I've had the tanabe STB for close to ten years and it's held up pretty well.

 

Just got off the phone with LM Chrome. "I'm sorry, we no longer do Black Chrome electroplating."

I'm sensing a pattern here, LOL.

Every time I think I'm done, you guys give me another reference. But this is it. I'm going to have to come to the realization that Black Chrome is no longer a service provided (here in the States). Must be some pretty horrible chemicals involved, because I can't believe no one likes it anymore. It's a mind-twistingly beautiful finish.

 

Those looks fantastic!

 

Here, I found a good picture for the Black Chrome finish on my intake mid-pipes. This pic is 8 years old, and the parts look pretty much the same today. The only compromise with age is where the pipes are bolted to the cans. The plating is chipping at that point. But you can't see that without disassembling the intake. I mean, I know about it, but... oh well.

Anyway, that Black Chrome... damn-n-n-n. See, this is why I've gone down this rabbit hole lately.

 

The black chrome looks really nice.

 

I have the Megan Racing bar and it's adjustable in a similar manner; fits well. Every now and then I can see where the hood insulation rubs marks on the bar, and I take some Flitz polish and buff them out.

 

Or-r-r-r.... you could go commando.

 

That would probably be a good workaround to help prevent cracking when you bolt the bar into the end caps. Assuming you have a detail oriented powder coating guy, he can just mask off these areas when he plugs the bolt holes.

It seems that black chrome is still fairly popular amongst the motorcycle guys, so a shop like LM Chrome may be your best bet. I'm not sure if they still offer black chrome or not (I had my parts done 10+ years ago), but there are lots of motorcycle shops that probably still do it. Here's another shop that one of my corvette buddies says still does black chrome in the SoCal area (they did his C8 wheels).

https://calchrome.com/black-chrome/

If you can't find a shop to do it and really want to go down the black chrome rabbit hole, you could always buy a plating kit and try doing it yourself.

https://caswellplating.com/electropl...UHRsxNaRqEFqrI

Or, you could also look at black chrome anodizing, which is starting to become more popular.

Black chrome anodizing is a finishing process that combines the decorative and protective qualities of black chrome plating and anodizing. Black chrome plating creates a dark, often lustrous, finish on metal, while anodizing is an electrochemical process that increases the thickness of the natural oxide layer on aluminum and other metals, enhancing corrosion resistance and wear resistance. The combination of these processes, often involving anodizing the metal first and then applying black chrome plating, provides a durable, aesthetically pleasing, and corrosion-resistant finish.

 

Stealing John's words "It's a mind-twistingly beautiful finish".

 

Plating is the Superbowl of DIY.

We could also just paint everything flat black and make the car look like its from a dystopian planet at the edge of the universe. Wait, the guys on the g37 reddit sub already thought of this...

 

I remember a while back this company was featured on some long forgotten episode of Powernation TV.

Depending in far down this rabbit hole you want to go, John, might want to reach out to these folks. Least they can say is "we don't do that anymore."

 

Before you give up, you should try contacting CalChrome, John. As I mentioned in my previous post, one of my buddies just had his wheels done there so he's pretty sure they still offer this finish.

https://calchrome.com/black-chrome/

I just went to their website and it looks like they offer a "Hybrid" Black Chrome finish. Apparently their process does not use electroplating, so it shouldn't have the same environmental issues, but it still looks fantastic IMO.

At CalChrome, we have worked very hard to develop our Black Chrome Hybrid Product. It is of utmost importance to us, that the Black Chrome finish be as high quality as possible, and to share in the unique properties of true chrome electroplate. As is plainly visible in the example, the competitor’s Black Chrome PVD Finish has a very poor surface quality, with pits and an “Orange Peel” texture to the entire surface, as well as a brown hue to the reflections. CalChrome’s wheel, on the other hand, has a smooth, highly reflective surface, with a luster that only comes from a true chrome plating base coat.

 

Wow! That company! OK, worth an email to see if they would plate my bar. I sent them an email just now. Thanks for looking out.

You know, this is like the 3rd day in a row where I resign to powdercoat, then step back again because of a recommendation, rinse & repeat.

 

Thanks, Adrian. I used their online estimate request process, so let's see what comes from that.

The pics on their website of this "hybrid" Black Chrome are exactly how I want it to look, irrespective of the actual tech. And the tech seems interesting. A traditional chrome plating, then a mysterious layer of proprietary something they won't say, and then a clear coat. OK.

My head is freaking spinning, LOL. Something that wasn't a project for 10 years is suddenly a rollar-coaster.

 

is there any advantage to doing this? My insulation still looks good