Discussion Forum - Northstar Chevelle Club

jim larson · 2K+ Club

How and Where can I get some chrome plating stipped from a few hupcaps?

Lost in the 60s · President

There is a small plating shop in Forest Lake that could strip the chrome AND polish them.

jim larson · 2K+ Club

Thanks Mitch. There is a guy if Buffalo that has been taking out dents/ scratches on stainless for years and he has done a little work for me in the past. I had him look at the caps I have to pick out the best 5 yesterday when I was in Buffalo. He said I would have to strip them first. Then he would do the repair and polishing. He is going to be at the show at the fairgrounds May1 and also make the Jefferson, Iona, and a few other shows. He also mentioned theshop in Forest Lake that could strip them; but wasn't sure of the name. My brother lives in Forest Lake, so that would be a good option and I am going there Sunday for Easter.

Do you know if they would just do the stripping? Or if they do the minor repair in addition to the striping and polishing? Sorry, I just saw the web site you posted. I will contact them thanks.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

Most chrome shops can do it but its typically not cheap to strip off chrome either.

jim larson · 2K+ Club

Chris R wrote:
Most chrome shops can do it but its typically not cheap to strip off chrome either.

Hope it's not to expensive. I contacted the shop Mitch recommended by email and they responded promptly. Looks like they do nice work. They can strip, repair, and polish the caps and if you wanted them to they can also re-chrome. Will have to take the caps in for an estimate. Depending upon cost (hope they can just drop the caps in with another product they are stripping), I may drop the idea or have them do the striping and have the guy in Buffalo do the repair and polishing. Then there is the painting. NOS sets go for around $600 and repo for about $300. There is a guy out east that sells refurbished sets for $275, then you have shipping and then a possible dissapointment.

They also strip, repair, and polish the aluminum that we have on our cars (like the GRILL on the 66). They do not do the re-anodizing; but lhave a shop that they recommend that they say are up to their standards.

The owner invited me to stop by anytime I was in the area to check the shop out and see there products first hand.

-- Edited by jim larson on Saturday 23rd of April 2011 06:38:45 AM

SShink · 3K+ Club

jim larson wrote:
The owner invited me to stop by anytime I was in the area to check the shop out and see there products first hand.

Hmmm... possible meeting location/tour over the winter months? Have to keep this in mind.

Lost in the 60s · President

SShink wrote:
jim larson wrote:
The owner invited me to stop by anytime I was in the area to check the shop out and see there products first hand.
Hmmm... possible meeting location/tour over the winter months? Have to keep this in mind.

Definately.....the Camaro Club did a tour there a couple years ago and it's VERY interesting and informative BUT NOT cheap. The work is all done in small batches by hand but it IS show quality.

The work I saw on trim pieces was stunning. They sit and tap all the dings out by hand until they are almost invisible and then polish it all until it looks like new. This is both aluminum and stainless trim. They will repair pot metal parts that have pitted too, by hand drilling out ALL the corrosion in the pits, filling them with silver solder and then polishing them back to show before chroming. Being labor intensive runs the cost up. Much of what they do is parts that aren't available aftermarket and you have to repair the original. If a good quality reproduction is available, it may be a more cost effective route. It all depends on how much originality you want to retain.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

IMO unless a car is a 100% show car. Redoing a set of used hubcaps isnt worth it unless they are rare or hard to find. Anything less then that can be replaced and there is always someone out there that has a nicer set of stock hubcaps. I know over the years I could have bought a near mint set of standard 66 hubcaps a hundred times over. Are these caps the rare 5 spoke mag wheel caps?

jim larson · 2K+ Club

Chris R wrote:
IMO unless a car is a 100% show car. Redoing a set of used hubcaps isnt worth it unless they are rare or hard to find. Anything less then that can be replaced and there is always someone out there that has a nicer set of stock hubcaps. I know over the years I could have bought a near mint set of standard 66 hubcaps a hundred times over. Are these caps the rare 5 spoke mag wheel caps?

No Chris, they are the standarrd dog dish caps. They are not rare and are easy to find; except Most of those caps I see are driver quality and are not worth reconditioning. The guy in Buffalo gives me a good price on the repair and polish since I went to school with him. He inspected the caps for me yesterday and considers them excellent canaidates. A 66 guy by the name of Todd in maple grove has painted these with excellent success and he is encouraging me do the painting myself, if I screw up a little lacure thiner and I can try again. New repro $325 plus shipping, originals recondition from a guy out east $275. I was hoping the striping would be much since all they have to do is throw them in with a bunch of other parts. I have the time to fool around painting and polishing, so I would not rechrome.

And yes, I also have a set of the 65-66 mags in box, last set I saw on ebay that were refurbished were listed as $1875.

SShink · 3K+ Club

Jim, I look forward to having time to think about these kinds of things!

