Now that I have the dash out of my 68, it’s time to start refreshing it for re installation. Has anyone ever used any of the chrome paints on the gauge pods or anything like that? It appears that it was chrome from the factory unless it has already redone with chrome paint. Any suggestions are welcome.
I’ve used it a number of times through the years for various things. Typically I find a bright silver works just as well as the chrome paint.
To do it right of course you’d need to send the various bezels and such in and have them re-plated. There is a place that does it, but I think I’ve heard mixed reviews on turn around time and cost.
Are you talking the big bezels like around the speedo, or the smaller ones around auxiliary gauges ? For the thinner trim like the 69s and XR7s around the gauges you could probably get away with the silver instead of the true chrome, but the big ones I think you’ll be disappointed with the look of them.
I’m talking about the bezels around the Speedo and such, it appears that someone has taken a very fine grit sandpaper to them at some point
I can’t really afford to have them replated, and my other option is to just paint them. I kinda think I might try some of the chrome paint on some other random stuff I have laying around and see what I think, otherwise I’ll probably paint them
I need to do something with my bezels and was looking at the chrome paint but samples I have seen don’t seem to match the quality I want. Has anyone tried Hydro-dip in chrome, I see several things done in carbon fiber and sculls but not chrome.
Would a chrome vinyl work over the gauge bezel? Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/24x78Chrome-Mirror-Silver-Sticker-Self-adhesive/dp/B00LYMX48I
I haven’t worked with vinyl so I don’t know how easily it could be applied to a complex shape like that.
I used a silver paint pen on my a/c registers. Not as reflective as true chrome, but I think they turned out okay. You can buy the pens at craft/hobby stores - probably even walmart.
What I used: http://www.krylon.com/products/leafing-pens/
Hmmmm, that I had not considered. A roll of that stuff will go a long way, so I could practice on junk before I put it on the guages.
Molotow Liquid Chrome is head & shoulders above any other “chrome” paint I’ve ever tried.
Tamiya do a chrome paint pen which is great for nicks. I use a thin brush to apply
I tried the chrome spray paint on some terrible Mustang LX wheels a few years ago. You really have to shake it up really well and get a lot of flow going for the chrome shininess to lay down evenly. I ended up with patchy areas of shiny versus flat silver. For small areas it worked much better to spray the paint into the cap, mix it up really well and brush it on.
Never seen chrome paint that is worth spraying anything you actually want to look good.
I am in the same boat. My cluster was repainted black by the previous owner due the original chrome being baked off in the sun. It was not done very well so I am redoing it along with cleaning and repainting the rest of the gauges that need it. I am either going to respray it Trim black or Argent silver and call it good. Wont look as good as the original chrome but until there is another affordable option to rechrome it the right way painting it should work good.
Best I could ever get was bright shiny silver that turned flat dull upon polishing.
Model car builders use this stuff called bare metal foil.
As a model car builder, the foil is better than paint, but not near as shinny as chrome and has no sticky back.
That product looks very tedious and with no sticky backing I’d question how well it would hold up on a dash cluster. Some other member used chrome vinyl sign wrap. It looked pretty good.
Steven
Has anybody tried the hydro dip? A quick search says it can be applied to plastic.
Shoot dang…that vinyl looks pretty solid
Cheap solution, and from what I’ve read by frantically googling. A very durable option.