Mr. G's Rechromed Plastic

[1st_charger]

Has any one used Mr. G's out of fort worth Texas to have there plastic dash bezels rechromed? I'm thinking of having this done on my 69 charger and don't need the full detail as the car is supposed to have the woodgrain over lay. So for those that have used them what was your experience? Also looking for someone with the best price on the wood grain! thanks

[ODZKing]

 

[bull]

I don't have a recommendation on Mr. G's but I would definitely compare the cost of restoring them to the cost of replacing them with new ones before making your decision. Last time I checked it was a wash.

[Ghoste]

The thing I don't like about Mr. G is that you send your part in as a core and they ship out whatever is on the shelf.  You essentially get the part off another car unless they have none in stock but the one you send in.  If you have a bezel in good shape without nicks and just needing replating, you could end up with one that has new plating but still looks crappy.
Obviously if you have one that is all nicked up then this option might be an excellent way for you to go.


DISCLAIMER:  They may no longer follow this practice but it was the norm at one time.

[ITSA426]

They have done about a half a dozen for us and we have been satisfied with each of them.  That said, we haven't needed them for about six years.  I would use them again though unless I heard of a real good reason not to.

[keenkeener]

I may be able to help. I have actually been to Mr. G's and purchased my bezels while i was there. It was important to me that I had original fitting parts with chroming that I felt was of quality. Since I live in Fort Worth getting the parts that day was a huge plus. Mr. G was very nice and I got to talk to him about his shop and parts at length. He actually let me walk around his warehouse and check out a lot of rechromed interior parts. I have to say that I was like a kid in a candy store, its not everyday that you can grab a 68 charger cluster bezel off of a shelf right next to 100s of other car interior parts. He also has a huge supply of new hardware, clips, screws, bolts, etc...    I came away from the transaction extrememly happy with my experience and with the fact that I had nice parts ready to install the same day. These parts look great on my dash and i ended up spending less than buying new parts including arm rest bezels and an interior screw kit, and i didnt have to pay shipping.

That being said.
You will not be getting new parts, these parts are core deposits and may have scratches, nicks, etc... The parts that are detailed (painted black where they should be) were done by a real person by hand. They are much better than anything I could do, but not a new part. He doesnt have a large supply of these due to the loss of his painter, i think a couple of years ago. Future parts will not be detailed, so when he runs out he runs out.

If you are a perfectionist and will be hunting for imperfections, buy new or NOS parts.
If you want some great looking refurbished original parts, buy some detailed from Mr. G's.
If you want to save some money, get his parts that are not detailed and do it yourself.

Another option is to sell yours on Ebag and then buy some new ones... Probably the cheapest way all around.

[Ghoste]

Did you happen to learn if there is any truth to whether or not they replate and ship you your same parts or do they just take them as a core and you get the next one on the shelf?

[keenkeener]

It didnt sound to me like that was ever the policy, unless things have changed. 



He has this in his FAQ on the website:
"Will I get my own dash parts back?
We do not guarantee each customer their own parts back. We have found over the years, we are better able to service our customers, by having the volume of parts we have accumulated to use as exchanges. Example: If I have 5 dashes to choose from of a particular model. I have a better chance to pick a good finished part to send to a customer, than if I am limited to the one part they sent in. A steel wool fiber might come loose from a mounting stud hole and land on front in a noticeable spot. The machine that has rotating racks might slow down for a few seconds and cause a run in a noticeable spot. There are a number of problems that can cause a flaw that are unacceptable, so we have to redo a certain percentage of parts."

[1st_charger]

I sent him an e-mail and the parts are no longer detailed only rechromed and its left to you to detail them. Also you do not receive your parts back unless he has none in stock , I have a modified part that he said i would get back after the rechroming was done! I'm thinking that this is going to be the way I go, planing on calling him next week and working out the details!

[keenkeener]

Oh Nice.

I know he only has a few detailed parts, but you will save some cash if you detail them yourself.