chrome plating

[Chris Pile]

No expert here, but - yes, that's what I heard for post-war Studes.

Chris Pile
The Studebaker Special
Midway Chapter SDC

[studelover]

chrome plating

I just got some of my chrome parts back from the plater.
The pot metal is very poor, a few pits make my skin crawl
and I see alot of that. I was told that the Studebaker pot metal
was some of the worst. I put a fgrill section in a
rust remover bath and when I removed it, it was half gone.
I found a chrome plating co. locally that has no problem with
dealing with pot metal, they know how to fill it.
My bumpers look great however I now have to have my rear tail
light bezels and fin caps done over. I want my car to have
very little pitted bright work. I saw that SASSCO had head
light bezels on sale so I ordered. They look great and a
geat price. I wonder if there are other pt metal parts
I can buy that are still reproduced. My belt line for the
hawk is badly pitted, the new conpany said they can fix it
no problem. Is the pot metal on studes really that bad?[V]

Studebakers forever!

[JDP]

Find the best used pot metal you can find, buy it and save money in the long run.

JDP/Maryland
64 Daytona HT/R2 clone
64 GT R2
63 Lark 2 door
52 & 53 Starliner
51 Commander

[rockne10]

All pot metal is bad; some worse than others. It is a porous alloy. Once its surface is breached, it can suck in contaminants like a sponge.
Quality plating can stall the inevitable; waxing also helps.
How many manufacturers went to the expense of quality plating? By the time this car wears out, our chrome will still look good! I DON'T THINK SO.
Good plating requires a pristine surface with a good coating of copper, then a good coating of nickel and then the chrome. You'll pay dearly for that now, but the manufacturers made more profit by not providing it then. Additionally, the nickel was rationed (at least during "The Conflict").
Studebaker did add a clearcoat seal to the Korean era chrome and, it did work well until some well intentioned detailer polished it off. In the case of my own car, that was me!

The modern reproductions, if they fit properly, are, in my opinion, no better or worse than the originals. They will require cleaning, waxing and protection from the elements if you hope for them to last.

Brad Johnson
Pine Grove Mills, Pa.
'33 Rockne 10, '51 Commander Starlight, '53 Commander Starlight

[Lark289]

I agree completely. I find that keeping chrome looking good in the long run involves a fair amount of maintenance. But if you use the car alot and expose it to the elements, eventually you will have to replace or replate if you want it to be perfect.


Ready for a trip to the beach!

[studelover]

I have got into the habit, when I go to the junk yard I pick up all the stainless steel I can find. I would pluck it off cans that are going to the crusher and save it. Stainless can be saved with a little elbow grease. My hawk has some stainless on it and I have buffed it up. I wonder why more car makers did not use stainless steel in those special areas they knew would be hard hit by weather and rain. If that main grill and side grills were stainless the world would be a better place. I guess it was to expensive.

Studebakers forever!