Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Looking for a plater...... (Read 1808 times) previous topic - next topic

Looking for a plater......

Anyone know a place that does chrome plating reasonably? There's a place about 40 miles from here...they quoted $700.00 to do 2 valve covers. HOLY  !!!
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Looking for a plater......

Reply #1 –
I hope you laughed into the phone and hung up right after that qoute. ;)
~Project ThunderStorm = '84 Charcoal Thunderbird - First Car - Long Time Work in Progress~
~Project (No Name Yet) = 1970 Plymouth GTX/RR "Clone"~

Looking for a plater......

Reply #2 –
It seems it'll have to wait....the cheapest I found was $350.00. The most was $800.00. I will start thinking of a "plan B".
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Looking for a plater......

Reply #3 –
I'm not looking for a chrome plater anymore. I never knew it was that crazy for two small parts.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Looking for a plater......

Reply #4 –
What about powder coating? There are some really cool finishes and I think it would be more durable than chrome in the long run.
2017 Subaru Outback
2007 Lincoln MKZ
1990 Ford F250 / Banks turbo diesel

Looking for a plater......

Reply #5 –
Well,with my engine Ford Blue and aluminum (polished mostly),I don't think powder coating will fit my needs. I really don't want them blue. Chrome is what I want.I have some more investigating to do.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..
 

Looking for a plater......

Reply #6 –
i feel you on the chrome platting/dipping exxxxxxaggerated prices, when i was trying to get a part from a motorcycle chromed(that small triangle thing that holds the forks together) for my dads harley shiznitbike the cheapest i got quoted was $350 bucks, maybe if i was getting the whole thing with the forks but for just one tiny part.
dipping cost more for some reason.

i cant see them not already making chrome valve covers for 5.0 somewhere or is this a different motor?
"Beating the hell out of other peoples cars since 1999"
1983 Ford Thunderbird Heritage
1984 Ford Mustang GT Turbo Convertible
2015 Ford Focus SE 1.0 EcoBoost

Looking for a plater......

Reply #7 –
There are tons of chrome covers out there,but not factory Cobra covers.They are double walled steel like the MN-12 Thunderbird 5.0 engines,but they have the raised letters "COBRA" embossed in them.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Looking for a plater......

Reply #8 –
I have a guy locally that did some stuff for my '69 Cougar and I didn't think his prices were too bad.  Door handles were $100 or $120 for the pair I think and the rear window boomerangs were $150 for the pair.  These are small parts, but there was a lot of pitting that he had to fix and they look amazing.

If your parts are not damaged, he could probably give you a phone quote.

He also did these bumper guards, but I don't remember the price on these.



My guy couldn't fit my bumpers in his tank so I got them from a vendor in OR who sends cores down to Mexico to get replated.  They do a great job and their environmental restrictions are a littel easier so its much more affordable south of the boarder.
1990 Mark VII LSC
1990 Mark VII LSC SE
1969 Cougar 351W

Looking for a plater......

Reply #9 –
Send me his info. My parts are mint NOS valve covers.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Looking for a plater......

Reply #10 –
PM sent.  $700 is crazy, but even $350 sounds high to me.

I wonder if it costs more to plate aluminum for some reason?
1990 Mark VII LSC
1990 Mark VII LSC SE
1969 Cougar 351W

Looking for a plater......

Reply #11 –
These are steel that I want done. I've explained that to everyone I talk to. No aluminum,just steel.They still charge cray high prices.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Looking for a plater......

Reply #12 –
Well I agree then - $350 is way too high for that.

My guy's shop is pretty small so they work on preping the parts for a couple of weeks then have a scheduled chrome day every two or three weeks where they plate everything they've been accumulating.  It may take a while, but they do great work.  I hope he can give you a good quote.
1990 Mark VII LSC
1990 Mark VII LSC SE
1969 Cougar 351W

Looking for a plater......

Reply #13 –
I know it sounds dorky, but a local guy I know built a show-level '34 Ford truck to showcase his body shop and he painted some of his front suspension parts with a chrome paint (don't laugh).  This was a very high-quality paint made by a well-known company...I just cannot remember for the life of me what he told me the brand-name was.  The outcome was VERY nice and was a much cheaper alternative than having the pieces actually chromed.  You could barely tell it wasn't actual chrome.

This guy takes his truck to indoor shows and has won quite a few awards...


Here is a link to the truck...its entry #24.

Just an idea of something to look into...
'88 'bird, 10.9:1 306 w/TFS top end, forged rods/pistons, T-5 swap & bunch of other stuff, 1-family owned, had it since ‘98, 5.0tbrd88 on Instagram and YouTube

Looking for a plater......

Reply #14 –
I'd really like to have actual chrome. I think it would be more durable under the hood,and more resistant to working on the engine and such. Since mine is a daily driver,I need durable.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..