has anyone chromed the aluminum grill and headlight buckets on a 67 Fury?

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Has anyone chromed the aluminum grill and headlight buckets on a 67 Fury? I am considering giving it a try as I have extra parts,, but would appreciate
some feedback from other Fury fans.
 
There's no reason a good chrome shop couldn't plate it. It might be a little pricey, but it can be done. I think you might be disappointed with the results though. To look good, your parts have to be arrow straight and no imperfections. That's not easy to do with the thin aluminum that was used.

An alternative is to buff the aluminum to a nice bright shine. It's not quite chrome, but it would look good. You'd have to strip the anodizing and then buff. Stripping the anodize is easy. Easy off oven cleaner will take care of that. Buffing can be done with a little investment in equipment and some time. I use a buffer from Harbor Fright. You can buy a starter kit from Eastwood for the buffs and compounds. The downside is you have to maintain the shine as the anodized coating is gone. I think it's a little brighter without the anodizing myself. This is your cheapest alternative and what I would do. Some folks will have it clear powdercoated, but I've never had tried that myself. I'm a bit skeptical about it, but some swear by it.

Another alternative is to have a good shop (emphasis on good) do "bright dip" anodizing. They will dip the grille in a chemical polishing solution and then do a hard anodize coating. The issue is that the shops that do this are set up to do production and not really good for one or two pieces. This is how it was finished originally. You'll have to look for a shop that specializes in this type of restoration to be sure it's done right. Anodizing is much cheaper than chroming, but a restoration shop is still not going to be cheap.
 
Thanks for the feedback BigJohn. Much appreciated. I think I will persue either anodizing it again or start the process of getting quotes on chroming,, but many days till spring and the garage door opening!
 
Has anyone chromed the aluminum grill and headlight buckets on a 67 Fury? I am considering giving it a try as I have extra parts,, but would appreciate
some feedback from other Fury fans.
I chromed the grill and the head light bezels as well as some aluminum trim strips on my '65. That was 5 years ago and there is not a sign of degradation. I also re-anodized some items but it was expensive and never looked the same as OE. I like the chrome because it kicks up the looks of the exterior whereas anodized metal seems to have a bit of a "cheaply done" look to it.
 
I chromed the grill and the head light bezels as well as some aluminum trim strips on my '65. That was 5 years ago and there is not a sign of degradation. I also re-anodized some items but it was expensive and never looked the same as OE. I like the chrome because it kicks up the looks of the exterior whereas anodized metal seems to have a bit of a "cheaply done" look to it.
Thanks for the info Yatzee. I am considering chrome despite the cost, because I am only going to do this once. Could you please post a photo of the before and after?
 
When I had the aluminum on my Barracuda polished I didn't have them anodize the pieces again. I like the look better. The car is garaged and the trim gets waxed with the car.


Alan
 
That's would be interesting to see! Keep us posted if you decide to take this route. I'd live to see it finished!
 
Has anyone chromed the aluminum grill and headlight buckets on a 67 Fury? I am considering giving it a try as I have extra parts,, but would appreciate
some feedback from other Fury fans.
I recommend getting in touch with a chromer first.
I used these guys Sandy's Bumper Mart, Inc. Chroming and plating specialists in the past with good happy results. Yet not with aluminum parts.
My personal experience,in the past,any fubar anodized pieces,I polished up and kept waxing it with positive results.
Hope this helps.
 
I've had Sandy's do some work for me. They did a good job, and I would recommend them, just don't be in a hurry
 
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I've had Sandy's do some work for me. They did a good job, and I will recommend them, just don't be in a hurry.
Bah! ha ha! You are right Big John! After ten years on the BoaB,the 4 month turnover on my bumpers was a drop in the time bucket,LOL!!
 
Bah! ha ha! You are right Big John! After ten years on the BoaB,the 4 month turnover on my bumpers was a drop in the time bucket,LOL!!
Yea, they are about 2 miles away from where I worked. Nice guys... real hole in the wall shop, but always did a great job for me. I always just figure double the time they say and add a couple weeks... LOL!
 
Well guys my car has taught me patience, my engine, the body and metal work almost a year, not to mention the time hunting for parts only to wait for another Canadian winter to end so you can get out to the garage! Lol! It's a good thing those mopars make it all worth it come spring! Thanks for the chrome shop lead.
 
Sorry for this ridiculously late reply to your post - I've been busy working on my other car, a 64 Fairlane 500. Here's a pic of chromed aluminum on my 65 Fury - you can enlarge it for better details. It should be noted that in the process of chroming aluminum a good shop will apply a layer of copper first and that's why the cost is higher. On the other hand you end up with bright chrome on the front and a protective layer of the same substance on the rear making it a one time process. The first thing you will notice after chroming is that the weight of pieces literally double and are very rigid. This is truly a worthwhile undertaking.

HPIM3697.JPG
 
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Has anyone chromed the aluminum grill and headlight buckets on a 67 Fury? I am considering giving it a try as I have extra parts,, but would appreciate
some feedback from other Fury fans.
The anodized grill on this '66 coronet has been chromed over 15 yrs ago and still looks fantastic, I like the chrome much more than the anodized look and much easier to keep clean
 
There is a fellow here in Bham Alabama who refinishes aluminum and stainless to show quality, including dent, scratch and damage repair. A LOT cheaper then chrome with the same results.
If interested, PM me for contact info.
Here are photos of some pieces he has done for me.


61 headlight trim 3 (Large).JPG


DSC01621 (Large).JPG
 
Sorry for this ridiculously late reply to your post - I've been busy working on my other car, a 64 Fairlane 500. Here's a pic of chromed aluminum on my 65 Fury - you can enlarge it for better details. It should be noted that in the process of chroming aluminum a good shop will apply a layer of copper first and that's why the cost is higher. On the other hand you end up with bright chrome on the front and a protective layer of the same substance on the rear making it a one time process. The first thing you will notice after chroming is that the weight of pieces literally double and are very rigid. This is truly a worthwhile undertaking.
Thanks for the pic. Looks great! The added weight isn't a big concern but how the pieces fit after with the added metal might be a problem.
 
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