Buy New or Rechrome Old Parts?

[Knothead]

Bumpers,Grills,Headlight Bezels. Are replacement parts of the same quality as the original parts?

[nebdrummer]

the originals you KNOW will fit. just my two cents.

i did buy all aftermarket new chrome parts, they did work just fine though.

its really your call i would say, im not sure how much re-chroming costs though?

[mbgmike]

Reproduction parts are generally not as good as the factory part. It depends on the vehicle and also the part. Some are actually a better part. It just depends. The best way is to re-chrome the factory parts but it does get expensive. Take for instance the 1957 Buicks. It had 287 pounds of chrome it. More than any american car or truck ever made to date. It would cost a small fortune to do one. Most aftermarket parts will take some know how to put on and will need some work to fit. Their is alot of junk out there and alot of good parts also. You just can't rule out all the parts just because they are aftermarket. We had to vent window frames rechromed and it was $70.00 for the pair and they were acceptable but not the quality we wanted. You need to have a good plater and their quality can vary even from the same plater. SOme factory parts were junk to.

[DRM in Upland]

GO WITH THE ORIGINAL ! Aftermarket products never fit as well as the original. May cost a bit more to rechrome the old, but the fit and quality is much better. Just my 2 cents

[50MOTORHEAD]

Mike is right.Re-plating is usually best.If you want cheaper and faster-aftermarket.
He is also right,the quality can vary with platers. Some platers will be great with plating steel but their aluminum will not be so good. You have to see their work first.
When you take parts to be plated always;
Make a list of what you have (every nut ,bolt and screw)
Lay everything out on a carpet or something dark and take pictures
When you get to the platers,have them go over everything with you to make sure that everything is on the list.
Get an estimate right then and there.
Why do all this? When they mysteriously 'loose' some hard to replace pieces or charge you twice as much as it was worth,you will wish that you had done this.
If the plater does not want to mess with going through a list,,,I would find another plater !
I have dealt with platers for 35 years. There are some good ones and there are some HORRIBLE ones. Good luck Unwraping new plating is just like Christmas,,Purdey. Keith