Chrome

[FastFrog]

I'm planing to to do a minor resto of my 76 911 to include a Britte/metallic silver. And I was wondering if any one has ever had their rear deck lid chromed?
I was leaning to wards "smoked" chrome. Are there any draw backs anyone can think of?
If any one has any ideas or Pics of unique lids, lets see Um!

[BryanM]

i've thought of stripping my aluminum lid and polishing it, but haven't had time. search for spray on chrome. there are different brands. special equipment is needed, so DIY is not an option. no idea who does it, but enough searching and i'm sure you could find someone. i think it'd be difficult to get good results and cost prohibitive to do plating.

[Grandad#3]

Chrome is fine for smaller parts. The big draw back for large sheet metal is that the surface has to completely free of any imperfections as it will stand out like a sore thumb or worse. The smaller shops that used to do chrome work shut down due to the EPA Rules and it has made it harder to find a good shop close to home. I wish you luck in your work.

Cheers,
Larry

[FastFrog]

Good idea about about strip and polish, might give it a try as as first attempt.
And as far as imperfections, there are a few dips that would stand out.
Thanks for the Help!

[Tim K]

As far as -very- minor imperfections go (and if you've got a shop who will work with you a little bit), you can plate with copper, block sand, repeat... then nickel, chrome.

I read an article a long time ago where a guy did this with his rocker covers on a muscle car. It took care of some minor waves.

Tim K

[haycait911]

I suspect the coppers might have an issue with a giant mirror on the back of your car, angled perfectly to blind other drivers.

[Busterblond]

Several of the early 69-72 era Porsches had polished grills ,,I know this one because mine is polished, and I have never heard any negative comments about how bright it is I like the Bling Bling .... Just be -carefull about how you polish , the ends are very soft and are easily bent. first screw it to a solid surface . Then if you wish give it a couple of coats of a good clear U.V.A. coat so you don't spend every other weekend cleaning off the tarnish....Ooohh yea thats fun Good Luck Buster

[FastFrog]

Sounds like polished is the way to go. I'll probably strip the paint and if no Maj imperfections, try to spend a few hours with buffer and metal polish. If it looks bad, I'll just get it painted. Thanks for all the input!

[haycait911]

Originally Posted by Busterblond

Several of the early 69-72 era Porsches had polished grills ,,I know this one because mine is polished, and I have never heard any negative comments about how bright it is I like the Bling Bling .... Just be -carefull about how you polish , the ends are very soft and are easily bent. first screw it to a solid surface . Then if you wish give it a couple of coats of a good clear U.V.A. coat so you don't spend every other weekend cleaning off the tarnish....Ooohh yea thats fun Good Luck Buster

I think he's talking about the decklid itself, not the grill.

[haycait911]

Originally Posted by FastFrog

Sounds like polished is the way to go. I'll probably strip the paint and if no Maj imperfections, try to spend a few hours with buffer and metal polish. If it looks bad, I'll just get it painted. Thanks for all the input!

steel doesn't polish very well. sand it using progressively finer grit to about 2000 then start polishing. another way to go would be to sand it all in one direction then clear-coat it. kind of a 'delorean' finish.