340-S Hood inserts who "restores" them ?

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RON REAGLE

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I have a set of 340-S hood inserts I need restored. They have the typical pitting and someone removed the textured argent from them. Is there anyone out there who has had a set redone or refinished a set yourselves that can offer any advice? Thanks

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This is something I have contemplated for a somewhat long time. Die cast pot metal (everything that gets thrown into the pot, zinc, aluminum, lead and other heavy metal tag alongs) is expensive to restore. The bubbling and blistering you see is not from weathering and neglect but from impurities in the metal itself. That happens from the inside eventually to the surface so no diecast part or restoration for that matter will last forever. Each blister must be dug out with a carbide burr to get all impurities out and filled with welding rod with out distorting the casting, then hand shaped and smoothed for chrome plating. Muggy weld makes welding rods, google them. But before you diy, realize that no chrome plater I know will plate diy diecast, they use professional service they can trust cause of how their chrome plating going to look in the end.

I have contemplated duplicating diecast in aluminum billet (not cheap either) and having it plated.

if you still want to have diecast restored, you can find vendors in Hemings motor news or old cars magazine.
 
I used these guys for the pot metal Rallye mirrors and a few other items on my '70 ebody. Home

They are not cheap, but their work is second to none. They drill out each pit and plate the entire part with copper , sand it down and keep plating it with copper until the surface is smooth.

Once you get it back, you can paint the recesses black and wipe of the chrome surface to get the end result you want.
 
Although out here in Ca., I send my chroming to Pauls Chroming in the east. Does a great job, great detail, excellent! After chroming others can do the detail work. Not cheap but the best.
 
I see your from Pa. My friend had a very badly pitted roof parts for a 66 plymouth pot metal trim. He had them done by a Bike restoration and custom parts museum. They did a unbelievable job. My son knows Bill the owner of the bike shop and sent Rolland there to get them done. .

Restoration Museums are the place to go. Bills is great for his service and The museum is out of this world. Its a transportation and Toy Museum. Its like a back door into one of the best chrome platers in PA. not far from his museum.

Tell him Steve Kiss sent you.

Google Maps
 
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Hey Ron, have you considered our very own "Mistress of Metal"?
@CudaChick1968
Contact Leanna and see what she has to say.
Get them smoothed out and rechromed then repaint or powder coat. Chroming them comes first. Then tape them off , Etch them and then paint them. Powder coat would replace the paint not the chrome. Powder chrome just don't have the same depth. But to each his own I guess.
 
Get them smoothed out and rechromed then repaint or powder coat. Chroming them comes first. Then tape them off , Etch them and then paint them. Powder coat would replace the paint not the chrome. Powder chrome just don't have the same depth. But to each his own I guess.

Actually, powder coating pot metal is something most coaters avoid like the plague because it's full of trapped air, mixed metals and impurities, making the outcome impossible to predict. The thicker the part, the more likely it's going to blow up into a minefield of bubbles. Hood inserts CAN be done but it's a risk only the owner can decide to take. The owner of these inserts was delighted with the results.

Hood inserts before.jpg


Hood inserts restored.jpg
 
Leana , If they were rechromed, Could the detail work be done in powder coat?

I have two problems with coating over chrome. The ideal surface for any powder is the media blasted, bare, spotlessly clean substrate metal. Blasting a good, triple-plated chrome job to provide for adequate powder "tooth" and longevity is tedious enough just to etch it let alone completely remove it. Of course, powders could be applied on the chrome as is but it will not last for decades ... so I don't do it that way.

One also has to presume that the chrome job is going to stay put. The important thing to remember about pot metal is that you never know what exactly is in it, as it's made from all the steel plant leftovers on any given day. Any dissimilar metals are going to want to separate from each other over time (as evidenced by all the pitting and deterioration on our old pot metal consoles, light housings, emblems, antenna bases, door handles, etc.), and that can cause the chrome to start coming off in sheets. When it does, it will take my powder job right along with it.
 
Leana , Please P.M. me so we can discuss an estimate. Thanks Ron

I appreciate that Ron but encourage you to research all other avenues first.

Your 340-S inserts are a lot more rare and costly, and heating up pot metal -- most especially on a job that will take several colors (a chrome replica, light and dark argent silvers sealed with a separate clear coat for UV stability, and flat black for the trim stripe) -- just increases the chances of pulling trapped air pockets to the surface.

In a perfect world they'd turn out great but if they don't, repairs and rework can get very costly very quickly. The real possibility also exists that it could ruin and/or warp them. I don't have my hands on the invoice for the inserts I showed up there but remember they were a ton of work (mostly filling and sanding) even without any pot metal bubbling pitfalls.

You probably didn't expect this from a vendor when you replied, but I didn't get where I am today by inviting work and only offering apologies along with my invoice. There is no better customer than an informed one, and if I'm not your best choice for a given project then I'll be the first one to tell you so. In the cases of restoring pot metal, I'm more likely to try to talk you out of it instead of reaching for your wallet.
 
I appreciate your Honesty. I have 3 sets of these and two of them are pitted like most. 1 set is really clean and probably just need a good polish on the chrome and the detailed paint scheme. If you want I can send you pictures and You can decide if you'd be willing to do them and we can agree on a price. I paid a lot of money for these ones due to the condition they were the best I could find and my car warrants them. Thanks Ron
 
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