It's a 1950 Standard 8. I know I'm probably jumping off the deep end on this one but chroming costs an arm and a leg and I spent a small fortune on chroming for the last car I restored. I'm checking out a Copy Chrome kit from caswellplating.com and it seems feasible. I just need to know what sort of metals I'll be working on.

What year is your car? headlight buckets in 55-56 are die-cast potmetal. 51-53 are stainless. Some strips are stainless, others potmetal. If you are going to do your own chrome-plating you need to be able to determine what you are dealing with.
I admire your enthusiasm, but question your judgement.

I'm thinking of buying a chroming kit and rechroming all the shiny bits myself. I'm wondering what metal the various bits are made of.

I assume the bumpers are steel and the handles are pot metal. How about the headlight/taillight trim? Interior chrome? The chrome strips that run the length of the car?? Aluminum or pot metal?

How neat!
Your car brings back memories of a near identical 54 Caviler I had years ago. It was light gray bottom dark blue roof. They are neat cars.

Try to be patient and enjoy the process of fixing your car up. I just spent the last 13 months on and off, correcting a number of issues with my car (supposedly ran and was reliable when I bought it). I hit two Packards International swap meets, and have made good friends in the process of getting back into Packards.

What options does your car have? Power brakes, steering?

Best of luck!
Jim

Doublecheck your engine number which can be found on a pad at the rear drivers side of the engine. The nine main bearing engine was an option for the Cavalier. Let us know what you find.

As far as I can tell there are three areas that have sever rust. One is by the fron left fender, the other by the left rear wheel, and the third is on the metal piece that meets the trunk lid when closed. The interior is pretty much like the rest of the car. Everything is there, it just needs to be restored. I'll get some more pictures up either today or tomorrow.

Has anyone ever thot to ask the rebuilders WHAT their reasonong is for voiding the warranty with DOT 5???

I don't recall reading that Strain voids the warranty. Is he one of the rebuilders you are referring to? (terrible grammar, I know).

I never knew that unit was called a Mag Nu Matic, you learn something all the time. Mine was rebuilt by McVey's about 8 years ago, and they did a fine job.

Incidentaly, I thought the electric component was just an electric solenoid to admit vacuum to pull the pump piston up; it's not an electric pump as I believe I read somewhere in this thread.

If you rebuild your own TreadleVac which I don't recommend unless you're very familiar with that unit, you can use any brake fluid you want, but note that two of the premier rebuilders of these units void their warranty if you use DOT 5. Or at least that was their position a year or two ago. I've used DOT 5 in earlier Packards with excellent results, but in the many cars, Packards, Mercurys, Lincolns and some GM cars, that I've serviced with TreadleVacs I've always used DOT 3 or DOT 4 and have never had a problem with any of them. That said, I do purge the old fluid and refill every 2 or 3 years.