Yep I'm a youngster my friend, 48 years young :-D
And those chevy's always had cheap chrome. :hammer:

Hey Spooner, curious where you went with this. Did you paint the pipes? How did they look?

My header pipes have gone all black and corroded. I think it was a combination of overheating and never having been washed or polished for a few years....

I am debating if I should paint them, re-chrome them, or just order new pipes...

Ray

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"It will always be better to be shot out of a cannon than squeezed out of a tube, and that's why God made fast motorcycles" - HST

Quote:

On 2005-08-10 04:48, rayhyland wrote: Hey Spooner, curious where you went with this. Did you paint the pipes? How did they look? My header pipes have gone all black and corroded. I think it was a combination of overheating and never having been washed or polished for a few years.... I am debating if I should paint them, re-chrome them, or just order new pipes... Ray

I never got around to doing anything with it...yet anyway. I found a 3-1 system that I'll be putting on instead...so basically I'm stuck with an extra set of headers...I've got 2 sets of original headers and one 3-1 system to be precise.

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S.P.O.O.N.E.R.

Huh?



Speedy MattHilda & Thunderasaki

Spooner - I can remember an article in the UK version of the RAT magazine Torque sometime around 2000 about a Swedish (coincidence I guess) guy who built an all black Adventurer base cafe racer that was really trick and mean, swept pipes tail hump etc.

He actually chemically stripped the chromium plate off and had it powder coated matt black I think (memory plays tricks).

I cant find the article in my own collection but im sure the helpful people in the RAT Torque magazine office will be able to help.

Quote:

On 2005-08-12 06:35, BigVinny wrote: Spooner - I can remember an article in the UK version of the RAT magazine Torque sometime around 2000 about a Swedish (coincidence I guess) guy who built an all black Adventurer base cafe racer that was really trick and mean, swept pipes tail hump etc. He actually chemically stripped the chromium plate off and had it powder coated matt black I think (memory plays tricks). I cant find the article in my own collection but im sure the helpful people in the RAT Torque magazine office will be able to help.

Is that an online mag?
Sounds really cool, I'd like to take a peek at that bike!
Btw, did you get my pm?

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S.P.O.O.N.E.R.

Huh?



Speedy MattHilda & Thunderasaki

Spooner - I have the complete article. It was on the cover of the UK edition of Torque the RAT magazine Issue No 11 Spring 99.

The work was done by the staff at Swedens MCM (I assume Motorcycle Mechanics magazine). They stripped the chrome off by sandblasting and then anodised. They did loads of other cosmetic and tuning stuff like reducing the weight from 225 to 185 kg tuning it to 87 hp, giving it a flame paint job seat hump, black exhaust system, top speed 225 kmh (about 132 mph) etc etc.

Some big names in the Swedish bike world were invloved in graphics and tuning etc. Ever heard of Sixten Sigge Triumph tuning guru ??? Send me youre e-mail and will pdf it to you.

You are smarter than me with this web technical stuff and will probably know how to link it to the forum - you got to see it !

Cheers

To the original question - I found the following answer:

The first step in restoration is the complete removal of any surface finishing materials on the item. Grease and oil are removed in a parts washer that is serviced by a waste reclamation company. Paints & powder coating are removed by a hot tank stripper or by a dry blast method. Existing plating is removed by reverse plating in a 55 baume solution comprised of sulfuric acid, water, copper sulfate and glycerin. Rust is removed by blasting and or pickling in a hydrochloric acid. Whatever the requirement, Paul’s has available a suitable removal method that is designed to remove the previous coating without damage to the substrate itself.

Paul's Chrome Plating, Inc.

IIRC our downpipes are chromed stainless steel.

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Gary
Oahu, Hawaii

I thought the header pipes on my Legend were un-chromed stainless steel. As a matter of fact I've put a torch to one of them and bent it for aftermarket exhaust which would have caused chrome to crack so I'm pretty sure they are straight stainless.
Powder coating is a great idea. I'd love to coat mine Cardinal Red to match the paint.
CM