Affordable Chrome Plating for plastic and metal parts

[EhlersRS]

Mike,

I agree with the previous posts...all of that chrome is beautiful! My car is at the very early stages of restoration and I still have to purchase new sheet metal and repair panels. Do you plan to continue offering this service for those of us who don't have the extra funds for new chrome yet? Do you have the ability to chrome other interior parts such window cranks, belt buckles, and early series coat hangers? Also, I understand the cost to ship wheels is not cost efficient, however can you chrome the old style "D" hubcaps? My car came with boxes of spare parts, some of which were interior chrome pieces, etc. When it warms up again here (eventually), I'd be interested in helping with the collection of cores for other customers.

Thanks,

Robert S.

[9teen7t240z]

Hi, Robert,

It is my intention to continue the service as long as the demand exists. The costs for plating plastic seem to go up all the time, so I won't be able to guarantee these prices beyond the current group buy. However, I expect that prices will remain extremely attractive when compared against the current competition. There seems to be more predictability and stability with the prices for plating metal, as metal requires appreciably less labor. However, I will certainly keep all pricing posted or can make it available to you at anytime in the future. I also have photos of seat belt buckles that I had replated for my own Z.....will post them as well. Finally.....yes, we can re-chrome virtually any part that was originally chromed such as window cranks, coat hangars, etc., with the probable exception of the chrome strip that is on the door panel. As Mike B mentioned previously, we are even doing a few shift knob trims for him.

With regard to your box of parts/cores, I always have customers that are interested in acquiring cores that can be re-plated. Let me know if I can help put you together with them.

Thanks, Robert,

Mike R.

While we are continuing to work on solutions for the bumpers and wheel freight "issues", we can certainly replate any hubcaps, whether they be series 1 "D" hubcaps, or any of the later ones that were originally plated. I actually have pics somewhere in my archives of a set of "D" hubcaps that I had re-chromed in the past, and will post them after I find out where I put them:)

[9teen7t240z]

Hi, Robert,

It is my intention to continue the service as long as the demand exists. The costs for plating plastic seem to go up all the time, so I won't be able to guarantee these prices beyond the current group buy. However, I expect that prices will remain extremely attractive when compared against the current competition. There seems to be more predictability and stability with the prices for plating metal, as metal requires appreciably less labor. However, I will certainly keep all pricing posted or can make it available to you at anytime in the future. I also have photos of seat belt buckles that I had replated for my own Z.....will post them as well. Finally.....yes, we can re-chrome virtually any part that was originally chromed such as window cranks, coat hangars, etc., with the probable exception of the chrome strip that is on the door panel. As Mike B mentioned previously, we are even doing a few shift knob trims for him.

With regard to your box of parts/cores, I always have customers that are interested in acquiring cores that can be re-plated. Let me know if I can help put you together with them.

Thanks, Robert,

Mike R.

While we are continuing to work on solutions for the bumpers and wheel freight "issues", we can certainly replate any hubcaps, whether they be series 1 "D" hubcaps, or any of the later ones that were originally plated. I actually have pics somewhere in my archives of a set of "D" hubcaps that I had re-chromed in the past, and will post them after I find out where I put them:)

Robert,

I found some of this pics, including the hubcaps and seatbelt pieces. The reddish tint seen on some of the seatbelt hardware was a reflection of my car, as the photos were taken next to the Z.

Mike

[EhlersRS]

Mike,

I would have responded sooner, but I got busy towards the end of the week! Thanks for posting the photos of the rechromed seatbelts and hubcaps. The original seatbelts in my car aren't looking too good, especially on the driver's side. It looks like one of the harness pieces sat on the floorboard for a while and was exposed to moisture, thus causing rust. The passenger side looks a lot better. I also have an extra set of belts from the parts car. Is that your dog's reflection in the hubcap on the lower left? Thanks again for posting the photos and I can't wait until Spring to get working on the car again!

Robert S.

[9teen7t240z]

Robert,

You've got a great set of eyes! I never saw that reflection of my dog on the hubcap pic, but, yes, that was my dog. Sadly, I had to put him down 2 years ago as he developed total kidney failure due to age. I would have traded my Z to get a set of kidneys for my dog, but that wasn't an option. At least now I have one more pic of my dog that I didn't know I even owned. Also, I noticed a reflection of myself, my car,and my tool boxes in those wheels.

