Reproduction chrome pieces - low quality, Just me?

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Robj

Robj

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Order some stuff from Year One and as I start pulling the chromed pieces out to install, I'm having to send it all back. What's with that? All the other stuff from them has been beautiful but the chromed pieces all have flaws.

'70 Swinger Dodge hood emblem with a goober of like slag chromed over on the middle "d".

Pulled out new interior door handles today and the left side one has dings and ripples in the edges chromed over and the right side has a pimple in the chrome right on the face.

This is the first time I've bought reproduction chromed restoration parts and I'm really disappointed in the quality. Is this typical of what all of you are finding out there?
 
I haven't bought any Chrome lately but that definitely sounds unacceptable.

Maybe a manager will hand pick some replacements for you. I would at least Talk to them and voice your dissatisfaction. If they don't step up and make it 100% right then they don't deserve your business or really any one else's.
 
year one sucks, i stop buying from them 10 years ago when the price of gold went through the roof
 
If you want good chrome, have your originals re-chromed.

I would take any good used original part over a reproduction any day.

On a side note: The quality control and standards on these cars in the 60s and 70s was total crap. The defects you describe probably would have been within production standards.
 
I stood at BE&A's booth at the Nats last year and unwrapped 3 sets of console plates for my 66 Dart. I couldn't come up with enough pieces to make a close to perfect set. I won't buy online. I'll only buy what I can hold in my hands and inspect for quality and perfection. I hope the guy at BE&A went back to the owner and told him what I said about the less than perfect quality. I didn't want to pay $700 for a set of trim that had bad chrome and casting flaws. tmm
 
A buddy of mine is dealing with bumper chrome issues as we speak. He's got a 1950 Chevy truck he finished last year. He had the bumpers re-chromed at a place in Texas that came highly recommended as one of the best out there. The chrome started coming off so he sent them back and they redid it for him. Now it's doing it again in less than a year. They will fix it AGAIN but it's $100 shipping each time and for what?
 
one time i bought brand new emblems from year one for my 70 super bee. the bees had chipped paint, the black around the383 magnum badges were flaking off, i was very disappointed. my rallye gauge woodgrain inlay was cut way off, and my headliner was sewn crooked, and it took 4 months to finally get it all .
 
Nobody would closely inspect every little part when looking at a car. Its when they have that little part in hand that it gets looked at too closely.
When i worked for the used car dept. I fixed stuff like burns in the carpet. The fix didn't have to be perfect. The customer didn't know the burns were there or the exactly where to look so its not seen.

I'm not defending Year One or chromed pot metal castings from China.
 
Robj said:
A buddy of mine is dealing with bumper chrome issues as we speak. He's got a 1950 Chevy truck he finished last year. He had the bumpers re-chromed at a place in Texas that came highly recommended as one of the best out there. The chrome started coming off so he sent them back and they redid it for him. Now it's doing it again in less than a year. They will fix it AGAIN but it's $100 shipping each time and for what?
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That Chrome shop is doing something way wrong. leaving out a step or something in the process. Good Chrome jobs last decades!
 
Robj said:
A buddy of mine is dealing with bumper chrome issues as we speak. He's got a 1950 Chevy truck he finished last year. He had the bumpers re-chromed at a place in Texas that came highly recommended as one of the best out there. The chrome started coming off so he sent them back and they redid it for him. Now it's doing it again in less than a year. They will fix it AGAIN but it's $100 shipping each time and for what?
Click to expand...

OwdKasd said:
That Chrome shop is doing something way wrong. leaving out a step or something in the process. Good Chrome jobs last decades!
Click to expand...

If it is the family owned shop that has been in business in Texas for 60 years this really surprises me. I have seen their work and detail even down to rechroming the little tail panel fish for a 1968 Barracuda. The work was fantastic. Any company can have a screw up but twice is surprising. Were the original 1950 truck bumpers chome in the begining or were they painted bumpers?
 
Has anuone had an experience with ordering replacement pieces to receive cheap platic pieces as replacement parts? I have heard some horror stories and it makes me nervous to order any parts for my Dart. I would rather live with parts that are showing their age than to end up with cheap platic pieces that look like crap!
 
toolmanmike said:
I stood at BE&A's booth at the Nats last year and unwrapped 3 sets of console plates for my 66 Dart. I couldn't come up with enough pieces to make a close to perfect set. I won't buy online. I'll only buy what I can hold in my hands and inspect for quality and perfection. I hope the guy at BE&A went back to the owner and told him what I said about the less than perfect quality. I didn't want to pay $700 for a set of trim that had bad chrome and casting flaws. tmm
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That **** from BE&A is junk from PG Classic's its all made in China.
 
