anyone have a set of the stock Cooper S side vents for sale? i want to put chrome ones on my cooper, but i dont want shark fins or flames, it just looks tacky!

 

Have your stock ones painted or chromed instead.

It amazes me that nobody has been chroming the stock cooper vents. I'd buy them for my S in a second!

 

Bought Sharks. Love them. Think they look great.

 

Mmmm, vents painted body color would be awesome.

 

i'm going to run down to the powdercoat/chrome shop near me monday and see if they can give me a price for chroming...... i'll let you know what they say

 

It is very difficult to chrome plate plastic parts. I have been searching for a while and have been in contact with a company that does this unusual process. A typical chrome shop will not be able to do it, and if they can, their process will not be suitable for an exterior part.

I will soon have a sample set of vents plated, and I hope that I will be able to get enough of a volume discount that I can offer them to others.

 

Sounds interesting ... do you have a list to keep informed? If so, please add me to the list. Chrome hood cowls would be nice

 

Don't have a list yet. . . I was intending to keep this quiet until I knew the details, but I will put you at the top of my list, GBMINI!

 

i want position #2 on the list!! id like cowl vents chromed too, not the stick on ones!

 

Like YuccaPatrol said. It's very costly to do it. I know of a few places that can do it. One being: Advanced Plating in TN www.advancedplating.com Give them a call and see what it would cost. I know Moss also sells "chrome plated" cooper side vents, but after ordering a set for a customer, returned them as they look like crap. Give AP a call and see what they can do for you. Hope that helps!:smile:

 

ok, i'll call them and i'll stop by the shop by me, i'll see what the can do too. i know someone that works there, so maybey i can get discounts for some of you guys too, if you want them. (perhaps a large order will lower the price)

 

Sounds good. Between all of us, we are bound to come up with a cost-effective solution!

 

Moss has them on closeout for $60

http://www.mossmini.com/Shop/ViewPro...eIndexID=46617

 

Tha link for the Moss MINI chrome side vents is for the standard S versions (which the original post in this thread was interested in). I looked a little further and found that Moss wants $104.95 for the Cooper versions that have been chromed!

Considering that the black stock parts from your local dealer are only about $9 a set, we should be able to get some of them chromed for a LOT less than $105!

 

I have spoken with the friendly folks at mueller coatings who referred me to another company since their process is not suitable for exterior applications.

The company that can do real chrome over plastic is very expensive. It will be $90/set to have them chrome the vents. At that price, I might go ahead and do a set for myself but I don't think the price is suitable for most.

 

If that is the price for the cowls under the windshield - both of them - I would happily pay. But I think it is not.

 

i just got a thing in the mail from moss motors and theyve got the stock S grills on special for like 45 bucks

 

Andrew,

I'd be interested if you have success getting this done. In CA , our EPA laws have killed the plating industry although you can still get some expensive work done. These guys at Astro Chrome are not what you're looking for but man...they have some great pics...gotta love those guys. http://www.wayhome.com/astrochrome/about.html

 

DVLMINI,

From my research and a nice long chat on the phone yesterday, it seems that Custom Coatings in Tallahassee Florida can do the best work when it comes to putting real chrome over plastic. Just know that it is very expensive, but I believe their quality work would be worth it to someone with a real chrome fetish and deep enough pockets.

I'm sure you'd get a discount for a large job, and the fellow I spoke with was incredibly nice and friendly. He told me he had done a ton of work for a Miami MINI owner for a show car.

 

Anyone know the cost of the plastic grills from the MINI part dept? Just curious if it would be worth my while to buy them from the parts counter and have them chromed, rather than be ventless for a few weeks. LOL

 

A set of plastic side vents is only about $9 from the parts counter!

At least that is what koolmini told me when he sent me a set to play with using some chrome spray paint from the hardware store.

Note: don't bother with the chrome spray paint!

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
I was thinking of the same thing. I bet you ended up with a bunch of bumpy semi shiny grey/silver grills???

$9 is definitely cheap enough to experiment with.

I was actually wondering if you could just use that as a mold to create some Lexan vents--like RC Car bodies, and paint them with chrome paint from the inside.


Richard

 

yes, the chrome paint does NOT produce the mirror polished finish that you see on the spray can top in the hardware store. It is reflective, but not in an attractive way at all! Plus, you get paint stuck in all the little small vent holes and it basically looks like crud!

but it was fun to play with!