[lester]

I bought into a very small chroming shop. and working on duplicating the W72 covers.
we've tanked many test pieces and will have the first set done buy 2/4/11

I need to know if there is a market for them and who would want them.

I can take your striped painted covers ( cant be sanded ) and chrome them.

I have about 10 sets of stock covers to be reworked.

I also got a set from a aftermarket Co. to strip the chrome and then rechrome. just to see how correct they will look

the price has yet to be set. here is a pic of a test piece from 2 weeks ago. the cover looks better then in the pic.
plus the steel needed a little more prep work. the cover on the right is a repro.

what do you think?

[77 Canamman]

Please post this over in the '73-'77 A body forum for all of the W72 Can Am owners that might want them...

[lester]

thanks I was getting ready to do that..

[bobzdar]

Originally Posted by lester

I bought into a very small chroming shop. and working on duplicating the W72 covers.
we've tanked many test pieces and will have the first set done buy 2/4/11

I need to know if there is a market for them and who would want them.

I can take your striped painted covers ( cant be sanded ) and chrome them.

I have about 10 sets of stock covers to be reworked.

I also got a set from a aftermarket Co. to strip the chrome and then rechrome. just to see how correct they will look

the price has yet to be set. here is a pic of a test piece from 2 weeks ago. the cover looks better then in the pic.
plus the steel needed a little more prep work. the cover on the right is a repro.

what do you think?

I would if you could figure out how to keep them from leaking after being put on and off an engine a few times. I prefer the stock look but went to the edelbrock elites so they'd stop leaking...

[lester]

they leak because they get torqued to tight, and the flang bends.
and cheap gaskets dont help either.

a hammer and dolly is used on them to fix the bolt hole area.

[3tas4me]

Hard to tell by your photo but they look about right. The repos are good for the early cars but the W-72 covers were not that polished.

[lester]

here is a pic of my covers from my 36k mile 77 W72 400
you can see they do have a shine to them. and the ones I have need more shine on them.

[muscle_collector]

hard to tell for sure by the picture, but the one on the right looks way to shiny. the originals were nickle plated if i am correct, not chromed. i have a 78 ta 6.6 car with around 4k miles on it and i doubt they would photograph that shiny.

[lester]

the ones on the right are PY repros. I just have them in the pic for a comparison.

and they dont have nickle on them.

[muscle_collector]

Originally Posted by lester

the ones on the right are PY repros. I just have them in the pic for a comparison.

and they dont have nickle on them.

what doesnt have nickle on them, the repros or the original t/a-6.6 ones???

[77 TRASHCAN]

Lester,
You might post your question in the street section, also, see if it gets any attention.
I'd like a set, just don't know if I have any old ones that could be plated...??? and it's not high on my "need" list, at the moment....

I wonder how much the PY covers are $$$ ???

Get the 77 painted yet??? Some of us can't hold our breath any longer...LOL

[3tas4me]

Original W-72 covers are not the shiny, polished chrome like the PY repos. They have some shine, but not like that. I have two W-72 cars with original valve covers on them and neither look like the PY covers.

[lester]

GUYS, I know the repro cover are not correct... if they were this thread would not even be here...lol

I only took a pic of my test piece with the repros setting beside them.
I guess I should of not done that, seems people are getting confused.

once I get the finished product I will snap few pics of them beside a original W72 set.

I am not and will not be selling the repro covers , the pic is just there for a comparison to the chrome not correct repros.

[Bill Boyle]

Lester--the chrome job in you photo looks good--far better than the OEM "chrome" version put on the L78-W72 engines.

When I started with showing my car, I opted for the shinny chrome version and bought a set from Ames. They looked great for many years but now they are pitting and rust is raising it's ugly head mostly on flanges. I've buffed them out several times, but Mr. Rust and Corrosion keep returning.

With you plating process, how long do you expect the chrome to stay good? Five years? Ten years?

[lester]

round 3 Im getting closer to the correct look. one of them is a W72 cover the other not.
right now , if you didnt know what to look for and once installed and covered by an AC unit and air cleaner and wires. you'ed never know the diffrence.

round 4 on them starts in a few weeks.






pic on the car.

[784spdta]

Those are looking good, from the pics they look very much like my originals...well done!