Hi,
Regarding chrome and so-forth... it has been the general opinion of
Triumph enthusiats for at least the last 10 years that while you can buy
new stuff from the various sources, the consensus is that if you want it
to last and you want it to look right, you have to re-chrome the new
parts.
That said, if you have NOS stuff that's fairly straight, it's better to
get those parts re-chromed because they will look just as good or better
than the new stuff. If you have old parts that need repair, you may still
be better off getting the parts straightened and then re-chromed.
yes, chrome is expensive. A good chrome job is 90% labor, so if you try to
get the work done for lower cost, you will cut out steps that make the
part look the best. A good shop may re-do the first plating a couple of
times (followed by buffing) before they move on to the nickel (and then
chrome). This takes time and experienced hands to do right.
The final expense for most chrome shops is dealing with the toxic residue.
That last time I had a job done in MA, I had to pay about 10% above the
initial estimate due to toxic waste "fees". The state actually set up a
trust to clean up these old chrome plating faciities because prior to that
the owners would go bankrupt and then bail on the responsibility of
cleaning up the shops. Go figure. The result is that there are very few
shops doing the work in MA now, and then ones that survived charge a lot
for the service.
At any rate, good chrome is not cheap, and this is a matter of getting
what you pay for.
regards,
rml
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