doggonn

can anyone tell me if the pitts can be removed and is there a good place to have them done

gearheads78

It can be done but if you can find pitfree replacements the cost will be a lot less. I'ts very expensive to repair pitted pot metal.

joe_padavano

Yes it can be done. They pretty much fill the holes with dollar bills.

It's a very time consuming, labor intensive process. The plating shop strips the part of old plating, grinds out the pits, plates the part with copper, then has to hand fill each and every pit with solder. File it all smooth, THEN plate normally. As noted above, this process is only to be used as a last resort if you absolutely cannot find a good replacement part. Bring a tractor-trailer full of money if you must have the pits removed.

Funkwagon455

If the piece in question is a typical A body part, you'll be better of financially to find a better core. If it's a '34 straight eight goddess, then you are better off finding a qualified pot metal chromer, and dropping the cash. What is the part in question?

doggonn

all of my exterior mlds are pitted pretty bad .it doesnt appear that i will have the money for the rechrome . i guess i will just do the rear body and hood any suggestions for the side mlds till i get more money ? put them on or keep them off? anyway to clean them up?

rocketraider

Desert chrome! There's always someone selling beautimus western chrome at the Carlisle shows, and I think there's a few guys from dry western states on here that deal in it.

69442C

What year/model of car are we talking about? There are a lot of people here that have parts so start asking for what you need before handing over a lot of cash to platers.

nonhog

Most high end resto shops send out there chrome work in stages.
Not only can they save money that way by sanding polishing etc. But they can be sure its going to fit right.
Shops probably (my guess) don't want the average guy coming and going with the parts. I'm sure its much easier for the chrome shop to run it through the process w/o interuption.
Here is an idea for you. Not tried it myself but am thinking about using it to modify my tail piece on the 65.

http://www.muggyweld.com/potmetal.html

Good luck with whatever you decide.

doggonn

how bad will body side mldgs look on a 65 cutlass if pitts are not repaired ? car is going to be a cruiser not a show car. do you think they would look better or just leave them alone and put on car

442scotty

Lots of people dont have them done....looks fine cleaned up and polished...personal preference really..

Tucsonbob

I have the name and number of a guy in Tucson who does great work.

doggonn

do you have any pictures of them polished ,sounds like a great idea . how would you go about stripping the chrome

442_Mustang

I paid 220.00 to have my origional door handles on my 72 repaired (Pits) and rechromed. You can buy repro, but I've not been too impressed with how they function.It's pricey. There's a place in Pennsylvania that advertises in muscle car mags that my buddy uses and they seem to be more reasonable and do better work. I dunno...Looking at 2 similar cars but one has the nice trim and finish level , It's hard to beat. If you do decide to have em done, make sure to have them lock in a price before you send them.

Junkman

For irreplaceable parts, I use Qual Krom in Eire PA. Not the least expensive, and sometimes, I think that they are the most expensive, but you get what you pay for. Attention to detail, and perfect work every time. Comes with a lifetime warranty, as long as you are the original owner of the replated part.
For run of the mill parts that don't have to be perfect, I use a variety of platers, depending on who can get the work done the fastest and least expensive.