Good observations.

Mike

[9teen7t240z]

I thought I'd post a few new pics of parts in the current batch. Also, there is less than 2 weeks left before this final group buy ends, so there's no time like the present to get on board:)

Mike

[zhead240]

i see there is a plastic chrome plating service on ebay. (datsun parts) it has a starting bid of $1000. now just how would this work out for an auction? how many pieces would that involve. plus shipping at that price? very odd auction.

[9teen7t240z]

i see there is a plastic chrome plating service on ebay. (datsun parts) it has a starting bid of $1000. now just how would this work out for an auction? how many pieces would that involve. plus shipping at that price? very odd auction.

Zhead,

Hmmmm.......at $1000.00 per set of bezels, I'd think it would be gold plated, platinum filled, and hand delivered.......by a scantilly-clad Hooter's babe, no less:)

Then again, maybe my prices are too inexpensive....

Mike

[EhlersRS]

Mike,

Sorry to hear you lost your friend. My "girls" will be 7 years old this summer, so I expect they'll be around for a while. As mentioned above, I also saw the chroming service advertised on Ebay. Some of the guys had their reservations about the Ebay ad, to put it mildly. You've got to stop posting those tempting photos of chrome parts! For some reason I didn't realize the choke/rear defrost plate from the center console had chrome. I'll have to add that to my list of parts that need rechroming. I do have a more technical question. For those parts that need to be repainted black after the chroming, such as the 240Z taillight trim, heater control panel, etc., what is the best method to repaint those and do you have any suggestions for paint?

Thanks,

Robert S.

[9teen7t240z]

Mike,

Sorry to hear you lost your friend. My "girls" will be 7 years old this summer, so I expect they'll be around for a while. As mentioned above, I also saw the chroming service advertised on Ebay. Some of the guys had their reservations about the Ebay ad, to put it mildly. You've got to stop posting those tempting photos of chrome parts! For some reason I didn't realize the choke/rear defrost plate from the center console had chrome. I'll have to add that to my list of parts that need rechroming. I do have a more technical question. For those parts that need to be repainted black after the chroming, such as the 240Z taillight trim, heater control panel, etc., what is the best method to repaint those and do you have any suggestions for paint?

Thanks,

Robert S.

Hi, Robert,

Thanks for the kind thoughts regarding my "best friend". I've had dogs all of my life, and every one of them was a true family member. Somehow, losing Satchmo was much tougher on the family than any of the past ones. Makes one a bit reluctant to even try to replace him.

I, too, have seen that Ebay listing, and have wondered how one could auction a "service". I guess if the strategy works, we'll soon see hookers posting on Ebay......to be sold to the highest bidder .

As for the choke plate, I never owned a new Z and don't know if the high parts on the plate were originally chromed or painted. However, this customer wanted the whole plate chromed, so I accomodated him. There aren't many parts that we can't chrome plate, even if they were not originally plated by the manufacturer. Someday, I may even attempt to chrome an entire Z......that would be quite a sight cruising down the road!

When we paint the tail light strips, we use a semi-gloss black enamel for the job. They can be sprayed or hand-painted. As for emblems and other painted parts, you may want to ask other members of the community for their recommendations. I've been told that Datsun used a couple of different shades of black for the early heater control panels, so, if originality is important to you, you would want to find out which one was spec'd for your specific car.

Mike

[9teen7t240z]

Just wanted to give everyone a friendly reminder that this coming week will be your last chance to get in on this group buy. Starting next month, I'll be working on setting up a dealer or distributor network for the service. So, while I intend to remain quite active within the industry, the attendant dealer mark-ups will certainly add to the costs of having your parts plated. However, as mentioned in a previous post, I expect that the final prices will still be quite attractive when compared to other competitors.

Thanks again for your participation in the program.

Mike R.

[9teen7t240z]

Update:

In order to accomodate a couple of orders being shipped from out of country, I have moved my ship date to next Tuesday, February 26th. This will provide a little extra time for you "stragglers and procrastinators" (just kidding), should you want to get in on this final group buy. For what it's worth, I've been known to straggle and procrastinate a little myself:)

Mike