Hi, The chrome on the 54 Imperials was of the worst quality. They call it Korean chrome in the restoration business. It was right after the Korean war and materials were short. A lot of the NOS stuff that I have found for this year is covered with a clear coat from the factory to make it look shiny. They were starting to get away from this process by 54 but a great majority of the chrome on the car is die cast. I have restored one of these cars that was always here in California and was garaged and the chrome was still bad. It is very hard to find replacement pieces, just ask people in the club that are still trying to find good pieces. We 54 owners only wished that the bright trim on these cars was stainless. The grills are the worst and it is almost impossible to find a replacement that is useable. In 54 some parts like the rear door gravel shields could have either been stainless or die cast. The trim on a limo is pretty much the same amount on the outside, it is the inside that is where you can get into trouble. Ken ----- Original Message ----- From: Currell Pattie Sent: Saturday, July 20, 2002 7:18 PM To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: IML: 1954 Crown Imperial Limo & Thoughts on a Restoration
Responding to an earlier post re chroming a 54 Crown Imperial Limo:
Yes, chroming is extremely expensive, but it might not be that horrible on
this model. I own a '53 Imperial Custom, and I can thankfully report that
there is a lot of stainless steel trim on the car.
And I'm looking at a picture of a 53 Imperial limo (typical of '54) right
now. Actually, there is not a whole lot of bright metal trim on the car, and
I believe what is there is mostly stainless. True, the taillight housings
are cast, along with the hood ornament, etc.
The huge, huge expense on this car will be the grille. I am facing that one
myself. Simple, relatively, but cast metal.
I used to be in the Cadillac LaSalle Club as a national director. Try
rechroming a '41 Cadillac sometime. Everything (virtually) is pot metal,
starting with the 3 horizontal trim pieces per fender. The vents on the side
of the hood. The grille, except for the vertical parts of the eggcrate part.
Currell
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