Has anyone Chromed there Side pipes

[PHM]

I Just ordered a Superformance and can't afford stainless side pipes and was thinking of having them chromed. Has anybody had any luck trying this? and if so please show me some pictures. I have heard that they might have a bluing effect up front but i think that might be kind of cool.

[DonC]

I'm sure there are some folks out there who have chromed their pipes but I think the majority of owners who want shiney pipes have gone the cereamic coating route. They won't blue out the way chromies do. Another option is to have the pipes cereamic coated on the inside and chromed on the outside the way some motorcycles do to keep them from bluing.
DonC

[rokndad]

Here's a pic of chromed sidepipes on my car.





And here's the ceramic coated headers from the engine to collector




I get very little "bluing" or rainbow-ing on the chrome. There is some, but I think it looks OK. Just a little metal polish once in a while. Good luck.

[MFE III]

Rock'n, how many miles do you have on the chrome? I don't see any bluing in the pic. Also interesting what Don mentioned - ceramic inside and chrome out. I had my sidepipes and headers ceramic coated inside and out. I haven't fired my motor yet, but am told that coating inside and out significantly reduces surface temps. Will see very soon!

[Got the Bug]

PHM - How much more are the ceramic pipes over black? Not that much as I recall. In the big picture, it's worth getting the ceramic pipes. They look great and are easy to maintain.

[Cashburn]

The key to the chrome is the quality of it. There are different levels of chroming that can assure a better result. Had the opportunity to see a real car in person a couple weeks ago. The pipes looked great, owner has had the car for 22+ years and put them out for chrome about 10 years ago... even hooked up to a very hot Moody 427 they looked great.

Though the current cost of chrome, you may find the stainless pipes are not that much. I don't know since SS is standard for us.

[Paul F]

My chrome pipes rusted out pretty quickly. Stainless fixed it. Save some bucks and do it right the first time. Consider ceramic or stainless.

[Excaliber]

I had polished stainless on my Excalibur and I'll NEVER do THAT again! Those suckers are the temperature of the Sun. Freakin' snake bite in a heart beat just brushing against them lightly. I would think chrome would be just as bad or worse. Powder coat is WAY cooler in temperature. As for me, I use VHT paint and touch 'em up every so often on my ERA. And yeah, it IS a pain in the butt having to touch them up, but they look like brand new again when your done! I worry about the ceramic coating getting permanent marks or whatever on the surface.

My stainless pipe eventually did get some staining here and there from various sources and it's really hard to get that out. Of course if your only talking about ownership for a couple of years, OK. Me? I'm in it for the long haul, I'll stick with VHT and 'get new pipes' every year.

[PHM]

Originally Posted by Got the Bug

PHM - How much more are the ceramic pipes over black? Not that much as I recall. In the big picture, it's worth getting the ceramic pipes. They look great and are easy to maintain.

The price difference is bettween $350 - $420 I am going to look into what it would cost for chroming.

[rokndad]

I have about 3500 mi on the clock, and still no noticeable bluing. Ernie's right about the temps....been bit several times when I got out after a drive to do something on the engine and bam!! Instant burn. Takes a month or so to go away. Gotta quit wearing shorts....but hey, it's Southern California!!

I personally like the chrome look and I've seen the stainless and there's a little more maintenance involved. But they don't seem to wear out. I think the trick is the ceramic headers into a chromed collector and sidepipes....or ceramic collector if that look is good for you. Have fun.

[1985 CCX]

Here is some Vintage Chrome............CSX3018

[rokndad]

Jeff,

Your car never fails to amaze me. It looks like it's off and running just sitting there. Nice shots. Chrome is holding up well it seems.

[Nedsel]

Except when you look at the '62 Chevy wagon in the background of one shot, and the '66 Olds in the other, you really have to wonder if that's Jeff's car in the pictures. It looks like his car (in his avatar) has white pipes.

[Danr55]

PHM, I have chrome side pipes on my Contemporary. As soon as I pull the engine down, the side pipes (along with several other items) go off to jet coat to get ceramic coated with their sterling silver ceramic. It is a lot easier to take care of than chrome and it looks better in that it doesn't discolor from heat, water spot, or get plastic bags stuck to it and melted in.( long story behind that one!)

[t walgamuth]

Are the side pipes pretty universal? Mine seem loose inside and rattle. What are the cost of them new? ...painted? Chromed? Stainless?

[g8rnbft]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYNReloa3Xc

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/flo-13530320

[t walgamuth]

Thanks G8. Still in the market for some straight talk from someone who has facts in their head and are welling to give me some friendly guidance, please.

[E5USMC]

Isn’t that Messersmiths car ?

Originally Posted by 1985 CCX

Here is some Vintage Chrome............CSX3018

[g8rnbft]

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Thanks G8. Still in the market for some straight talk from someone who has facts in their head and are welling to give me some friendly guidance, please.

Had to go back to your initial post where you described your car and engine. As a car built in limited numbers and chevy powered - I doubt that your sidepipes could be called universal because most chevy powered cars require custom headers that could be fabbed in a myriad of configurations. Builders/owners that I know only replace the muffler section when the guts get loose and rattle. That means cutting the existing ones out - as well as the turnouts - and welding the new ones in. A good tig welder can make them look nice. The slimlines from Summit are very popular - available in SS that looks "almost" polished.
Hope this helps.

[t walgamuth]

Originally Posted by E5USMC

Isn’t that Messersmiths car ?

I like your windscreen! How does it work out for a full face clad passenger? I also see you have some screens over the grill opening and oil cooler opening. I also spy a 62 chevy wagon, right? cool!