Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: Richard48Y on Wednesday,December 18, 2024, 09:15:38 PM
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Yes, it is $700 each to have Europa bumpers re-plated at the only remaining shop in Nevada.
I was told that in CA it would be nearly double that. :blowup:
I left a nearly strait front to be done for my own car.
I already have a never mounted since re-plated rear.
Now the question is, at $1,400 a set.
Will newly plated bumpers increase the value of a mechanically tidy S2 still in need of paint by more than the expense?
Lesser options include a "Chrome" wrap or powder painting.
My experience with powder paint is that it looks too much like aluminum and scuffs too easily.
Not sure a wrap last well enough.
Thoughts?
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Personally I'd say it's too expensive if your aim is to recoup the cost of plating in the sale value. But if you want an original look then we all spend far too much on hobbies that it comes down to "your toy, your choice".
There's also the chrome paint option ? I've never had good enough results from the cheap spray cans but I remember seeing it demo'd on Jay Leno's channel and it was very impressive. I've also seen headlamp rims painted with chrome paint and the results were very good. Expensive compared to a rattle can but far cheaper than chrome plating and 99% as good on the samples I saw.
Brian
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In another thread a member here obtained new stainless bumpers at a decent price.
I have sent him a PM in hope he may share his source.
My own S2 will have new chrome.
The car I plan to sell is still under consideration.
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Sadly, you will never recoup the cost of your rebuild upon the sale of your car so the question is pretty much academic.
Its a bit like playing golf...
How much pleasure does rebuilding the car give you? If plenty, them focus on that.
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I've just bought a NOS rear bumper that unfortunately needs re plating and yes the cost is excessive. I recall seeing a YouTube clip where chrome nail varnish came out tops in the testing and certainly seems worth a go. Just can't find that clip again.
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I used Sherm’s Custom Plating in Sacramento. If you send a few photos, you can get a free estimate. https://www.shermsplating.com/ (https://www.shermsplating.com/)
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I’ve seen chrome paint that actually gives a mirror chrome finish. The first time I saw it was several years ago on Jay Leno’s Garage. It was sprayed on with no concern for drips and it looked very much like chrome on the video. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find it quickly. There are lots of other (more modern possibly) paints that claim to give a chrome finish. Here’s a video about one of them (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBtdU10PIcE). Eastwood has a similar product (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v97U3fQnmzw). There are others. You can search “chrome paint” on a web search or a YouTube search to find them.
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Since our cars are not all that valuable have you thought of no bumpers? My S1 has a 47 look without them.
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Yes, it is $700 each to have Europa bumpers re-plated at the only remaining shop in Nevada.
I was told that in CA it would be nearly double that. :blowup:
I left a nearly strait front to be done for my own car.
I already have a never mounted since re-plated rear.
Now the question is, at $1,400 a set.
Will newly plated bumpers increase the value of a mechanically tidy S2 still in need of paint by more than the expense?
Lesser options include a "Chrome" wrap or powder painting.
My experience with powder paint is that it looks too much like aluminum and scuffs too easily.
Not sure a wrap last well enough.
Thoughts?
Depends.
Chrome plating is a dirty, environmentally unfriendly process. You're not paying for, necessarily, the cost of the metals but the heavy hand of state and federal regulations covering the control of heavy metal polllution, waste disposal, health and welfare of the workers, etc.
Is it worth it? $700 per is about what I paid 15 years ago. I know I spent, all in, in 2008, about $2100 to do the two bumpers, headlight rings, tail light bases (european) and door handles for 693R. Was it worth it? That's not the point if you're going to the extreme of replating door handles. It was shipwright's disease on steroids once I started down that road.
For a driver? You know, I'd have the darn things buffed down to get them smooth and chrome wrapped. Cost a heck of a lot less than going to a chrome shop.
Taking her to Pebble Beach? Spend the money.
In the end, only you can decide. I can say that for my TCS, the bumpers are in good condition, couple buff marks, but would probably polish out fine if I could find someone who did finish metal polishing!
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For my "Keeper" I have already left a front bumper to be done.
I have a polishing wheel so I guess I will see what can be done with it.
But I cannot polish out peeled chrome.
A wrap for the front is looking likely on the car that is to be sold.
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This was the you tube clip I was looking for.
https://youtu.be/ninpBuzNSxQ?si=PtvEZeEjdJTZ2L0e
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Could also be a solution if they can sell only the front:
https://groupharrington.com/product/ford-anglia-105e-bumpers/
and
I think the back is Cortina MK1. But not sure
https://groupharrington.com/product/lotus-cortina-mk1-full-length-front-bumper/
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Yep, remember that these are OTS bumpers. There was an Anglia with a decent bumper near me for $500 (I grabbed just the bumper for $100) though both of those and the Cortina are rare in the US.
