Fellas -

Bumpers on my 71 GTX need to be chromed. Anyone know of any reputable shops in Northern VA/D.C. area? Also, any ideas on cost?

Thanks!

Scott

C'mon dude! Where do you live? NoVa! I thought there was a measure for NoVa to seceed from the country with Maryland. No that was only for NoVa to become the 51st state.

There are some places that do it , but noone good. Stay away from Metro in Kensington. Send your stuff out to PA or Tri City in TN and you'll be happy. I think theres a place in Richmond, but I haven't used them. Space Coast in Cocoa, FL is outrageous expensive, but work is outstanding!

Grab a copy of hemmings and pay the postage.

Too much environmental sfuff here.

I don't know about your area, but one very important thing to ask is "Is your process Hexavalent or Trivalent chrome?" You want Hexavalent, but it is more environmentally hazardous (and expensive) and therefore more and more shops are going to the Trivalent--and of course the Trivalent shops will tell you its 'just as good'.
Another consideration is how much prep time they spend on the copper (after they plate up the copper) removing surface imperfections prior to plating what you actually see--the nickel then chrome.
Artisans produce that incredible defect-free lustre we all admire, hacks in the 'bucket shops' produce that shine-without-depth and scratches and waves in places you can see when you look closely.

Not sure of any local platers these days w/ all the environmental regulations that apply.

My suggestion is to contact Tri-City, since they have a good reputation on here. I think a "ballpark" price for rechroming a bumper is $300-400, but that was from talking to them at Carlisle a few years ago.

Thanks for the info. Apparently there is a good ship in Va Beach, but expensive. Another one in Richmond, good work, not too expensive.

Thanks again,

Scott

I had some chrome work done by a shop in Richmond and they were not a quality shop. They specialize in bumpers but will do just about anything... badly! Their favorite tool is a grinder. Post the name of the shop for references and see who used them before you try them. I doubt if Tri-City does anything except bumpers. Try Qual-Chrome in Erie, PA if they are still around. I had some parts done by them years back and they were reasonably priced, had professional service and prompt turn around. My friend in Stafford has a good chromer.