Chrome or Powder Coat?

[Mike Crenshaw]

Picked up a clean 2003 California EV a couple of weeks back.  Mechanically in great shape, 9000 miles on the bike.  However a significant amount of the bright work has been peeling off several parts.  The floor boards only have a remnant of chrome left although the steel looks to be good underneath.  The valve covers have no chrome at all.  I suspect the PO removed the chrome when it began to peel.  Brake rod, shift rod and spoked wheels all have peeling chrome.  I've asked around and it seems that a reliable decorative chrome plating shop in the DFW area is hard to find.   If I can't find a good chrome shop I'm considering powder coating the floor boards, shift/brake rods, and valve covers.  Wheels, I can live with for now.  Any suggestions as to reliable chrome shops or issues to be aware of when powder coating?

[Kev m]

Chrome won't get you home!

I've always been a powdercoat guy.

That said, Chrome, when done properly, can be more durable. Powdercoat may buff off under heavy frictional loads (rubbing). Though that shouldn't generally be an issue for the parts you've named. And you can always touch it up with a sharpie or paint or plasti-dip.

EDIT - back when I had the Jackal we taped the spokes, sanded the rims, and painted them with wheel paint. Held up great, but Jenn swore she'd never do it again (I used the royal "we" there) as her hands were seriously cramping after all that.

[oldbike54]

 Chrome plating shops are on the wane , mostly because the stuff is toxic . My preference would be powder coat , or even a baked on (stove) enamel like the Brits did for years . Stove enamel can give a truly tough finish , and can be done at home on small parts . Heck , even some anodizing can be done at home now , check that out .

 Dusty

[RinkRat II]

      Most of the better shops in the west have moved to Mexico. There are still a few but they are pricey. I've used Pauls in PA for some high end restoration parts and they were perfect. Kinda like going fast, How much You wanna spend?  The main reason powder has become so popular it's relatively less expensive and now they have some pretty wild coatings. Go see some samples if you have a powdercoater nearby it may spark something you didn't know.

      http://www.paulschrome.com/index.php

    Paul B

[kirb]

There are some special plating shops in Utah (Cadmium) and you can find small batch plating joints just about everywhere if you look if there is any industry. Shipping will be a must for most shops.

Powder coating is very durable and easy to do yourself (I do mine in the garage) with excellent results. Small batch PC is also easy to find in production areas.

You can do chrome-like powder coating. It's not exact, but will do a pretty decent job if you do the higher end 2 step process.

[Sheepdog]

We have a chrome shop over in Madisonville, LA and a powder coating outfit in Slidell. For most brightwork, I prefer polished stainless. However, I'm a believer in powder coating and Jet-Hot...

https://www.jet-hot.com/colors

[balvenie]

FWIW, powder coating won't always work on the likes of valve covers (e.g. mine ) The alloy, being porous, allows the engine oil to permeate (?) through to the outer layer of the material making adhesion difficult. That's the theory that I've heard and probably accounts for why p c did not work on my valve covers.

[rodekyll]

FWIW, powder coating won't always work on the likes of valve covers (e.g. mine ) The alloy, being porous, allows the engine oil to permeate (?) through to the outer layer of the material making adhesion difficult. That's the theory that I've heard and probably accounts for why p c did not work on my valve covers.

Used, porous metal can be problematic.  A good powdercoater will clean the pores as possible and then run the parts through the oven at higher than cure temp without a coating to "outgas" any contaminants.  I've done valve covers and case castings.  Prepped properly they should be no problem.

[Gliderjohn]

When I went through the T-3 I used Graves Plating. http://gravesplating.com/
Plated or replated the floorboards, header pipes, shift and brake linkages, front fender braces, brake and clutch pedals, and the front crash bars. That was in the spring of 1990 and everything still looks great after 75K miles. Dusty can confirm the looks. At that time the cost was in the mid $400 range and turn around time was less than four weeks. Very pleased.
GliderJohn

[kirb]

Agree. The failures are usually improper prep. Clean, clean, clean, then bake to drive off any solvent. The solvents and methods depend on the part, but anything left behind could be a problem.

Prepped correctly and the coating will look great for a long time (provided you use a powder rated for the temps you are going to see).

Used, porous metal can be problematic.  A good powdercoater will clean the pores as possible and then run the parts through the oven at higher than cure temp without a coating to "outgas" any contaminants.  I've done valve covers and case castings.  Prepped properly they should be no problem.

[chuck peterson]

I'm a really big fan of Jet-Hot black that I used for headers and mufflers. Took the heat and keep cleaning right back to new looking after 75k...can be used for non heat related coatings, too

[LowRyter]

You can buy new floor boards for $88/ea from Harpers.

https://www.harpermoto.com/footboard-w-o-pad-29443501.html

Many folks have rattle canned valved covers.  Just a couple of suggestions and points of comparisons based on the cost of chrome and powder coating.