If you want to chrome, do it now. Personally, I love a tastefully painted bumper. Gold bumpers on a JPS absolutely work, as do white on many colors.
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Did some more looking for that paint from Jay Leno's Garage. What made it even more interesting than the fact that it didn't form drips or runs was that it was water based and non-toxic. I did find a reference to it on a Corvette forum from 2005 but the video is now private. I don't know what that's about!
Sparkrite's video is very interesting but I think painting on a plastic surface is different enough that the results may not translate to steel as well as we might like. Without regard to the price of equipment, etc. IMHO, the Easy Chrome was the best. I think the chrome paints are good enough and the cost of plating is high enough that a few body shops would provide it. I found Easy Chrome at ebay for about $200.
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Email sent to Harrington.
Easy Chrome might be best for a fiberglass bumper?
I may experiment with it as I do need to control cost on the red S2.
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Since our cars are not all that valuable have you thought of no bumpers? My S1 has a 47 look without them.
I have a agree with SwiftDB4. The Europas look so much cleaner without the bumpers especially when the front is lowered.
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Clean yes, but does it add or subtract from BAT resale value?
I have to resell the red car to fund finishing the hot keeper I have been working on for four years.
Past threads seem to support the bumpers not being totally useless in a crash.
I'm fairly sure more original increases value with most potential buyers.
Chrome is ghastly expensive so I am researching my options.
So far Easy Chrome and Chrome Wrap each have their merits.
Trying to decide how durable Easy Chrome would be. Yes, even though I am selling it.
Wrap is cheap, but that is not the deciding factor for me.
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I paid in 2020 $400 for a bumper that was a little bigger than the Europa bumper.
I used Spacecoast plating in Melbourne, FL (321) 254-2880.
I thought the quality was very good and they will straighten and repair holes.
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When you look at the work required to replate a bumper, you can appreciate why it costs a bit of money.
I have dabbled in home based electroplating as a part of a house restoration project. With the help of Caswells who operate on both sides of the border, supplies, equipment, and expertise are readily available.
They have a process called Reproplate that produces chrome like shine and colour without using chromium.
Success in plating depends on a high quality DC power source Around 5 volts but with high current that is adjustable.
One of the challenges for DIY plating is removing the original plating. Rust does a great job, but not reliably, so you have to reverse plate it off onto some other metal.Then the parent metal has to be polished. Like paint, the chrome doesn't cover up imperfections. The usual technique uses a layer of copper over the surface followed by local flash copper plating which allows you to build up any pits that appear. The copper gets polished smooth and then a layer of nickel followed by the chrome - or reproplate.
Its a lot of work! And its usually dirty - perhaps worse that sanding fibreglass on a hot humid day...
So - yes, you can Do it Yourself but - the chemical kit from Caswells required to do a Europa bumper is about $1800 CDN. You would have to build a tank designed for the bumper and get a 25 amp or perhaps larger power supply.
Once you have the set up, you can do several bumpers and by refreshing the chemistry do more.
Lots to think about - and I can tell you the prep work is harder than the plating!!!
Grant in Nova Scotia
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Clean yes, but does it add or subtract from BAT resale value?
I have to resell the red car to fund finishing the hot keeper I have been working on for four years.
Past threads seem to support the bumpers not being totally useless in a crash.
I'm fairly sure more original increases value with most potential buyers.
Chrome is ghastly expensive so I am researching my options.
I wouldn't say removing bumpers necessarily adds to a Europa's value, but does it really subtract?
Unless you're looking at a $40K plus concours car would that really turn off buyers?
I gather you don't want to spend big money on this car anyway. Would you get $1400 more?
Chrome spray paint or a wrap could end up looking pretty cheesy.
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With the exception of a Dellorto DHLA it is a very original and unmolested car.
I know I cannot get into redoing the paint and still finish it in time.
I have my fingers crossed for the stainless repro bumpers.
I do have a rear that may polish up nicely?
Front is more difficult as none I own have really good chrome.
From what I can determine nothing else really looks like chrome.
It is disappointing that even chrome is not more durable.
So I am still where I started, is there a bumper repair that will increase value more than the expense of doing it?
Too bad BAT does not have a discussion forum outside of active auction comments.
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Not too bad?
"As far as I am informed from other customers, you can use the Ford Anglia 105 front bumper and the Ford Cortina M1 front full length bumper for Lotus Europa.
