$1100 to rechrome a 71 GTO rear bumper !!! When did rechroming prices go thru the roof?

71judge · Veteran Member

$1100 to rechrome a 71 GTO rear bumper !!! When did rechroming prices go thru the roof?

427carl · A Poncho Legend!

I paid 1600.00 for 2 66 Pontiac bumpers in 08 no body rides for free biggrin

seventy2plus2 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Chrome prices have been on the rise for years, one of the reasons is the disposal costs of the chemicals. I'd advise not to go with the lowest quote, as it seems the higher prices for quality are worth it in the end.

jmont64 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

seventy2plus2 wrote:
Chrome prices have been on the rise for years, one of the reasons is the disposal costs of the chemicals. I'd advise not to go with the lowest quote, as it seems the higher prices for quality are worth it in the end.

I agree. There is quite a difference between shops. Unless you have a few cars that you need work done on I think it is worth biting it because you just have to do it once and the results last a long long time. You actually forget about it pretty quick. I was very happy with Cambridge's work and yes it wasn't the cheapest.

-- Edited by jmont64 on Saturday 22nd of November 2014 08:34:09 PM

rabbit64cs · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Watching Restoration Garage based in Ontario, they send all their chrome state side, I'm sure it's not solely because of quality issues... wink

hawkeye5766 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Deliver to a chrome shop on the Island and as stated the disposal of the chemicals is a big expense which has to be factored into the price. Not sure what they do in the US or how they dispose of chemicals, but up here it is classified as hazardous goods. I'd shop around but normally you get what you pay for and it might be 1400.00 next year. Just my 2 bits.

JC2+2 · Poncho Master!

It might be worth it for you to ship your bumper out west for rechrome. Just had my rear bumper rechromed and cost me $500. And it may even be larger than yours.

CDN2PLS2 · Uber Guru

C'mon Pete,at least you don't have to do the Front one.

BOSSY · Addicted!

I bought two new bumpers for a 1964 Chevelle (two for $468.00 shipped) and they fit like new and the chrome was perfect. I got a price to chrome my original bumpers that were just a little dull and they said about $500.00 each. This is why you are seeing a lot of cars today with painted bumpers.

HonestDave · Addicted!

If you bide your time, you can sometimes find someone selling a lightly used re-chromed bumper cheap, but it does require patience, and perhaps luck.
A few months back I sold the re-chromed rear bumper for my 62 Parisienne for $300 plus shipping. It was still in the paper from the chrome shop. I ended up with a decent used one from my parts car that was an older re-chrome. Decided I'd rather have the loot than the bling.

67BBSD · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

HonestDave wrote:
If you bide your time, you can sometimes find someone selling a lightly used re-chromed bumper cheap, but it does require patience, and perhaps luck.
A few months back I sold the re-chromed rear bumper for my 62 Parisienne for $300 plus shipping. It was still in the paper from the chrome shop. I ended up with a decent used one from my parts car that was an older re-chrome. Decided I'd rather have the loot than the bling.

There was a very good used rear bumper for a 70-72 Lemans/GTO sitting on the floor in the first building as you enter at the Ancaster swap meet for $100 -- I was surprised it was so cheap - I started looking at it as a core seeing it was not rotten but actually woulda been great for a driver quality car

With the current economy and people giving up on projects it is quite likely to come across a rechromed version for such a popular car

seventy2plus2 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

I hear a cheap chrome job may look good the first year, but may fade a bit each year, whereas a good chrome job will hold it's shine year after year.

jmont64 · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

seventy2plus2 wrote:
I hear a cheap chrome job may look good the first year, but may fade a bit each year, whereas a good chrome job will hold it's shine year after year.

I have heard the same thing and have seen abit of it. I had some chroming done in Vancouver for a front hood trim and man it was so thin when it came to the underside the chrome just disappeared. When you hear of triple coating or show chrome that is a big difference from the off shore bumper guys are buying. You rub them with a cloth a little too hard and there are lines already.

trucker · Poncho Master!

Canadian tire has chrome paint for 10 bucks. With the price of marijuana taking a big dive,business is probably slowed considerably. I've heard its half the price in U.S.A.

HonestDave · Addicted!

I guess it all depends what you want to spend your money on. Good quality bling just doesn't come cheap. However, it's quite easy to get taken and pay big bucks and still get poor quality. I think if I was going to spend serious coin on chrome, I'd want to know the guys really well.
How depressing is it to see a guy's 1000 dollar bumper peeling a year later?
If I take a so-so bumper off a car that's been chromed fifteen or twenty years ago, I know it's not going to just peel off tomorrow.
I won't have that fresh gleam, of course, but I'm really not into that any more. After numerous paint jobs and more numerous people opening their doors into my cars, I won't get anything painted any more unless it's critical. I had quarters done in my old 442 and had them painted to match the car. Was good enough.
Sorry, it's early and I digress.

rabbit64cs · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

trucker wrote:
Canadian tire has chrome paint for 10 bucks. With the price of marijuana taking a big dive,business is probably slowed considerably. I've heard its half the price in U.S.A.

