Zamak / Zamac re-chroming

[cwhaley]

I need to get a few pieces from my car re-chromed and they're made from Zamak. It's just two grilles and a boot ornament.

There's one place in Derby but they are incredibly expensive. I may have to end up going there, but before I do I was wondering if anybody had any experience of a firm who do this. I couldn't find one in Nottingham (I'm trying to stick local).

Parts aren't huge (maybe 12"-14" in length and no more than 8" in height.

 

[Old Salt]

There was a place shown on car sos who could plastic paint a chrome finish. Not sure what it was called but 1/3rd the price of chroming and looked really good.

Try these

Chrome Spray Specialists for UK & Europe | Chromefast

Any colour, any surface. Almost any primed, paintable surface can be spray chromed with many colour options. Including golds, greens, purples, endless options.

www.chromefast.co.uk

 

[cwhaley]

There was a place shown on car sos who could plastic paint a chrome finish. Not sure what it was called but 1/3rd the price of chroming and looked really good.

Try these

Chrome Spray Specialists for UK & Europe | Chromefast

Any colour, any surface. Almost any primed, paintable surface can be spray chromed with many colour options. Including golds, greens, purples, endless options.

www.chromefast.co.uk

Oh I wasn't aware of that -- sounds interesting. I'll get in touch with them.

 

[cwhaley]

£450 for these and a number plate surround! That might be good, so I'll get saving

 

[Mr Chibs]

How much would standard chrome plating be then?

Just curious, I hadn't even heard of Zamak

 

[cwhaley]

How much would standard chrome plating be then?

Just curious, I hadn't even heard of Zamak

That's my next task -- to drop the parts off at a plating company nearby. Theirs' could be £900!

Might have to do this later in the year as a job for the father-in-law as I can't get there due to work.

Zamak has lots of different names maybe the most common being monkey metal. So far as I know it's a cheap and quick way for manufacturers to make cast items and it includes zinc. Think of those cast Corgi toys.

 

[Old Salt]

Zamak, monkey metal, sh*t metal, mazak commonly used to manufacture trim parts for the auto industry, badges, emblems, trim lines etc.

According to wiki

ZAMAK (or Zamac, formerly trademarked as MAZAK[1]) is a family of alloys with a base metal of zinc and alloying elements of aluminium, magnesium, and copper.

Its okay but a real pain in the ass to repair, lots of little pit marks that have to be filled before itcan be rechromed and that makes it time consuming for a really good finish whereas the plastic paint finish just needs some filler, rub down, clean and paint.

The kit to do it is expensive though.

 

[mointainwalker]

How much would standard chrome plating be then?

Just curious, I hadn't even heard of Zamak

Also used to be called "muck-metal". Used for high-volume components ( therefore suitable for injection-moulding )that take no load.

 

[cwhaley]

Also used to be called "muck-metal". Used for high-volume components ( therefore suitable for injection-moulding )that take no load.

My headlamp bezels are made from it. Last year one of them flung off at 55mph when the captive nut freed from the screw. It took a real hammering on the road before ending 3' deep in a trench. I retrieved it and although battered, I was able to beat it back into shape, fill and re-paint.

It's all over the car at different points.

 

[Justin Passing]

It's a Gazelle!
Investigate plating kits. I recently went round the loop for gold plating - I noticed the same people do chrome.
They aren't silly expensive, if you have a number of bits and pieces to do. There's one where you don't need to deplate the old, you fill to get it botty smooth then spray a conductive paint on, which gets plated.

 

[cwhaley]

It's a Gazelle!
Investigate plating kits. I recently went round the loop for gold plating - I noticed the same people do chrome.
They aren't silly expensive, if you have a number of bits and pieces to do. There's one where you don't need to deplate the old, you fill to get it botty smooth then spray a conductive paint on, which gets plated.

Yes I'm a big fan of Rootes cars (mine is Lake Blue with the Sea Foam White flashing -- pics above just for reference). I used to have a couple of Super Minx, too.

I'm still looking, but at the moment it's definitely on the back burner. She's a working vehicle so this is a 'nice to have' thing. Currently got a hub seal and gaskets to refresh, and I've just rebuilt the old Smiths heater motor.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

Nice old car. I'm partial to a Rootes, but more the Humber Super Snipes. Had a Rover P4 years ago with a chromed mazak number plate upper cover/number plate light housing. All the other chrome on car was excellent, but this was badly pitted. I seem to remember at the time that mazak was a problem with chrome plating.

 

[norseman]

Nice old car. I'm partial to a Rootes, but more the Humber Super Snipes. Had a Rover P4 years ago with a chromed mazak number plate upper cover/number plate light housing. All the other chrome on car was excellent, but this was badly pitted. I seem to remember at the time that mazak was a problem with chrome plating.

I had a Super Snipe series 5 back in the 'seventies. Nice car but juicy compared to cars with similar spec. engines ie 6 cyl. 3ltr. with twin carbs & auto 'box, such as the BMC 'C' series that I also had.
Rootes seem to favour lower final drive ratios, not good for fuel consumption on a journey.

 

[ReganAndCarter]

I had a Super Snipe series 5 back in the 'seventies. Nice car but juicy compared to cars with similar spec. engines ie 6 cyl. 3ltr. with twin carbs & auto 'box, such as the BMC 'C' series that I also had.
Rootes seem to favour lower final drive ratios, not good for fuel consumption on a journey.

It would be a tough choice for me between a P5 and later Super Snipe. If the P5 had the V8, would probably tip the balance. Agree they were a bit thirsty, but you only get what you pay for.

 

[norseman]

It would be a tough choice for me between a P5 and later Super Snipe. If the P5 had the V8, would probably tip the balance. Agree they were a bit thirsty, but you only get what you pay for.

The 6/110 was from the same period & on identical journeys from Essex to Leeds (via the A1 in those days) at around 60mpg cruising speed the Wolseley (on twin SU's) would return 24mpg vs the Snipe's (on twin Stromberg's)19.
Both cars had a BW35 auto box.