I am, however, not 100% sure that they will be correct for Lotus Europa.
Normally, we will charge 60% for a single bumper. However, in this case, I will charge you the Ford Anglia’s price- USD 896 including shipping.
We can have the bumpers ready for shipping within 10 working days after receipt of payment and confirmation. Shipping is with airfreight which only takes 3-4 days straight to your door."
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Hi Richard48y
Is that the price for a stainless front bumper ? If so bearing in mind the rechrome cost that doesn’t seem bad at all! I guess depending on fit. However if this was stainless…a little necessary fettling would be possible with only the need to polish and not re chrome again.
Value added. Hard to say. It is becoming more widely known about the problems, longevity availability and costs with chroming so to have future proofed and perhaps more environmentally friendly bumpers in stainless might be a selling point when you have the potential buyer in front of the car…tough call to put a price on this
Both my bumpers are suffering and will need re chroming. I don't intend selling any time soon….do I put up with the rusty flaky look, remove completely or go stainless. I think stainless…..I have a DS with stainless bumpers and they look great and one less thing to worry about.
I'll watch the stainless solution with interest….if that’s what you are going for
Good,luck….great topic, thank you
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Pair of bumpers for both ends of the car.
It does seem the best answer if cost is not the overriding concern.
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Good to see some of these $ numbers. It would be nice to get them all together in a single, easily-read list.
I can add one: 6 months ago someone hit me from behind. The insurance covered repair of the bumper which was only scuffed. It was re-chromed, and the repair shop that did the body work sent it out. They have little experience with plating, but were willing to do fiberglass work. I've had the car back since August, but just got the bumper a couple of weeks ago. Took 21 weeks. I was holding $600 which was the insurance estimate for the bumper repair. They told me it actually cost $1154 to have the rear bumper chromed. It's beautiful, but jeez!
It was done by an outfit called Northstar Plating in Minnesota.
It looks so good, I want to get the front done now. But I don't want to pay like that.
-Vince
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I had mine done for $1,000,
but I did add an interior light cover. :FUNNY:
Dakazman
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I paid in 2020 $400 for a bumper that was a little bigger than the Europa bumper.
I used Spacecoast plating in Melbourne, FL (321) 254-2880.
I thought the quality was very good and they will straighten and repair holes.
Pfreen and I used the same guy, OUTSTANDING QUALITY.
Dakazman
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Wow. Big jump in price though, in a few years.
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ABC Plating in Reno is $700 for a standard finish.
Show car would be more.
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Ok, this is going to sound very negative but I've got to chip in here on the stainless bumpers.
The Anglia front bumper is also used on the Elan+2 and there was a thread a few years ago about these on LotusElan.net.
https://lotuselan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17051 (https://lotuselan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17051)
There's mixed comments about the fitment. Originally they weren't so good and there was some discussion with the manufacturers about getting the fit right for the +2. The problem is that for the Anglia & Cortina the bumpers are mounted on brackets and don't have to conform exactly with the body profile, but on both the Europa & Elan+2, the body is shaped to match the period bumper of the 1960s. So any discrepancy stands out like a sore thumb. There were also comments about the stainless being a thinner than the OEM steel. I wasn't bothered about that myself but it's worth noting.
I didn't follow up on this at the time because I'd found a pair of NOS Anglia & Cortina bumpers and I don't know if the modern day repro bumpers are a better fit. It might not even be the same firm supplying the modern repros, it was Harringtons years ago and they were manufactured in Vietnam.
I remember being dissapointed at the time because even though I'd got a reasonable pair of chrome bumpers they weren't perfect and you can polish stainless up to a very high standard. Not as deep as quality chrome but certainly good enough that 90% of folks won't realise.
If you're going to try these, in view of the past comments I'd ask if they have supplied any to Lotus owners and what feedback they got. If the front bumper fits, I'll have one !
Brian
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Always imagined that chrome plating would be cheaper in the States. I don't know how much the cost has risen but I had front and rear bumpers, inner and outer headlamp rims chromed in the UK ,cost £360 in 2020. Took 5 months.....
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I had mine done about a year ago at alberta plating in Calgary alberta for about $1100 cdn for both bumpers. They did a very nice job. They do mail order http//albertaplating.com
Just a happy customer for a local business.
Gary
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Dropped my bumpers off with a local rechromer a few months back, they do take their time and the costs will be about £700 for the pair, but given the ones on the car fitted perfectly and the bodyshell was made to fit the bumpers, I figured I might stick with the ones I had. You pays your money and you takes your choice...