Re-chroming price.

[buick man]

Some years ago, one of the best places here in Toronto was Galaxie Grille, and I took a couple of taillight pieces in the got done. One price I remember clearly, $140. "regular chrome", and "show chrome" was going to cost $300, this was on a nice core.

I went with the "regular", but the result was flawless, so I could not of seen any difference between that and "show", except that would of cost me more.

This was done in the mid ninties and the work has stood up very well with the kind of pampered like my cars get.

Keith

If I was a good writer, and I is, I could not of said that any better. That is exactly what I am talking about. The chrome shops have turned into hair salons. But what they are really doing is the same thing. Just milking a process that does not need to be complicated on a clientele that loves to be milked.

Back in the day it was just Leroy, Bob and the gang bringing in their parts, now it's Charles Landoff Jr. or Dr. Bintroff the III or all those "Shops" that have "clients" to tend to bringing in the parts and with a pout of the lower lip for extra effect, "... and do please hurry, the show is only a couple weeks away."

Edited February 28, 2012 by buick man (see edit history)

[49_buick_super]

Royal Plating in Tucson.

1949 Buick Super rear bumper - $425.00

License plate insert for same - $75.00

Chrome haz mat fee - $10.00

Job total: $510.00 (cash or equivalent only - they don't do credit cards here)

Dropped it off today. This project price is going to include the repair of a dent, a couple of bends that look like they were inflicted by the old bolt-on trailer hitches of years ago and some general scrapes and rash from age.

[Guest SupRiv56R]

Re: entry by Al on jacking up the car:

I recall reading some years back that it was essential that '57 Buicks be lifted only at the specified jackking points when changing a tire (or other reasons) to avoid chassis flex and the real possibility of cracking the windshield resulting. I was warned personally by another owner about this as well. It gave me the shivers when I thought about the many times up to that point when I just put the [floor] jack anywhere under the frame to work on the car. I had previously replaced the original windshield after it cracked on it's own for no apparent reason while sitting quietly in my garage. Funny thing about this is I don't think I have ever lifted the cars by the points at the bumper, as I never believed they (the bumpers) could safely support that kind of weight. Ever since receiving the heads up on lifting these cars, I have always raised the car with my 3-ton floor jack under either the front engine cross-member or the rear pumpkin and then gently lower it down onto 3-ton rated stands. I'm so paranoid about losing another windshield, that I carry the floor jack in the trunk when I'm going on an extended drive. I have never lifted the car with the factory jack.

That said, I still worry about my car when it's in for service even after instructing the garage that under no circumstances are they to lift the car at only one corner.

[smithbrother]

I only recall comments/rumors like that when the 54's came out, could be wrong, BEEN THERE, DONE THAT.

Being in the car and truck rental business for 20 plus years and having to replace lots of windshields over the years, I have been told by glass people, that stone chips can go undetected for sometime, then move and produce a broken piece. Also under the trim, or with then newer cars, under the BLACKED OUT outer area can be a sharp edge that starts the cracking. Glass just doesn't break without some help, oh, I guess EXCEPTIONS have/do occurred.

I can understand your concern though.

Dale in Indy

[Guest SupRiv56R]

I agree with you Dale. In my case, the consensus of opinion by those who I had spoken to over the years, was that the cause could have been a flaw at the edge of the windshield (under the rubber gasket and sealer) that was there since the day it was built. I discovered the crack one day when it extended about 1/4" down from the top driver's side of the glass. It gradually lengthened to about 6" and then stopped. The warning about jacking the car was given by someone with experience who had jacked their car up one day on the frame just behind the right (pass) wheel to change a tire, only to discover a crack in the windshield when he went to drive away. His opinion was the the stress on the frame and the flexing stressed the windshield and caused the crack. I never asked whether it started at some flaw or ding (seems likely), but he had driven the car for many years before this had happened. Knowing what I do now, I suspect that with my car, all the times I jacked the car at various points over the years prior probably didn't help, and may have stressed it enough to have it fail at a likely flaw on the edge of the glass.