Robj said:
A buddy of mine is dealing with bumper chrome issues as we speak. He's got a 1950 Chevy truck he finished last year. He had the bumpers re-chromed at a place in Texas that came highly recommended as one of the best out there. The chrome started coming off so he sent them back and they redid it for him. Now it's doing it again in less than a year. They will fix it AGAIN but it's $100 shipping each time and for what?
Click to expand...


If it is superior Chrome (A.K.A. JustChromeIt.com) out of Houston Texas, Stay away:banghead:. They ruined a set of grills and rear window pieces off my Barracuda. Ended up having to buy new pieces. They refused to pay for the replacement pieces and the originals were too far gone to salvage.
 
Yep; reproduction is junk! I have Highline in Cuba Mo do mine.Only had one small issue with them and they took care of it and paid shipping. They are the only ones I use.Not cheap but you get what you pay for-there is a reason for being the cheapest man in town.
 
kand n in indiana best crome jobs ive every seen on bumpers and small harley parts

dammit cant find the # i"LL keep looking be bummed if i needed something cromed this winter they had fast turn around also we sent 3 bumpers couple of springs and other trinkets real nice work try to find it for all of us real resonable 350.00 for a bumper i thought was good
 
Its not just Y.O. All the vendors are getting there stuff from the same place. Its all junk
 
OwdKasd said:
I haven't bought any Chrome lately but that definitely sounds unacceptable.

Maybe a manager will hand pick some replacements for you. I would at least Talk to them and voice your dissatisfaction. If they don't step up and make it 100% right then they don't deserve your business or really any one else's.
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Unfortunately, we've been forced to source about 1/3 of the stuff at work from Asia. It's difficult to convey to them sometimes that a part like this has to be just about perfect. If a raw casting has a flaw in/on it, then it has to be corrected BEFORE plating by grinding, buffing, etc. It can sometimes take a Looong time e-mailing, marking up parts, sending photos, etc. to get acceptable parts. Then when you finally sign off on a part, it's still a crap shoot that they will maintain that quality. And they are always changing material and processing without permission to make it even cheaper on their end. If these same parts were made in the USA, the quality would be there but the prices would have to go up.

Not standing up for them at all, but this is the way it is.
 
Chroming is an Art. A fairly lengthy apprenticeship used to be involved to gain the skills to do it properly. You can't just outsource something like that, Except, The new wave of chrome is done using fewer steps and inferior materials. If you have a shop near you that still does it old school Then you are lucky.
 
As a for-instance, what should you expect to pay for a decent re-chrome job on a couple early '70s interior door handles.
 

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I agree China products Suck...If China make Stainless Steel that Rusts.. What makes any one think the Chrome won't peel or tarnish..
That 10 year old making this **** has not mastered the art yet...
:finga:
4404spd said:
That **** from BE&A is junk from PG Classic's its all made in China.
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too many chrome shops do not maintain there chemicals in there tanks,, my ex borther in law and his family had a chrome shop,,,there stuff went down hill when the EPA got involved with moneriting there sewer lines and the way they disposed of there old chemicals,,,the cost to do it properly it expensive,,, when having pot metal re chromed you need a shop that specializes in pot metal,,,the cheapest price is not going to get you a good job or warranty,,save your money till you can efford a good shop or you will be disappointed,,

10 and 15 years ago i got bumpers for my 66 from bumper boyz,,they still look great today,,but all i read now is how bad there quality is is now,,,


i had my rear tail lites pot metal rechromed about 3 years ago at pauls chrome,,,they are pot metal specialists,,they advertise on speed channel shows,,,they gave me a written warranty for the life that i own the car,,

but it cost 700 bucks for the pair and they are beautiful,,, i had pauls chrome give me an EST on rechroming the rear window 5 piece pot metal trim highly detailed,,, they told me if i can buy it reproduction to look at that first,,the cost to re chroem the rear window trim would have been 2 grand to do it properly with out loosing detail,,, the repop is nice almost perfect was only a little under 600 bucks,,

do your home work,,,,
 
i also had bumpers for my street rod re chromed at tri state in tenn,,,that wasnt a good experience,,it was based on cost and turn around time,,,
 
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