SOHC.co.uk Forums > Anorak's Corner

Original 400 4 exhaust

(1/4) > >>

Ken4004:
I have two exhausts for my 400 4 restoration, the first one is the original which has a lot of surface rust but seems solid.
Has anyone tried to get an original exhaust re chromed ? I have heard that the platers are not keen to touch these because they are too dirty and will contaminate their equipment.
The second exhaust a bought in Japan and it’s in excellent condition except for scrapes on its under side where it has grounded by the owner, this is the one I intend to fit back on the bike.
I have a similar issue with the original chain guard , in a poor state and has a lot of surface rust and previous owner painted it light grey not nice and also has a few dents is it worth getting these re chromed ? Let  me know your thoughts.

McCabe-Thiele (Ted):
I had my 400 chain guard re-chromed as you know they have a couple of indentations as standard iirc.

The Chromer reduced the price when I told him it was more than an aftermarket new one, cost £150 in Nov 2021 including removing one small dent - it was an A1 job.

K2-K6:
Recall a Suxuki GT 750 set being done recently, and they're really mucky inside.

Thought it was a recent Henry Cole programme that had a visit to the chtomers to observe too. Can't recall the business though.

Can anyone else identify  ?

Ken4004:
This is one problem with restorations it’s very easy to get out of hand with regards to spending , I can’t see anyone really making money out of a restoration unless your in the trade and you can do things like chroming yourself so for me it’s the enjoyment of problem solving and hunting down parts I like a challenge.
Unfortunately to get a bike looking good there are certain items that need to be right and exhausts and anything chrome make the bike a they are the things that draw your eye .

Very impressed with the chrome finish on the exhaust collars someone posted recently but hate to think how many hours were spent on the prep work to get that immaculate surface finish.

Laverda Dave:
My BIL had the 4-2 exhaust of his Kawasaki Z400J re-chromed at a place in Gosport about four years ago. It cost £650 and in my opinion it wasn't a great job, a lot of pits were still clearly visible and tbh he could have got away with cleaning it with wire wool/oil followed by Solvol but he lacked the all important elbow grease and patience to do it properly. The only reason they agreed to re-chrome it was because the bike only had 350 miles on it from new and therefore their baths wouldn't take a big hit with mucky carbon deposits. This particular chrome plater has now gone the way of the others, closed down :-(.
You could try Ashford Chrome Platers in Crayford S.E. London, they do excellent work but I dont know if they would do an exhaust, if they do you'll need to sit down when they give you a quote, quality is very expensive these days.
Whilst it is always nice to have an original set the DSS replica set is pretty good and a lot cheaper than a re-chrome.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page