[buick man]

Both the owner's manual and dealer service manuals go into detail in lifting the car.

There are no lifting points on or attached to the 1957 Buick front or rear bumpers. For In-the-Field emergency repairs, the factory correct and provided 1957 Buick lifting jack is the proper tool to lift the car and is done so only at the pre designated lifting points attached and built into the frame network of the Buick. There are two lifting points at the front and one on each side just in front of the rear wheels. These points are bolted or welded on plates which are attached to the frame. The front plates are bolted at the point where the frame legs meet the frame shutoff.

With that said, in the shop lifting the front can be accomplished via the large frame cross member. However lifting the rear can be accomplished by placing your hydraulic floor jack under the rear end pinion encasement. This will lift the body up somewhat but will not lift the wheels up high enough to accomplish wheel removal and the real axle should not be used to accomplish the lift alone. We usually place another jack at the designated rear lifting point on the side we are working and lift at that point as well, and jack both up to a satisfactory working height. If we are lifting the rear completely, then we place an additional 3rd jack under the other side frame lifting point as well and lift all three together incrementally until the desired height is accomplished. If you are only lifting enough to get one rear wheel up enough to change it, then lifting at that designated frame point will accomplish that by using either a floor jack or the actual factory provided 1957 jack if forced to do so out in the field.

However for work done inside the shop, we have installed an inexpensive 6- ton winch securely fastened to the concrete floor at the base of the wall within our designated lifting/working area. By letting the cable out long enough, we can attach to the center frame cross member just near the front of the transmission. We then set four drive-on wheel ramps just behind each tire. Then roll up the winch and the car goes up the ramps to rest at the top of each ramp. Fast and easy as butter on a hot roll. Our good quality made in the U.S.A. ramps are about 8 inches tall. We then have ample room to set up our floor jacks at each corner of the frame and where ever else we need them to be. With the car up and the wheels on the top of the ramps this allows us ample enough room to slide on a dolly and work under the car. If we need the car higher for transmission removal, we have welded brackets onto the wheel ramps so we can use a 12X6X4 block under each of the wheel ramps and can bolt them to these wide blocks. The winch will easily and slowly draw the car up onto the ramps. From the point where you place the ramps behind each tire to the top of each ramp is roughly 2 feet so the car has very little distance to travel. When using the blocks we have made ascending wedges that are placed in front of the ramps to help facilitate the safe and efficient wheel travel up and onto the ramps.

If you happen to be blessed with both the room to install one and have an actual full car lift, a provision to catch the rear end assembly must be made if lifting by the frame alone. Never lift the car up by the frame alone thereby letting the entire rear end to hang dangle down in the breeze. This is hill billy and puts undo strain on the torque tube, the spring perches and the trailing arm bar links and helps to facilitate torque ball leaking and bent arms. The best lift for this axle type is a drive on lift with provisions to support the suspension components once the car is up so a wheel can be removed and worked on and so forth.

Edited March 25, 2012 by buick man (see edit history)

[Guest SupRiv56R]

re: >>There are no lifting points on or attached to the 1957 Buick front or rear bumpers. The factory correct and provided 1957 Buick lifting jack is the proper tool to lift the car and is done so only at the pre designated lifting points attached and built into the frame network of the Buick.<<

I stand corrected. It has been a long time since I closely eyeballed the front jacking pads and I have never even checked what the official procedure was for lifing the rear. I always felt that using the two pads specified as jacking points on the front as essentially the same as using the bumper since the brackets for same are attached to the frame just behind them. Maybe it's just me, but they always looked inadequate for the job. When I lift the rear end, it's always under the differential and then lowered onto stands at either end of the axle keeping the floor jack with part of the load under the diff for a safety "reserve". For the front, it's under the cross-member with stands under the frame behind the front wheels. The stands sit on 2x2 pieces of 5/8's inch plywood. This may seem like overkill to some, but it gives me a little piece of mind just in case "Christine" may be a distant relative of my Buick.

The shop that works on my car when I need it, has a lift that raises the car using all four tires. (drive on)