does my chrome have a chance????

[The01Cav]

I was wondering if my chrome has any sort of chance at being revived?

[Murr1525]

Re: does my chrome have a chance????

It will be hard to get out scratches, but they can certainly be shined up.

Is the entire wheel chrome? Some of it looks painted?

[Bounty]

Re: does my chrome have a chance????

Looks like a chrome lip with painted center/spokes. You can try Meguiar's Hot Rims Chrome Polish Liquid by hand and if that's not enough...M105 via microfiber or terry. Follow that up with the Chrome Polish Liquid and be sure to seal/protect the wheels after with a good wax or sealant.

Maintenance is the key to keep them looking sharp. Clean/treat/protect them with every wash and you'll prevent some of the scratching and oxidation instead of having to deal with it later on.

[rgcurtis]

Re: does my chrome have a chance????

Here is what I did.
1. Wash
2. Clay Bar
3. Mothers Polish x2 (Sorry, didn't have Meg's yet) One coat was with red shop towel and last one with MF towel. Oh, and good 'ol fashion elbow grease.
[I do agree with Bounty and would have tried M105 if I would have had it]

31 year old chorme bumper (BEFORE)



31 year old bumper (AFTER)



Make sure you keep us posted on what worked. Good luck.

[BarryK]

Re: does my chrome have a chance????

chrome plating is actually 3 layers - Copper, Nickle, than a very thin coating of the actual chrome.
Once that top coating is scratched there isn't anything you can do to correct it short of having the part re-plated.

Yes, you can work it and makes the scratches seem less noticeable but there is no way to actually fix or correct it. In fact, with pretty much any type of "correction process" you may attempt all you are really doing is polishing away more of the existing top layer remaining effectively making it worst but it APPEARS to look better simply because you are matching the appearance of the top layer so that it's more uniformly scratched.

Believe me, I learned the hard (and expensive!) way how easily chrome parts scratch even with so-called "safe" polished made for metal and chrome and once scratched there is no return from it short of getting it re-chromed.

Again, you can make it appear to look better (see rgcurtis's post as an example) but it will never be even close to correct again without replating. Look at rgcurtis's example pics. While the "after" pic does appear to be significantly better and improved from the "before" pic if you look carefully you can still see scratches and flaws throughout the entire surface of the part. Chances are the entire layer of Chrome is actually polished away and what you are looking at is the undercoating layer of nickle.
Many people may find those results acceptable because the initial scratches as shown are not there but as the owner of multiple older classic showcars and used to dealing with chrome parts I wouldn't finds the results at all acceptable because trhe chrome still doesn't have the unblemished, clean reflection properties a correct chrome part should have

The suggestion to use something as aggressive as M105 on chrome is a guaranteed route to ruining the part and while you are out buying the M105 you might as well also find and purchase a box big enough to ship the part out to the chrome plating shop because that would be the next step

[The01Cav]

Re: does my chrome have a chance????

I was just hoping to get some luster back out of it, not looking for 100%, but just more less some reflection.

[The01Cav]

Re: does my chrome have a chance????

I bought the wheels used and when I got them it was like they had never been washed before by the previous owner.

[Murr1525]

Re: does my chrome have a chance????

The chrome can certainly be improved, its just that chrome products cant be used on paint, thats why we wanted to know for sure what was what.

Since they do look painted in parts, this would be my plan: (and if parts are not painted, do correct me)

1. Wash - I would go with the Aluminum Wheel Wash and a soft brush, be sure to get out all the nooks and crannies.

2. Clay - You can clay the whole wheel with the Smooth Surface Clay kit. Just be sure to use a small piece of clay, you wont want to reuse it on your paint.

3. Clean -
A: The painted parts can be treated like paint, so use a good paint cleaner like SwirlX to clean them up.
B: The chrome parts can be cleaned up with any of the metal polishes. There is a dedicated Hot Rims Chrome Cleaner. But if you have other metal to work on like aluminum/SS on the car, you might want to go with Hot Rims Mag and Aluminum polish. I would go with a terry cloth to apply the polish (or an old white athletic sock turned inside out) and work in a few applications well, and then have a clean cloth around to wipe off the polish.

[vp920b]

Re: does my chrome have a chance????

Can I use NXT all metal polish as a chrome brightener?

THanks

[Murr1525]

Re: does my chrome have a chance????

Yes, Nxt is safe for chrome.

[Alex C.]

Re: does my chrome have a chance????

Another one for NXT All Metal Polysh. That with a buff wheel on my drill did wonders for the chromework on my truck.

[Eddie6th]

Re: does my chrome have a chance????

Hi,i'd like to address RGcurtis and BarryK.

Firstly to Barry.Thank's for the information on chrome work. If I had the choice to live with RG's before and after fender,i'd definitely pick the after.I've tried to get parts re-chromed and 'one off' pieces are not cheap.So rather than see a scratched up part,I would do my best to bring it back to life.At worst,you can always go and get it chromed anyway,if the polishing was not satisfactory.

Secondly to RG,that is one hec of a transformation you did! It looks 100% better.The original thread is nowhere near as bad as what your's was to start with.

[rgcurtis]

Re: does my chrome have a chance????

The thing that I used the most of was ELBOW GREASE. My arms were so tired I thought I was going to cry....lol.

[Eddie6th]

Re: does my chrome have a chance????

The thing that I used the most of was ELBOW GREASE. My arms were so tired I thought I was going to cry....lol.

Hi RG,glad to see you're back with us! that's why I like claying cars....It's just too easy,but makes a big difference!

P.S. I sent you a mail.

[rgcurtis]

Re: does my chrome have a chance????

Ed, got the email. As for my absence.....work has be bogged down. So far working on 10 days straight. Getting home at 6pm and back at work at 7am. Back to the chrome.....how did it turn out???? Oh, Ed, GREAT quote in your signature by the way.....BLUES BROTHERS!!