TJefferson2020

I can't seem to find a definitive answer to this question. Some say they are painted silver with the top edge chrome.

Others say they are chrome plated from top to bottom. Mine has some of the chrome coming off in places.

Can any chrome shop re-do them? I have a message out to Long Island Corvette to see if they still do reconditioning.

Anybody know the proper finish for the bezels?

domenic tallarita

What year car?

Dom

Frankie the Fink

For '63 its absolutely silver paint with chrome outer edges...there is no question about it.

TJefferson2020

Oops. Sorry Frankie - 64 Vert.

I'll get a pic of what mine looks like at the moment.

Surprised that they were painted. Interesting....

TJefferson2020

and a bonus pic

TJefferson2020

Rich Yanulis

Beautiful Dog!

We have had German Shepherds for the last 30+ years.

I can't imagine getting another breed

VITIV Coupe

Here is a picture of my 64 Coupe. Looks the same as Frankie's 63 , silver with chrome edge.

raylag64

In the middle of doing mine know. I sanded the face of the bezels down to get rid of the pits and had D&D Plating in Providence, RI re-plate the faces of the bezels, and the outer rim of the cluster. I then spot puttied the pits ( not many ) on the inner and outer surfaces and am going to the garage after dinner to spray the bezels with mat aluminum (Corvette Centrals 'Frost'), which is nothing more than 'aluminum blast'. I did wet sand the surfaces to be painted with 400 grit first. As a precaution, I used some pin striping tape that I had to protect the new chrome while sanding, and then reapplied the pin striping after I prepped for the aluminum paint.

Frankie the Fink

Just curious - how can a plater just hit the edges of the gauge bezels and only the rim of the cluster ? I thought chrome plating was a 'dip in the bath' process...the whole piece gets immersed in the various chemical tanks...

TJefferson2020

Thanks for the info. Very helpful.

I have a feeling they chrome the entire bezel and then paint the silver part. Mine definitely look like they were flash chromed and over time the silver paint wore off.

This is good news for me. The top edges look fine. I just need to paint the sides of the bezels and the semi-gloss black.

It doesn't look like the bezels can be removed. I know some shops re-chrome them but I have no idea how they do it. Maybe they plate the entire thing...

raylag64

Not sure how he managed it, but the chrome looks great. The new chrome on the bezels blended into the nickel then copper. Apparently he has a way to save on material. I used the DA to sand the face of the bezels to get rid of the pits, then hand sanded the edges to soften them. I also smoothed out the chrome around the perimeter a bit by hand. I told him I wasn't concerned about the inner and outer surfaces of the bezels because they would be painted. Just finished painting the black face last night. I'll have to post some pics.
Ray

raylag64

Now that I look at the pictures I took of the cluster when I got it back, I guess he just did not buff the chrome on the sides of the bezels.
Here's a before and after.

raylag64

Here it is painted.

TJefferson2020

I stripped mine down and used Duplicolor "aluminum" on the bezels - it isn't adhering very well. I sanded it with 400 grit.

I'll have to remove the paint and use primer first. Maybe even rough up the surface a bit more...

Frankie the Fink

I would think Argent Silver would be closest on the bezel sides. I also think roughing things up thoroughly is prob more important than the primer. Getting regular paint to stick to shiny, fresh chrome is a challenge....