I've had work done by two firms who, at best, cut corners by trying to do some of the fill in detail work by excessive copper plating, thereby softening the edges and corners. One couldn't get the chemistry right in the tank, and had decent plating ruined by off-gassing and bubbling lifted the plating. They ended up eating up a 69 GTX trunk bezel and never compensating me for it. So stay away from Nu Chrome in Fall River, Mass.

Good Pot Metal work is a lot like doing quality body work. The earlier line about drilling and filling is right on. The tough part is keeping the sharp edges - they get lost in the repeated buffing and replating of the copper coat.

If you can find NOS - PAY FOR IT. Otherwise, find the absolute best cores you can get. And then when choosing a plater, send them one or two pieces and test them out - don't give them your best or rarest pieces first.