Score! -- that elusive 1970-1973 chrome headlight trim ring

[DogBunny]

Like a LOT of people, I have been searching for months and MONTHS for a 70-73 chrome headlight trim ring. I made the mistake of selling mine to an in-town acquaintance for his build. I never would have sold it if I had known how difficult they have become to find.
A craigslist came up today for a BOATLOAD of parts. There, in one of the pics -- above -- was a 72 bucket with ring. Talked to the seller, and the ring is good. SCORE!
The only catch, is that I have to buy the entire boatload of stuff. Enough to pack a pick-up bed.
Interestingly, I know the seller. I bought the Super RustBucket from him. And before that, I bought a 1975 from him, another good deal.

 

[Grewth]

I got hold of a good one about a month ago.
Well, good as in undamaged, but the chrome is showing it's 50 years age.
Now I'm wonderig if I can DARE to ever hand this rare part over to a chrome plating specialist.
In my experience they always manage to loose/destroy the rarest/most valuable/most irreplacable parts.
I'm just wondering which would be the best manufacturing process to make replicas ?

 

[gggGary]

For a one off, turn one out of aluminum?


For such a small piece it's really complicated. Original was prolly rolled out of sheet stock then welded.

 

[DogBunny]

You need to have more faith in your chrome guy.
Can't say I've ever had anything re-chromed. I usually cheap-out with chrome spray-paint, which looks decent for a while. I've also seen nice chrome powder-coat, but it also only looks good for a while, and it's also too expensive for me anyway. I've done DIY nickel-plating, nice, and can be polished, and can look quite good.

To make one, the thing to do would be to learn Mandarin, go to China, and contract with a manufacturer who'd be willing to tool up and make a couple hundred. Isn't that what Mikes and XS Trader do? $200 for a nice repop sounds reasonable, and you'd make a profit, but it would probably take a lifetime to sell them all.

 

[Grewth]

For a one off, turn one out of aluminum?


For such a small piece it's really complicated. Original was prolly rolled out of sheet stock then welded.

If I had access to a lathe I'd probably try to turn a couple of them.
Not the ideal solution, and it would probably end up thicker in section than the original and therefore heavy in comparison, but hey, I'm not building a race bike.
Once you've got the basic ring, you'd need a bit of cutting and the tab welding on, then off to be polished and chromed.
A lot of work, but if you can't find an original, what choice do you have ?
A more practical method would be metal spinning, but it's an eight year apprenticeship before you're considered fully skilled, so probably best left to the experts.

 

[WideAWAKE]

When I did lambretta restorations we used to take more chrome bits to get rechromed in a month than this whole forum has taken in a life time (haha and exaggeration, yes, a little, but probably not much haha)

Never lost a single piece.

I looked into get some exhaust rechromed - 6 bucks an inch, 60” a pipe - 4 pipes. Expensive but still cheaper than a repop can be had and WAY cheaper than an original in almost any condition.

I’d bet a head light ring might run you $150. Not too bad.