Thread: Good Chrome

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Hi all,

Looking for a place to have a new set of headers and side pipe chromed. Not afraid of some blueing down the road. Do want them to last longer then one or two heat cycles, if multi platting in involved, what's the magic combo, nickel/chrome or copper/chrome.


All ears or eyes in the case.

I just had a bumper done at this location Airline Plating and I was very pleased. They have been in business for over 40 years and the owner has plated for many "fields" including the Oil Patch. You might give them a call and see what they have to offer you on your exhaust system. Good Luck.

meller

The problems with chrome plating many parts is the small crevices where parts some together, like the collector area of a header. You just can't throw plating all the way into those areas and they will eventually rust. That's where stainless steel works great, particularly if the tubes are polished before they are welded into a header.

The normal process is to copper, nickel, then chrome plate, in that order. Rusted parts are sometimes salvaged with a heavy copper plating, followed by sanding and polishing to remove the rust pits, then all three platings are done. It's the copper that enhances rust protection and a heavy layer of nickel that really enhances the shine. If the nickel solution is off, the parts won't look good. Properly done, the parts should look just about as shiny before plating as afterward. If you see an area where the color transitions from silver to more golden, the more golden color is nickel showing in an area where the chrome didn't throw.

FWIW, I've got polished stainless steel exhaust manifolds and pipe on my car. It didn't take long for the manifolds to turn a golden color, even with the internals sprayed with a coating from Eastwood that's supposed to help prevent the discoloration.

Originally Posted by pepi

Hi all,
Looking for a place to have a new set of headers and side pipe chromed. Not afraid of some blueing down the road. Do want them to last longer then one or two heat cycles, if multi platting in involved, what's the magic combo, nickel/chrome or copper/chrome. All ears or eyes in the case.

Have you considered ceramic coating, using a Hi-Temp inside & out process? Jet Hot is a great alternative to chrome, IMO.

Looking for chrome information only, specifically for exhaust components. Run the coated headers for some 10 years, had a set recoated, been there done that time to move on. Not the same look side by side big difference, looking to match the valve covers.

Thanks for the replays so far, I'll check back to see what else pops up.

From a Harley forum, you might check them out:

I highly recommend International Chromium Plating (ICP) in Providence Rhode Island. Their customer base is from all over the US. It is operated by the Fogarty sisters who took over from their Dad (?) and they are very meticulous.

Their great strength is chroming exhaust parts. Pipe and mufflers are difficult to plate without having the chrome bubble after heated-up during use. ICP bakes their exhaust parts in an autoclave (oven) to avoid these problems. They explained to me once that the issue is gases that cause the bubbling and by baking the parts they purge the compounds that cause the bubbles.

All I know is that I have used them several times for exhaust and other parts and they do a great job. They stand behind their work too and, if there is a problem, they will make it good.

They do a nickle-copper-chrome process typically. This is how show-quality chrome is achieved. The copper coat allows extreme polishing before the chrome final coat is applied and the finish looks like glasss.

I have also visited their plant and it is immaculate. It's also located right in the Italian section of Providence with some awesome restaurants close by.

International Chromium Plating
2 Addison PI.
Providence, RI, 02909-2410

Jean Fogarty

Phone: 401-421-0205
Fax: 401-273-9507

Dead end "International Chromium Plating : I did get a good response from Jean Fogarty ....... Think she may be biased? Not going to nick pick her, got good information I had not known, so she gets a thumbs up for that.

I will buy the ready chrome headers, and side pipes, sure blue is expected. High heat does that, but from that point on and down the chrome will be bright.

For anyone interested, Speedway, Jegs and Summit all sell the same manufactures product, after all the numbers are added the price is the same.

I like Speedway motors over all good raw parts, but what sticks out researching the headers and pipes are two things.
1 they will and do not say who the manufacture is
2 the disclaimer presented in the web sales pitch, makes one very skeptical of the chrome.
Guy on the phone out right said they were made for a car that is pushed in and out of a car show. I did find that funny as h e ll, almost spit my coffee all over the display.

However I do understand his point, cause so many want or expect some impossible things out of parts. So all good I beat the bushes, the information flew out and know what to expect. I will buy from Summit, Speedway not wanting to cough up the manufactures name, sends up a red flag with the word seconds printed on it....... Wave off for me.

What the hay I have been thru 2 sets of the coated stuff, and that was a conservative approach, for bright. It would have been twice that to keep the look like new finish, never really cuts it as an alternative to chrome IMO.


Cheers,

For what it's worth, when I built my '29 Ford roadster quite a few years ago, I used Speedway headers (I lived an hour north of Speedway so I got a lot of my parts from them). The header pipes eventually rusted where the pipes come together and they finally cracked. So, I replaced them with a pair from Sanderson and had them JetHot coated. Much better product, and the new owner had told me he has not had any problems with them, and he has owned the car for 14 years. Sanderson headers were heavier and I think that is why they have lasted longer. If you want chrome headers, I would pay the extra money and get Sandersons.

My problem in not with the headers, never had a set rust or crack. It is the coating that fails to stand the test of time. JetHot, AHC or whatever brand oxidizes and needs polishing as do alum wheels. You cannot polish the coated headers like a wheel cause the coating is thin, power coat thin and wears thru quickly.

Sanderson headers, I appreciate the suggestion, 2 problems with them, one they do not sell chrome headers, two @ 800 bucks I could buy stainless steel headers. That would work, but no one makes stainless steel headers for SBC and sprint car style.

Stainless steel SBC sprint car headers can be had, north of a grand for the headers only with stepped tubes, but this is a street car.

So the chrome wins this battle and here is why. They will blue out from the port, but at some point along the tube it will cool and have zero effect.

The chrome will stay bright from that point on, and not dull. Chrome is much easier to clean, wet a rag with lacquer thinner and wipe em down, same applies for valve covers.

The Harley has chrome drag pipes that were put on 1980 and look the same as the first day. These coated pipes will never do that.

We used to wrap a short length of 10 gauge copper wire close to the mounting bolts at the head, the wire helped dissapate the heat and the chrome didn't blue after the wire. 2 or 3 wraps and twist the ends together, worked okay.

Had chrome headers on my boat that I coated the inside with special heat paint I got from the boat shop, headers did not blue any where. Re-coated every season for 4 years, looked new.