Just a little metallurgy 101 for your reading pleasure.
Chromium does not rust, the nickel under the chromium does not rust and on a
first class plating job the copper under that does not rust. So if your bumpers
are rusting there is porosity all the way to the base steel in the bumper.
Keeping a coating of wax on the bumper is about all you can do unless you are
willing to cut a section of the bumper out, have it mounted so the plating
thickness can be measured and try to get someone at CC to give you the plating
specs to see if your bumper is up to snuff.
My 89 Dakota has not seen an easy life here in Mass and it is also driven on the
beach. The thing that amazed me the most is the lack of rust anywhere on the
vehicle (and the previous owner was not known to wash or wax much). The overall
condition was the main reason I bought it from a friend.
Since I now have a new front bumper as a result of the accident last month I
will keep an eye on it and report on the condition of the plating job.
Another tid bit of info from metallurgy 101 for those of you with aluminum
wheels. If you take a look at the wheel weights orginally supplied from CC they
are coated (my Daytona has light grey ones). So if you have had new tires
mounted or the wheels rebalanced take an inventory of the un-coated weights and
run down to the local speed shop and pick up a like number of the coated weights
and get the un-coated ones off your wheels.
Eventually the clear coat (or argent coat) is going to chip and break down along
the rims edge. As soon as lead comes in contact with the aluminum you will get
this wonderful looking white corrosion that will travel under the wheel coating
lifting it off or in the case of clear coated wheels make them look like shi*.
When this happens your only recourse is to strip the wheel and go on a regular
clean and polish ritual or send them out to be coated again. This is the only
down side of my Dakota the wheels are in tough shape, this is my spring project.
NOTE: Oven Cleaner does wonders for removing this oxide, just watch the paint
and rubber.
Dave Clement
89 Dakota LE 4x4
89 Shelby Daytona
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