Thanks for the info so far. I'm getting some conflicting info though so lemme summarize what's been said. Once again, my car is a 1950 Standard 8:

bumper, grille, hubcaps: steel
side trim, window trim: stainless
handles, hood ornament, windshield frame: potmetal

How about the headlight/taillight bezels??

I'm trying to decide on how much of the chroming process I'm willing to undertake myself and how much of it to farm out. In the last car I did, I farmed out the entire thing and it cost me a small fortune. The Packard has a lot more chroming needed and having it rechromed will get really expensive.

The process I'm looking at is Copy Chrome and it's being pushed by caswellplating.com. It's not a true chroming process but it's supposed to look just like chrome without the huge power needs and the dangerous chemicals. I've seen some finished products and it looks fine.

The process for both pot metal and steel is similar. Plate the metal first with copper. Repair, polish and degrease. Plate with Copy Chrome. Their process for stainless is different: Stainless Steel Activator, repair & polish, Nickel Plate.

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.

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?

Thanks for the info. I'll add my name to the registry the moment I seal the deal. <br /><br />When people heard that I was looking for a Packard, they started popping up everywhere. My buddy knows of two that I'm going to check out as well.<br /><br />Any other info on the car I'm looking at?? Is the A/C a common option?

I live in the Philippines and I am in the process of acquiring a '50 Standard 8. My mom used to drive one of these and ever since she was young, she kept on telling me how much she loved that car. Unfortunately, it was stolen some time in the 60s. On a whim, I asked around and came across this car. <br /><br />[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/arigwapo/DSCF1166.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/arigwapo/DSCF1167.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/arigwapo/DSCF1168.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/arigwapo/DSCF1169.jpg[/IMG] <br /><br />It's owned by a family that used to have a local Packard dealership. When they closed shop, they decided to keep this car. I went to college with the granddaughter of the dealership owner. All the grandkids have moved abroad and they've been trying to unload the Packard for a while. <br /><br />[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/arigwapo/DSCF1170.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/arigwapo/DSCF1175.jpg[/IMG] <br /><br />The car was driven to its current location (parking garage) in the late 90s and hasn't been moved since. There's a bit of surface rust and the rear bumper has some spots that have rusted through but it's nothing that can't be quite easily fixed. The interior looks like it's been reupholstered some time in the past. <br /><br />[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/arigwapo/DSCF1176.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/arigwapo/DSCF1179.jpg[/IMG] <br /><br />And surprisingly, it has A/C!! <br /><br />[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/arigwapo/DSCF1184.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/arigwapo/DSCF1201.jpg[/IMG] <br /><br />The body work and the interior can be easily done locally. I have a highschool buddy who owns a shop that does my restoration work (musclecars till now) so I'll probably have him do the work. I will need to freshen up the engine, rechrome the trim and bumpers, get new light lenses and get fresh tires. These parts will need to be sourced and imported. Can you guys point me to where I can find these parts?? Also, can anyone share any information on the car?? I'll leave you with a few more pics: <br /><br />[IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/arigwapo/DSCF1179.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/arigwapo/DSCF1180.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y291/arigwapo/DSCF1181.jpg[/IMG]