Looking for someone who can strip and re-plate the base for a Tuff wheel horn button. I'm not sure is this is aluminum vapor deposition, the coating is a lot thicker than other other parts with silver Al-deposition I've seen. The base itself appears to be plastic.

You might want to give Mike Ross a call at BEAParts to see whom he had do his repro horn caps (or if he has any left?), IIRC it was Jerome B.

The cap is plastic with hard chrome, it is not vacuum metalized.

If it's "hard chrome" on plastic, the only/current source I know that can COPPER/NICKLE/CHROMIUM PLATE plastic is Advanced Chrome in Nashville Tenn, for the OP they can quote/plate the part thru the mail if you send it to them

yeah, for sure it's not vacuum metalized.... that wasn't invented yet

Side question:

Anyone had any luck duplicating the finish themselves?

David Tays (plumbeeper) does a really nice job duplicating the look of dull chrome with paint. Your bigger problem is electrically stripping the original chrome off the cap.

I located Advanced Plating at 1425 Cowan Ct, Nashville, TN 37207. Is this the company to which you refer?

Aren't the gauge surrounds in the Rallye cluster Al vacuum/vapor deposition?

Yes, family run business, custom shop, not a production plater, Steve is the owner/proprietor, top shelf work

The "chroming" process used in that application was known as hot plating, where the aluminum was transferred to just the raised surfaces via a die plate, much like an ink stamp

BAM! Got the 'learn something new every day' off my list for today! Thanks!

I did talk to Advanced Plating (not sure if it was Steve) but he said they don't do plastic parts anymore because they weren't happy with the results in most cases. He pointed me to www.muellercorp.com and Glenn Mueller emailed me back and recommended I contact Mike Mancini at Instrument Specialties, Inc. I guess Mike batches parts for Glenn so I'm waiting to hear back from Mike. I know Instrument Specialties from other discussions here and, if I'm not mistaken, they have a good rep.

Well I actually sanded mine smooth and primed and repainted it. I used a silver metal paint and it looked show ready . Someone was making new alum bases at one time but I have not seen them in person. You may also want to check with GCar if you want to replate yours .

Sad to here Advance no longer does plastic, however Mike Mancini at Instrument Specialties is a top shelf service, I've been to his shop, seen first hand that Mike and his people turn out nothing but quality work

I'm looking at the Valspar silver brushed nickel 66005 spray can... might be my only option. Do you recall what you used?

Here's what Thomas @ Instrument Specialties had to say:
"Ok we have done these before but here is the trick., That finish on there is a satin brushed look. We cannot replicate that. We can either paint it with a metallic and it will look bright silver, or we can chrome it and it will look shiny like chrome. The satin finish in not something we can replicate."

I don't think the shiny chrome will look right so a repaint may be the only option. Does anyone know how these were done originally?

I was gonna say there is a guy that lives somewhere in st Charles Missouri that does plastic plating. But it sounds like that is not how these should look. I thought he posted on here but maybe it's dodgecharger or forbbodiesonly. MoparSteve something, been trying to think of it since yesterday.

You can duplicate the dull chrome look (dirty nickel) by using a very fine glass bead on the nickel plating before the clear chrome top coat is electrically applied. That was a trick I conveyed to Jules several years ago before he passed.

I think the color I used was a brushed nickel (KRYLON )and I used a finer grit to sand first and a light coat of fill primer to feather the chipped / lifted spots . You may have to sand and prime a few times before the final color . I was very happy with the results and I am very picky . Wish I had a pic but car sold a few years ago .

The Valspar 66005 Brushed Nickel isn't a good match for the horn button base.



It may work on my tail light bezels so it won't go to waste. Waiting for delivery of a can of the Krylon Brushed Nickel K05125500 to see how that compares.