Advanced Plating...Grill Restoration

Grill Restoration

Plating is more than just dipping a part in a chrome tank!
Take a look at our Grill Restoration process step by step.

STRIPPING: BEFORE ANY WORK BEGINS, GRILLS ARE STRIPPED 100%. ALL OLD PAINT, PLATING, RUST & ROAD GRIME IS REMOVED. PLATING OVER ANY OLD MATERIAL CAN CAUSE PREMATURE FAILURE OF THE NEW PLATING. ADDITIONAL REPAIR SOMETIMES AFTER A GRILL HAS BEEN STRIPPED WE DISCOVER CRACKS, DENTS OR OTHER DAMAGE THAT WAS NOT VISIBLE BEFORE BEING STRIPPED. THIS CAN LEAD TO ADDITIONAL REPAIR CHARGES. IF THIS OCCURS WE WILL NOTIFY YOU BEFORE WE MAKE THE REPAIRS TO GET YOUR APPROVAL.

THE FIRST STAGE OF POLISHING IS USUALLY A LIGHT POLISH TO REMOVE MINOR IMPERFECTIONS. SO WE DON’T DISTORT THE METAL WE DO NOT GRIND OUR DEEP PITS. IMPERFECTIONS WILL BE FILLED AT A LATER STAGE IN THE COPPER PROCESS. AT THIS POINT THE GRILL IS READY TO BE PLATED WITH A HARD COPPER.

HARD COPPER PLATE: BEFORE REPAIR WORK THE GRILL IS PLATED WITH A HARD COPPER TO SEAL THE METAL AND PROVIDE A BASE COAT FOR THE REPAIR WORK TO ADHERE TO.

REPAIR: AFTER THE GRILL HAS BEEN HARD COPPER PLATED WE USE SILVER SOLDER TO REPAIR CRACKS, FILL HOLES, BUILD UP LOW SPOTS OR BUILD UP EDGES. ONCE THE REPAIR WORK IS COMPLETE THE GRILL IS RE-PLATED WITH HARD COPPER AND THAN ACID COPPER PLATED.

ACID COPPER PLATE: AFTER REPAIR WORK IS COMPLETE THE GRILL IS ACID COPPER PLATED. WE USE ACID COPPER TO BUILD UP THE PART TO FILL IN IMPERFECTIONS, AFTER BEING COPPER PLATED THE EXCESS COPPER IS REMOVED BY POLISHING. WHERE THERE’S ENOUGH ROOM BETWEEN FINS WE POLISH THE SIDES OF THE FINS AS SMOOTH AS THE FACE THIS PROCESS OF COPPER PLATING AND POLISHING WILL BE REPEATED UNTIL IMPERFECTIONS ARE REMOVED.

NICKEL PLATE: AFTER THE ACID COPPER HAS BEEN POLISHED AND THE IMPERFECTIONS REMOVED THE GRILL IS NICKEL PLATED. IF IMPERFECTIONS ARE FOUND AFTER BEING NICKEL PLATED THE NICKEL GETS RE-POLISHED, RE-COPPER AND RE-NICKEL PLATED. THIS PROCESS CONTINUES UNTIL ALL IMPERFECTIONS THAT CAN BE REMOVED HAVE BEEN REMOVED.

CHROME PLATE: ONCE ALL IMPERFECTIONS THAT CAN BE REMOVED ARE REMOVED THE GRILL IS CHROME PLATED. ONCE AGAIN IF AFTER BEING CHROME PLATED, IF IMPERFECTIONS ARE DISCOVERED THE CHROME WILL BE STRIPPED OFF AND THE GRILL GOES BACK THROUGH THE NICKEL POLISH PROCESS, RE-COPPER PLATED, RE-NICKEL PLATED AND FINALLY CHROME.

SPECIAL NOTES

33 & 34 FORD GRILLS: WE POLISH AND PLATE BOTH SIDES OF THE FINS. FINS THAT ARE BADLY DETERIORATED CAN BE REPLACED. WE ALSO POLISH THE CROSS BAR IN THE BACK.

PLATING BETWEEN FINS AND INSIDE CHECKERBOARD DESIGNS: DEPENDING ON THE SPACE BETWEEN THE FINS AND THE SIZE OF THE HOLE IN A CHECKERBOARD STYLE GRILL, IT IS NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO GET THE SIDES OF THE FINS AND THE INSIDES OF THE CHECKERBOARDS TO CHROME PLATE. WE WILL NOTIFY YOU IF THIS IS THE CASE WITH YOUR PARTICULAR STYLE GRILL.

CHECK FIT TO CAR BEFORE SHIPPING: ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOUR GRILL FITS YOUR CAR ESPECIALLY IF IT’S NOT THE ORIGINAL GRILL THAT CAME OFF THE CAR, OR IF THE CAR HAS BEEN WRECKED. THERE ARE TIMES THAT AFTER WE REPAIR A GRILL WE WILL SEND IT BACK BEFORE ITS COMPLETED TO BE TEST FITTED TO THE CAR AND RETURNED TO US TO BE COMPLETED.

AREAS THAT GET REPAINTED: ON SOME GRILLS THERE ARE AREAS THAT WILL HAVE TO BE REPAINTED. IN THESE AREAS WE DO NOT POLISH TO A SMOOTH FINISH WHICH WILL RESULT IN THESE AREAS STILL HAVING PITS AND IMPERFECTIONS. WE RECOMMEND THE CUSTOMER USE BODY FILLER TO SMOOTH THESE AREAS AND SAND SMOOTH BEFORE PAINTING.