# Chrome plating cam covers?



## kjansch (May 8, 2005)

I don't quite know which section to put this in, so excuse me for putting in the general chit chat section.

Does anyone know if it's possible to chrome plate the cam covers/pulley cover? Has anyone done this?

I'm well aware that various paints & powder coatings have been used in the past but I was just wondering if anyone has gone a step further and had them plated. If so, could you give me a little insight into how you went about it in terms of preparation, finding a company to do it etc?

Also, my understanding is that plating involves suspending the metal in a liquid that holds the chromium in suspense, then running a current through the metal to get it to attach - I assume this would mean that the cam covers would be plated inside and out - would this be a problem? If it is a problem, is there a way of inhibiting the plating process on the inside of the cam covers, with a grease coating perhaps?

Any help greatly appreciated.


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## hodgie (Oct 23, 2003)

From what i know i dont think its possible to crome them as its the wrong type of metal. The ones that you`ve seen are just highly polished.


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## Stachi (Jan 26, 2008)

If they are from Aluminum (sorry, RB26 noob..) they have to be cooper plated first before they can be chromed. But they have to be highly polished first, so no scratch will be visible in the chromed surface... Chrome will highlight any imperfection.

Marc


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## ahapartridge (May 19, 2003)

They used to be available from Hom (ex Grasshopper fame) through EBAY so it can be done


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## blue34 (Jul 28, 2005)

I've seen chrome plated RB valve covers, chrome was peeling though and not pretty - best stick to polishing i'd say..


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## Stachi (Jan 26, 2008)

I think so too... If chroming, then hard chroming all the way. But can be really expensive if you don't have connections through your job or something.


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## kjansch (May 8, 2005)

blue34 said:


> I've seen chrome plated RB valve covers, chrome was peeling though and not pretty - best stick to polishing i'd say..


Hmmm, good point: I guess there is a question about the longevity of chrome given that it'll be exposed to high temps.

I'm going to speak to a couple of plating companies and see what they'd suggest for high temp applications; anyone know of somewhere in London?


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## kjansch (May 8, 2005)

Stachi said:


> I think so too... If chroming, then hard chroming all the way. But can be really expensive if you don't have connections through your job or something.


What's hard chroming?


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## Phil69 (Sep 13, 2006)

Its definately possible as I've had mine done and so far I've had no problems. Here's a pic:


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## Floyd (Dec 15, 2004)

My cam covers were chrome plated, its now peeling off. I'm going to get mine painted instead once I've found someone who can remove the remnants of the chrome finish without destroying the alloy!


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## EndlessR (Nov 6, 2007)

Chrome gives a better effect, you may be lucky with your polished cam covers, Nissans quality of the Aluminum varys alot, and the metal blemishes cannot be polished out.....chrome is good, but can have a shorter life if not prepaired.


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## ru' (Feb 18, 2007)

kjansch said:


> What's hard chroming?


Very tricky


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## Stachi (Jan 26, 2008)

kjansch said:


> What's hard chroming?


Hard chroming (Hartverchromung in German) is somewhat wrong... The chrome isn't any harder, but thicker.. normal chroming has a thickness of something like 0.0005 (half a thousand millimeter) and hard chroming has a thickness of about 0.02mm. This are not real numbers, in the real metal world mostly hydraulic cylinders get hard chromed to exact measurement, so the thickness is the difference between raw stock and finished outer diameter.

This is not a job just for the looks, but for function. Although it looks good too 

Marc


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## markyboy.1967 (Feb 14, 2004)

*Polished covers*

All the RB26 covers can be polished. The issues is as EndlessR said that the covers can have some poor cast marks /air holes which can run quite deep.Mostly these can be polished out or made close to invisible. I much prefer the polishing to te chrome. I have now polished nearly 20 sets of RB26 covers and enjoyed doing them for the owners ( dont ask me now though as im in early retirement ).I have added a pic or two of my engine and as you will see the covers are very highly polished---most others take a polish but these took ages and i do an upkeep on them with the correct polishes every 
2nd week.


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## Domo-kun (Mar 2, 2007)

Friend of mine owns this company: Customcoating

They don't actually crome the parts, they paint them with very special equipments. 
It's like car paint, so they can paint pretty much on anything you want. 

























Chromed plastic!









Caribbean Cruiser interior parts made wood and plated silvercoat.









Caribbean Cruiser fiberglass interior parts. Plated with aluminiumcoat. 









Before.


















After.


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## roadie (Feb 6, 2006)

Mine were done in Japan a few years ago now. They still look great. To me chrome has a little more depth than polishing. Easier to maintain. But if it gets scratched you can't buff it out...


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## markyboy.1967 (Feb 14, 2004)

*Chrome*

In my second pic you can see the 2 differences. The twin turbo pipe was polished and maintained by myself but this leads to the HKS hard pipe which is chromed..Mostly the difference in the 2 are much bigger but because i took so long polishing and maintaining then the 2 come slightly closer together in looks.

Most chrome i see is starting to flake or has scratches and marks on it..I just couldnt live with that...


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## kjansch (May 8, 2005)

markyboy.1967 said:


> .... I have now polished nearly 20 sets of RB26 covers and enjoyed doing them for the owners ( dont ask me now though as im in early retirement ).....


Wow, that looks fantastic! :bowdown1: Are you sure you can't be convinced to do one more set, just one, go on, one more won't hurt


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## R33 STIG (Nov 29, 2007)

Aluminium that's chromed usually ends up with peeling chrome after some time. I forget my old chemisty knowledge of exactly why now, but it's to do with electrolysis. Any small bit of corrosion usually ends up spreading...

Polished aluminium may be better, but as I found out when I had polished bits on my bike, it also usually requires plenty of regular elbow grease to keep it shiny, especially if it's used regularly in all weather or lives outside!

Not wanting to pi$$ on anyone's fire - but how about getting the covers refinished in a good cackle finish paint, same as how Mine's, Top Secret and some other tuners prepare their's. It's long lasting, requires no maintenance and if you match up modifications in the engine bay carefully with different colours, it can look pretty classy!


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## kjansch (May 8, 2005)

R33 STIG said:


> .....Not wanting to pi$$ on anyone's fire - but how about getting the covers refinished in a good cackle finish paint.......it can look pretty classy!


Classy, but not SHINY!

I have to admit that the responses to this thread are making me rethink the chrome idea: I've also now spoken to a couple of companies who do it and they've also said that chromed aluminum doesn't last (a combination of heat and contamination apparently). Also, polishing is a LOT cheaper, even it if it does then require some upkeep. So, I've now ordered the lending cam covers from the GTR shop: can't wait for them to arrive.

(It would be good if the shop also did a loaner plenum as well, hint hint hint  )


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