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2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (appearance mods)
C1 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
Aging chrome question.......
I installed brand new GM NOS bumpers, grill surrounds and brows in the mid 80s and the car has never seen snow or rain for that matter, always covered in the winter as well. BUT.....I notice these tiny black dots of corrosion on them now. :
Is there any fix or is that all part of aging.....like the pain in my knees I'm getting now....
I have to agree with the others I don't think you can do anything to reverse what's happened. The only thing I would add is to use something like Happich Simichrome Polish and shine the chrome up to look as best as possible.
I put Trim Parts tail light housings in my 61 that seldom saw bad weather and was garaged nightly.....after about 24 months pitting appeared and I don't have a good reason for why that happened. Very disappointing.
I put Trim Parts tail light housings in my 61 that seldom saw bad weather and was garaged nightly.....after about 24 months pitting appeared and I don't have a good reason for why that happened. Very disappointing.
for whatever reason, new 'stuff' isn't as good as 'old' stuff. my originals are still in good shape...
The original chrome on the front bumper of my '67 GTO looks better than most new chrome I see. They really used a lot of quality toxic materials back in the day. My advice for maintaining chrome is like the rest of these guys: a good polish with the snake oil of your choice followed by a coat of paste wax to keep the oxidation to a minimum. Compromised chrome that is oxidizing can be strung -along for decades using this method.
wax it and try to keep the humidity down. Out here it is more about keeping the rubber parts from drying out. I used to notice the same thing with my new vehicle when I lived in the Midwest. I just kept a good coat of wax on it as much as I could.
Last edited by jimh_1962; Apr 27, 2018 at 11:58 AM.
My 2 cents explanation: As a result of the process used for chroming metal I believe there is a term called "hydrogen embrittlement" that attacks the metal and causes fatigue and discoloration. Back in the day when guys put dropped front axles on their hot rods, and had them chromed, metal failure was possible due to the chroming process.
I've tried that with some success, but the black dots are there to stay I guess. One thing I've tried that at least fills them in is aluminum foil....just wad some up and rub it it with some wax on it.
I only recently became aware that it is now once again available. I used it decades ago, and have recently used it on some vintage Schwinn bicycles I've been rehabbing. I'm very impressed with the results.
Before -- typical examples of the minor pitting, dull chrome and aluminum:
After:
YMMV, test in an inconspicuous area, and NOT for use on painted surfaces.
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Aging chrome question.......
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