the voluptuous look of the K0-K6 pipes (can't blame him!) and not go to the "header" look that so often is more angular. It's easier to make angular pipes, that's for sure.

All this makes me think about making pipes from scratch...