Is that chrome is 1/2 price..or marijuana?..in I the USA? LOL ?.!

good to hear from you trucker ! Glad your to see you back !! biggrin

long stroke · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

It is all the "Green" inviro nonsense that has driven the prices to the moon. Here in Ontario the green police are everywhere and because of that many shops have been put out of business. In the fall of 1996 i went to Cambridge Chrome in Cambridge, Ontario and they did everything on my 57 Pontiac and i do mean everything. It cost me just over $5,000 back then. I could not afford to have it done today. The work they did then was perfect in every way and it still shows all these years later. Much of the chrome on a lot of today's repro stuff is pure garbage. Off shore crap and what you save now will cost you later. Cheers. George.

rabbit64cs · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

when I was in San Diego last spring at the Big Three swap,, I inquired with the platers it was $250 with a core for pretty much any muscle car bumper.

I want to redo the front bumper for my 70 lemans sport I have collected 4 over the years and my original born with the car is still the best of them ..nice chrome , but has a few wounds from the years...

trucker · Poncho Master!

Unless you are planning to sell you're car on Barrett Jackson for 1/2 the money you spent to fix up,or just simple want it to look nice,myself I'd just hang onto the original bumper and get a dollarama bumper from Taiwan or where ever they come from. They look plenty nice enough for the A & W Thursday nighter.Don't go overboard on you're car,make it look good and drive it,not like me that had a few and never drove any. Drive baby drive! wink When they are too nice you don't want to drive them,and whats the point confuse

HonestDave · Addicted!

trucker wrote:
Don't go overboard on you're car,make it look good and drive it,not like me that had a few and never drove any. Drive baby drive! When they are too nice you don't want to drive them,and whats the point

Exactly !! I've even been thinking of getting rid of my semi-special cars and just picking up and old early sixties GM four door. Rusty even, so I don't worry. I tend to freak when my cars are sitting in the rain, and I'm freakin right now. My 442 is in the rain, and I'm reading this instead of finishing the house.

Guess I better get my bony butt outside and get to work. biggrin

Beaumont67SD · Guru

Back in the mid 1970's, I knew a guy in London ON. that would get a bumper rechromed on Friday afternoon shift for a case of 24.
- he'd drive into the back of the parking lot (at night), find the foreman at 8:00 pm and open his car trunk (for all to enjoy)
He treated all the workers outside, on their coffee break...and the shop foreman, always welcomed him back.
- I guess $$ have changed, over the decades

long stroke · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

HonestDave wrote:
long stroke wrote:
It is all the "Green" inviro nonsense that has driven the prices to the moon. Here in Ontario the green police are everywhere and because of that many shops have been put out of business. In the fall of 1996 i went to Cambridge Chrome in Cambridge, Ontario and they did everything on my 57 Pontiac and i do mean everything. It cost me just over $5,000 back then. I could not afford to have it done today. The work they did then was perfect in every way and it still shows all these years later. Much of the chrome on a lot of today's repro stuff is pure garbage. Off shore crap and what you save now will cost you later. Cheers. George.
I'm not certain, but I suspect a lot of people would rather have a cleaner environment, and less cheap shine on the cars. I kind of like to think we're almost beyond the days when all the chemicals were poured down to drain to poison the fish.
Although, I'm not sure that shipping the pollutants to dwell in a cave in Alberta is really the answer.
Just one man's opinion.

I had a feeling i was going to rub some one the wrong way and some one would misunderstand me and here it is. Of course we would rather live in a healthy planet than have shinny chrome.............. the reality is that they have gone too far, way too far. Who said anything about pouring anything down the drain. Stop being so dramatic and i do not understand your comment on Alberta. George.

HonestDave · Addicted!

Sorry George,
The comment on Alberta came from a time when I knew of some people dealing with the hazmat people. There was a fire in BC with a burned building and various chemicals. It was $300 an hour to have the team out. When asked why so much, they said because the stuff has to be put in containers and trucked to a cave in Alberta for storage. I guess that just popped into my mind when I was typing. Couldn't expect anyone to know what I was talking about. Maybe they were kidding, anyway.
I'll remove the annoying box. Too deep for a happy place like the CP.

-- Edited by HonestDave on Tuesday 25th of November 2014 05:03:06 PM

trucker · Poncho Master!

confuse The problem with you're bumper and Alberta is that more money is paid to the government to get away with contaminating the planet while you're bumper doesn't. When it comes to money anything is ok if there is enough in it for everyone. They divert the real offenders to you and I and others they can control. It takes the microscope of of the real evil. The government and the big players. Sadly money is everything in life. Don't worry in 200 more years you won't have to worry about you're bumper or the car you're drivin Cuz it's gonna be blown to he'll anyway. Watch the first planet of the apes. The ending. That's what's next

427carl · A Poncho Legend!

71judge wrote:
71 GTO rear bumper in excellent shape.

I checked on ebay and a new bumper is $300 US.

if bumper is in excellent shape why re-chrome it A 300.00 bumper on E-bay for a non trailer Queen car not driving in winter should do ? orrrrr pay the price ?