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MG TD TF 1500 - Rechrome?

Given that my original bumpers were not in good enough shape to have rechromed, I purchased a new set from one of the usual suspects....Boy, are they tinny and cheap (unfortunately not in price). I have heard that some people send these offshore chrome pieces to be rechromed by one of the better platers, which supposedly adds weight and substance to the bumper. Has anyone tried this? Is it worth the $300-$400 per (at least) that the chrome guys charge?
Bill Reid TD4618

When I had the cash Bill I purchased a set of the tinny AM jobs. Like you I was really disappointed when I saw them. They are still in their original wrapping as I intend to straighten the originals, weld them up where needed and grind them smooth before I hand them over to the chrome platers. That way I can save some dosh. I reckon that's the way to go otherwise the new bumpers would be sitting in the plating tanks for days to have them anywhere near the weight of the originals.. I'll then stick the new ones on Ebay. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

My TF had been fitted with a TD bumper front and back with more holes in them than they should, so I needed two bumpers. For the back I found an original TF rear bumper with no chrome that had been prepared for plating by somebody unknown. I took it to the plater and he said it was pretty good, but needed some work. Anyway he charged me maybe £200 for plating the bumper and a few other parts like the windscreen uprights and two overriders for the rear. Great job and the back bumper is the right curvature at the top, unlike the repros. For the front I bought a repro bumper and two repro overriders. The chrome on these looks fine to me, but the metal is definitely thinner and the overriders are very close in shape but not exact. The supplier was NTG.
I would do exactly the same thing again, if I could find a good rear bumper.
Dave H
Dave Hill

If the repros look decent, just put them on and enjoy. A $400 plating job won't make them a bit stronger or more functional. Repros have been all over as far as quality over the years, but none have had the original wider top section. George
George Butz III

Bill not sure from your post who said the bumpers would not be able to be rechromed. If you really want the OEM ones done, it can be done in most cases. Talk to some car clubs and motor cycle guys in your area where they get their stuff done. It might help to post a picture to see how bad they are.

The restoration prior to plating may be costly because it is time consuming.

You may have to ship them somewhere if your local shop does not do that level or kind of work.

Joe

JWP Policastro

Don't have them plated in California. They will take the car as payment.

The geometry of original bumpers are completely different than the reproduction ones from even the early 70's. See how they have a very pronounced flat shelf on the top. New ones are symmetrical. The overriders are different too but it's a bit more subtle.

Better chrome won't add any appreciable weight but they will look deeper and have more depth.



Christopher Couper

Rechroming is exactly the same as repainting - it is all in the preparation. I took all of the TF's bright work to a friendly plater in Glasgow and he stripped all the chrome off. I then straightened, welded, silver soldered and fettled all the parts including cleaning out all rust pits with files and emery paper. I polished everything using a mop fitted to my bench grinder before taking them back for plating. The plater showed me a radiator shell that had been taken in for plating. It was full of dents and cracks and the owner thought it could be literally dipped into a tank and lifted out like new. It was being sent away to a copper smith for repair at a very high cost.

I argued the chrome should have been stripped free of charge since the plater could reuse it by reversing the polarity of the electrodes but he didn't agree!

Jan T
J Targosz

Chris. Why has this not been addressed by the suppliers? Seems something as simple as a TD bumper would be fairly easy to make a correct die for.
Bruce Cunha

Bill, Someone on the North Carolina MG Club just listed a pair of nice bumpers off a 52 TD.
Bob McLeod TD 5618

I got a quote for TF bumpers and overriders, $1200 USD, done in Canada eh!

Decided I like them as is.
P G Gilvarry

Bob, checked the site, but I’m not a member. I assume they were listed in the members area. Do you have a contact number?
Bill Reid TD4618

Bob, made contact with the seller. Thank you very much!

Bill
Bill Reid TD4618

The replacement rear bumper for my TF was bought from the largest T series parts supplier in North America (not sure if we are allowed to mention names) and the overall shape is wrong. It is too short, does not wrap around the fenders at the ends properly and is flat across the rear of the car instead of following the curved shape of the rear splash apron. I am going to polish up the old one and use it. As I bought the bumper over a year ago, I presume that it can't be returned.
Rb Harding

Regarding the rear bumper from Moss, I sent them photos to show the differences between my bumper and the replacement, and they agreed that their bumper was not correct. It appears that there was more than bumper shape provided from the factory and theirs was patterned off a newer version. They have offered a refund.
Rb Harding

Has anyone used Graves plating? They have an ad on Woodyboater website.

rich40701

This thread was discussed between 14/02/2018 and 05/03/2018

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