I envy you 'mature' members being retired... but I've got another 20 years or so to go...

Lost in the 60s · President

jim larson wrote:
I also have a set of the 65-66 mags in box,
THOSE are what you need to put on the car. That would really make the car stand out. Of course, you'd need to find a locking cable assembly to keep them from being stolen....
All the hype about "COPO, dog dish, poverty" cap stuff the last 6-8 years drives me nuts. No offense, but there's nothing "special" about them. They were the low ball cap put on every car that wasn't ordered with a full wheel cover or styled wheel set. They were the first thing that got removed and thrown away when the Cragars went on...
You're car would take on a whole new personality with the "mag" covers....

jim larson · 2K+ Club

Lost in the 60s wrote:
jim larson wrote:
I also have a set of the 65-66 mags in box,
THOSE are what you need to put on the car. That would really make the car stand out. Of course, you'd need to find a locking cable assembly to keep them from being stolen....
All the hype about "COPO, dog dish, poverty" cap stuff the last 6-8 years drives me nuts. No offense, but there's nothing "special" about them. They were the low ball cap put on every car that wasn't ordered with a full wheel cover or styled wheel set. They were the first thing that got removed and thrown away when the Cragars went on...
You're car would take on a whole new personality with the "mag" covers....
Your

Your right about the mags, probably wouldn't be able to go into a cafe for lunch. Lots of people tying to sell/pass off the 67-68 or 69-72 versions as 65-66 mags. Mine are in pretty good shape. There seems to be some little specks of gravel that gets down between the inner and out parts of the caps that shows up if you look close. Have been searching for a way to remove the inner reinforcement ring from the outer ring so that could be take care of. So far no luck. Some people cut it off and epoxy them back together. Doesn't seem like it would hold with the little flexing of the rim when driving. Maybe the Forest Lake Shop has a way of reconditioning the outer rings.

When I bought my first 66 in sept of 65 it had the full wheel covers. Also have some of those.

-- Edited by jim larson on Saturday 23rd of April 2011 11:52:44 AM

Chris R · 2K+ Club

Painting the details is the easy part. Its getting the finish so it looks nice is the expensive and hard part. Quite honestly, I would be hesitant to dump 300 dollars into a set of those plain jane hubcaps.

I would be more worried about those mag style hubcaps falling off on the freeway then someone stealing them.

SShink · 3K+ Club

Hey guys, if Jim thinks the dog dish caps are cool and he wants to put $$$ into them, that's his choice. That's the cool part about this hobby. Anyone can do what they want whether others like it or not!

jim larson · 2K+ Club

Chris R wrote:
Painting the details is the easy part. Its getting the finish so it looks nice is the expensive and hard part. Quite honestly, I would be hesitant to dump 300 dollars into a set of those plain jane hubcaps.
I would be more worried about those mag style hubcaps falling off on the freeway then someone stealing them.

Those mags are held on a little different than the other covers like the full wheel covers. They have 4 or 5 sets of big spikes that embed themselfs in the rims. Raise heck with the paint.Not those spring type tabs all the way around the rim that nold on the full covers or the repo trim rims.

Hope to get by for less than $150, If I re-chrome them then $??

-- Edited by jim larson on Saturday 23rd of April 2011 02:22:17 PM

John D · 2K+ Club

Hey guys, if Jim thinks the dog dish caps are cool and he wants to put $$$ into them, that's his choice

No kidding. (I happen to like the doggy-dish hubcaps... better than the American Torque-Thrusts, or Cragar SS's everyone throws on these cars)

-- Edited by John D on Sunday 24th of April 2011 06:54:49 AM

jim larson · 2K+ Club

I have read that the reverse electrolysis process is the best method to use. You us a battery, a stainless steel rod/wand, and a special solution that
www.forum.caswellplating.com/ Sells. Has anyone does this?

-- Edited by jim larson on Sunday 24th of April 2011 07:47:40 AM

-- Edited by jim larson on Sunday 24th of April 2011 07:48:39 AM

Dave Seitz · Mega Poster

Jim if you still want the chrome stripped off the hub caps give me a call.

-- Edited by Dave Seitz on Sunday 24th of April 2011 07:05:05 AM

jim larson · 2K+ Club

Dave Seitz wrote:
Jim if you still want the chrome stripped off the hub caps give me a call.

-- Edited by Dave Seitz on Sunday 24th of April 2011 07:05:05 AM

Still deceiding. Will call If I deceide to go ahead. Thanks.

Chris R · 2K+ Club

I dont think anyone is saying you shouldnt spend your money on these. Just make sure your putting your money towards the right set. Plus, if you have a shop in Buffalo do them, thats either going to be a shipping cost. Unless you make the long drive up there from where you are, in which case. A good half to full tank of gas will set you back as well. Also should be considered into the cost of rediong a set. Or anything for that matter.