"billet" gas pedal set & accessories

[The Penguin]

I've got a 2005 CC DS - when I bought it - it came with several "billet" accessories:

gas/brake/park brake
shifter lever
cup holder "trim rings"
steering column cover
steering wheel hub
steering wheel

my cart is used and generally kept at the coast - I've had it about 2 years and the salt air has taken it's toll on the "billet" items

I keep using "billet" with quotes because it's not what equate with being a billet accessory. It is some sort of metal (aluminum?) with a chrome plating that is pitting and peeling off.

When I think of billet aluminum - it is machined aluminum parts, typically anodized, not chrome plated.

I don't mean to disparage any particular vendor or supplier - these items are widely sold and available through any number of retailers.

So - long story short - I've got a bunch of ugly "billet" parts - what can I do to get them looking nice again without paying out the wazoo to just replace them?

powder coating? re-chroming? chuck it and just buy new stuff? (about $400 worth of parts)

Suggestions?

Thanks!

[4vertical]

you are correct with "billet" i can turn these items at work from cold rolled steel. they are still a billet item.

as for the chrome, i have never understood the chrome plating aluminum. the chrome will rust eventually. aluminum is corrosion resistant but will look fairly ugly when left alone with the coastal air.

when things rust it is usually hard to get that to stay gone. i would figure you are gonna have to replace them.

good luck,
Aaron

[BLACK DEATH]

Is it aluminum? Just polish it out, forget chroming it

[The Penguin]

Originally Posted by BLACK DEATH

Is it aluminum? Just polish it out, forget chroming it

It's definitely some sort of chrome plating over a non-metallic substrate.

so maybe chrome-plated aluminum.

there is no polishing this out

[WickedCarts]

YOUR COLUMN is not chrome plated... alum sucks for salt water one of my custom carts that we built and had custom billet 14" wheels made and in one year they were all pitted and nasty looking... one set we had polished and the other set we had powder coated... now for you pedal if fore-par made them yes they cromed them they thought they would last longer than polished ... most of the time i just scrap them old stuff and by new...

and i know the wheel are biullet i seen them in the CNC being machine and they are very expensive...

[BLACK DEATH]

What I meant if it is aluminum you can polish it out but you will have to sand down the inperfection to get it to be smooth to buff it out for a mirror shine.

[The Penguin]

thanks - I'm thinking about dropping them off at a plating shop for de-plating - then buffing them out, or have them electro-polished.

a "guesstimate" price from a plating shop was almost comically high - I could replace everything for almost the price they gave me just to have the steering column re-chromed.

also considering having some CNC'd ones made by an acquaintance in the business that likes doing new stuff.

[4vertical]

another option that eats chrome is muratic acid. we have used it at work to strip chrome from steel parts. i have no idea how it works on plated aluminum. you could always try leaving your trim rings in it for like 15 minute intervals. rinse them in water and check condition of chrome. i have no clue how that stuff reacts with aluminim, maybe google it?

just a thought,
Aaron

[crash12888]

I tried using Muratic acid to disolve dried paint in an old paint gun cup and after the bubbling, hissing and smoke cleared I had a melted pile of paint gun cup on a piece of wood. Thankfully it was outside.

I would suggest checking the cost of getting them blasted and powdercoated the color that accents the cart.
Stay away from the "chrome" powdercoating unless the coater can show you some samples.

[The Penguin]

cart is black & silver (too bad I'm not a Raider's fan) - so it's looking like gloss black may be the winner if I powder coat.

"Jet Hot" ceramic coating does have a chrome-like finish, but it's not near as durable as powder coating.