As mentioned earlier, I prepped and experimented in advance. This is a testpanel that I made to see how it could all work out nicely. The panel itself is PCB, the strips are cut from 4x4mm brass U-channels. The ends are capped off with soldered in 3mm lengths of brass rod. Where the caps are, the PCB has an indent. The vinyl is cut flush here, for the rest of the panel the U channels fit perfectly over the vinyl-PCB giving a nice and professional finish. All the 8 messing strips needed have been cut to length and capped upfront, then sent to the chrome shop (there is a 6 weeks lead time). I actually went for a nickel finish, including for the radio and heater panel surround. That gives a slightly softer look over chrome, goes well with the dark green of the interior and vinyl. The ones in the pictures are not plated yet.
