SOHC.co.uk Forums > CB350/400
My New Project arrives after a 44 year wait!
Laverda Dave:
Not a lot has been happening on the restoration over the past couple of weeks, having new windows fitted in the house to replace the ones that are nearly falling out has involved a lot cleaning up to get back to normal. We’ve also been on holiday to visit friends in LA as well. Whilst there I went to a bike breakers that have been there for years to see if I could get some spares. Unfortunately and just like the UK, the breaker was bought out for the land so he’s now gone and I came home with an empty suitcase!
When I arrived home the plater called to say he had finished all the plating I had dropped off a couple of weeks earlier. He’s done his usual fantastic work, the yellow zinc on the carb parts has come out really well. He’s also stripped the mudguards of their chrome to enable me to get the holes made by the PO welded to enable a rechrome. He’s also stripped the chrome from the centre and side stand and their springs, engine plates, rear sprocket and rear torque arm ready for paint. Being the pro that he is he bagged everything up properly and as I sent it to him, must be over 400 items in total. £160 all in, I’m very happy with that. As he can no longer do chrome plating he has recommended a company called Nottingham Plating Limited, has anyone here used them?
I’ll be starting on inspecting all the engine parts next week and cleaning the frame ready for an alignment check at Victory motorcycles in Sarrat before sending it off for powder coating in Windsor. I took the carbs apart, what a mess, these are going to take some serious cleaning in the ultrasonic bath!
McCabe-Thiele (Ted):
Not heard of the Nottingham firm but they may be good - I used this place for my 400 chain guard - not cheap but brilliant finish.
http://derbyplating.co.uk/
Oddjob:
Done a really nice job of the zinc plating.
Laverda Dave:
Gary is a perfectionist when it comes to plating and polishing and he knows his bikes and what should be plated, the type of plating an individual part should have and he can even tell you where a part goes despite not having a bike himself! I've known him and his Dad who owns the business for 30+ years.His Dad is in his late 70's and still working! He does this work in his spare time to get away from the normal production line plating. He wouldn't allow me to tell anyone where he is based when he was doing chrome plating, if I did he said he wouldn't do my stuff again! He doesn't do chrome plate now due to all the enviromental issues and the requirement for special licences and constant inspections although it seems acceptable for water companies to pump raw sewage into our rivers!
I'll see how much I get quoted at Nottingham platers Ted, I wish I knew about the Derby platers when I worked up that way. I tried a plater in Hinkley a few years ago when Gary was overloaded with work, great quality of work but very expensive.
McCabe-Thiele (Ted):
Downside with Derby Platers is I had to wait over two months for my part to be done.
I used them to re-chrome a bathroom basket type fitting - it had rusted after a couple of years. I could not find a new replacement that would fit or cover the bolt holes so they re-chromed it - that was over ten years ago and it has not gone rusty again.
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