[Greg Reid]

Could be Andre. Only time will tell how long the finish will last but it looks good right now.

[400 4spd.]

Nice work, Greg. Any interest in doing some for other people?

[Greg Reid]

Never thought about it Steve. Possibly I suppose... And thanks for the compliment!
BTW, here's the pic that disappeared from the last post.

[Ragtop Man]

Love this thread!

As a lifelong modeler, I've been experimenting with all kinds of chrome, and chrome-substitute finishes. Forgive the pun, but Greg's results mirror mine.

First, the base plastic needs to be 100% stripped and clean. Soak in a big tub of Zep Brand Driveway and Concrete cleaner, then scrub with a soft brush.

You'll need to fix any damage to the base plastic. Then, depending on your desired quality level, you can polish the plastic with the Novus 1-2-3 system, or Brasso. Wipe with pre-cleaner (no Xyxlenes!) and you are ready to mask for the black.

There are multiple ways to go black:

a. Testors' Model Master Gloss black enamel, from the small hobby jar mixed with their thinner or a quality enamel reducer.

b. Testors MM Gloss Black spray can, decanted to an airbrush by spraying into a jar, then fogging on for mirror black. (Your airbrush gives much better pressure and atomization than the 2 cent nozzle.) You can keep adding thinner and cutting pressure until it looks dipped in black.

c. Long ball: Tamiya acrylic flat black, with a gloss coat of a quality automotive clear. The acyrlic lays dead flat; clear brings up the shine (you can polish it) then you can do your chrome over the top.


I've been using spaz stix in the can to rescue some chrome that was not worth sending to my plater. While it was very convincing, my surface prep left some to be desired.

However, the holding fixture had two fresh, perfect gloss blobs of epoxy on it. After a few passes with the spaz stix, they looked like fresh solder blobs -- absolutley indistinguishable from vacuum plated chrome.

HTH some of you guys -- anyone with Alsa Experience please let me know how that went. My partners in our hobby company got fed up waiting for them, and went with a different brand, but have been very unhappy.

[Greg Reid]

Excellent information Ragtop Man. Thanks for the contribution! I like the detailed information on getting the gloss black right. Like painting just about anything, it's what's under the finish that makes it or breaks it.
As for Alsa, I can't see any reason to use it after using the much more economical Spaz Stix.

Now, how have you found the durability to be and have you used any clearcoat to top it off?
With the Alsa stuff, I've found that the clearcoat seems to lessen the 'chrome effect' very slightly.

[Old Goat 67]

After seeing your results, I'd never do the Alsa thing again.

[gtomike1967]

Hi, very helpful thread. Do you think this method would work for 1966 arm rest bases? They would probably get more abuse than a dash bezel. I know the bases are repoped but...
Thank you!

[Greg Reid]

I wouln't hesitate to try it...especially since you could do them all for just a few bucks and a few hours time. Armrests are a heck of a lot easier to access than an instrument panel so even if it didn't last long, you could do it again in a couple of years or go for the repops.

[GT182]

That's a super look Greg. That's the best "rechromed" job I've seen in a long time. You sure it's not a real chrome job cause it sure looks like it is.

As for the bezel and the veneer where you could see chrome show between them, I've heard you can also use a black magic maker to cover the chrome so you don't need to use a lot of black paint.

I've got a rechromed bezel, still in the plastic bag, for my 66 that I'm going to work on as soon as I can and get it installed.

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by GT182

As for the bezel and the veneer where you could see chrome show between them, I've heard you can also use a black magic maker to cover the chrome so you don't need to use a lot of black paint.

That's exactly right Gary. I was just being picky and wanted to preserve the original dark aqua color that the '68 had on it instead of using black.

[unclescratch]

Do you suppose this technique could be used with good results on the tail light housings? Or might the heat from the 1157 bulbs hurt the finish?

[Greg Reid]

I don't know to be honest. I kind of wonder how it would hold up to outdoor conditions also. Obviously, coating it with a durable clear coat would help but in my experience, the clearcoat lessens the chrome effect noticably. Looks just a little better than hardware store 'chrome' spray.
One thing I will say in favor of trying it, it's cheap and pretty easy to use. If it doesn't work, you're not out of too much time or money.

[charles bledsoe]

Greg what a great job you did!! I bought the chromed metal rings a while back off of e-bay. Now I think I'm going to try your method. I'm guessing that the only place you can get the Spaz Stix is on the Internet is this correct? I'm also going to try and remove the original wood off with out destroying it, sand the old flaking varnish off, re-varnish, and reuse. How hard is it to get the wood off the bezel? Any tips?
Thanks!

[Greg Reid]

Thanks Charles
As for the Spaz Stix, I got mine from an eBay vendor here-
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ht_1443wt_1206
but I'm pretty sure you could get it at just about any hobby shop that caters to the R/C car enthusiasts.
The '68, which I used this on, has a vinyl applique type woodgrain so it wasn't hard to get off. The wood on a '66, I'm not sure about as I mine iis way back on the back burner at this point. Love to see how yours comes out if you decide to try it though.

[ponchjoe]

Greg, excellent job and write up. I have a question, do you know of there is any "dark aqua" out there to repaint the gauge area? The paint seems to be peeling off of mine.
Thanks
Joe

[Greg Reid]

Thanks Joe! To my knowledge no one offers the color commercially. I do seem to recall some discussion about matching it some time ago and I THINK that Kurt (68GTOMN) may have tried to have it matched. You might want to pm him and find out.

[dkpilot]

Had my 68 dash housing boxed and ready to ship.....then I found this thread.

Decided to try the Spax Stix, especially since the wood veneer is in great condition.

Came out great.
Thanks so much.

Now I will give it a shot on the convertible top switch, as most of the original chrome is peeling off.

[dkpilot]

Results after removing the tape....a light polish needs to be done after further drying time.

[Greg Reid]

Looks great dkpilot. You are actually the first one that I know of who has done this (besides me) and was satisfied with the results.

[dkpilot]

I was having a hard time justifying spending the $500 to have it restored when the original wood veneer was in excellent condition.

I put the knobs and bezels next to the housing, and the match is outstanding.

Like you said, it is worth giving a try for the miminal cost, if it does not turn out the way you want, then have it restored.