How Do I Repair Chrome?
Perfect chrome on a car or truck can really make them stand out. But what if you can’t afford to buy all new chrome or send your chrome to get refinished? There are ways you can make your chrome look almost perfect and nearly as good as new in your own garage or shop.
How do I make my chrome look new again?
- Isolate the bad chrome section
- Scrape off any loose rust
- Use a rust treatment
- Prep surface by cleaning
- Rub with metal polish and steel wool
- Let metal polish dry
- Buff the chrome
These simple steps are a do-it-yourself way to give a shinier more finished look to damaged or rusted chrome.
Identifying The Problem – Pick Your Battle
Some chrome parts are so pitted you can’t repair them yourself. You will have to buy another or send them off to get rechromed.
My 72 C10 will not have a lot of chrome left on it during my restoration process but I would like to use as many of the original parts that I have if I can get them to clean up. I will have to look close at the pitting because if it is too deep it won’t be worth trying to salvage.
You will have to decide by trial and error while doing your first part to see if it’s something you can live with. Repairing a door handle or light bezel is a lot different than doing a front bumper or grille. Small parts’ imperfections will not be as noticeable as a big blotch or painted area on a bumper.
Clean The Rusty Area
For this step, you will want to use a stiff-bristled wire brush or sandpaper to remove as much of the loose rust as possible. When you have everything off that is loose you can wash it off with clean soapy water.
Vinegar is not recommended for cleaning chrome as it can damage or discolor the surface. Use circular, tight motions as your cleaning. If you use a harsh cleaner that is acidic, be sure to follow with a good wash and rinse then thoroughly dry the piece.
Treat any of the metal area that is non-visible with a rust protector such as POR to halt any future corrosion and rust. Allow to completely dry before moving on the next step.
Prepare The Surface
Thoroughly clean the chrome surface that will show with a non-acidic or non-oily cleaner like a good glass cleaner. Wipe off with a clean dry cloth or paper towel to remove any built-up dirt or grime. This will allow you to better see the areas that are pitted or rusted.
Using Steel Wool And Metal Polish
With a clean surface, you’re now ready to treat the rusted areas of the chrome. There are a few different choices to use for this process. Here are two highly recommended ones:
- Quick-Glo – Original, 8 oz – Chrome Cleaner & Rust Remover (Featured on Jay Leno’s Garage Made in The USA + Non-Toxic)
- Turtle Wax Chrome Polish & Rust Remover
Use this polish with a fine steel wool sponge. Apply some polish onto the wool sponge and use back and forth scrubbing motions all over the surface of your chrome parts.
Any parts that may show more advanced pitting or rusting will need extra scrubbing and polish. Do the entire surface of the part that you are working on. This will take a lot of work on some of the areas to see results.
If you have areas that are hard to get into, a small scrub brush or toothbrush may be helpful. Don’t be afraid to overscrub any areas as you cannot make the rust or pitting any worse than when you started. Follow the instructions for drying time.
Buff And Polish The Chrome
When the polish has dried, use a dry steel wool to buff it clean. Be sure to buff the whole surface of the chrome to remove all of the dried polish. When you are satisfied that you have removed as much as you can with the steel wool, sponge wash the remainder off with clean water.
Next, once the metal polish has dried, use the dry side of the steel wool sponge to buff it off. Take the time to buff the whole surface of the chrome and remove all the particles of dried metal polish. Rinse any remaining polish off the metal with clean water.
Using a microfiber cloth, you can remove any product that may still be on the wheel. Keep rubbing with the cloth until you have a nice shine going.
Items Needed
- Wire brush
- Sandpaper
- POR 15 rust inhibitor
- Glass cleaner
- Clean dry cloths
- Chrome cleaner and rust remover
- Steel wool sponges
- Microfiber cloth
Alternative Options
Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we will not get the desired effect we’re looking for. If the chrome is too far gone, you can use a good primer with a chrome paint. Talk to your auto parts store about which one they think will give you the most realistic look. I’ve gone this route before, and you never get a finished product that looks like real chrome.
The other alternative is electroplating the entire surface. This is an industrial process that will require your part to be taken to professionals. This process requires large amounts of acidic chemicals and high temperatures to work properly. Failure to do this electroplating process correctly can destroy or damage the part you wanted chromed.
Final Thoughts
It comes down to we have three choices. Polish it as best we can, paint it and probably not like what we get or send the part off to be chromed. Its all about your tolerance and budget. Happy Trucking!
The Tool Box
Heres a complete polishing kit for all parts of your truck:
McKee’s Ceramic Series Complete Coating Kit for Paint, Glass, Wheels, Chrome
And heres the buffer to go with it:
Adam’s Cordless Polisher Swirl Killer 15mm – Powerful Battery Powered Portable Orbital Polisher
Adam’s Medium Grade Clay Bar Jar Kit
Related Topics
Is it possible to repair an aluminum wheel? Yes, repairing an aluminum wheel can be possible if the damage is not too severe. It is less expensive to take your wheel to a metal repair shop than buying a new wheel. Another alternative is to check with your local wrecking yards to see if they have a matched wheel in inventory.
Can a bent wheel be fixed? If your wheels are made of steel and a bent rim is your only problem, you can usually have the wheel repaired. If you have aluminum alloy wheels, there is typically no way to repair a bent rim. A minor bend can crack if you try to repair it, so it’s usually best practice to just buy a replacement wheel.
