Painting over chrome

[gizmoe639]

Hey guys found a kerker 4into1 burried in the exhaust pile at the bone yard. One of the headers was slightly tweaked but with a hand from my buddy i got it pulled into place and it bolted right up to my bike. Not bad for 75 bucks... Even has the end cap and baffle. Just bpought some dirtbike fiberglass packing to wrap in there and smooth the sound out just a bit. I also want it to look as good as it sounds. I plan to wrap the headers and want to pain the slip on muffler section black. Might paint the whole thing first to stop any rust... Anyway ill get to the point. What do i need to do to paint this thing with high temp over the chrome finish? ???

 

[Ringo]

You'll either need to sand the living hell out of the chrome, or etch it with acid. Personally I'd go the acid route...less work.

Is it really chrome though, or just polished stainless?

 

[gizmoe639]

Im pretty sure its chrome. Theres one spot near where the clamp is that looks like the plateing came off. Ill try to post up pictures... what type of acid would i use? will that help rust as well? its got some near the collector. If it is pollished stainless what steps should be taken? Ill try to get some pics up soon. Thanks alot for the help!

 

[killerdwarf]

Good luck on painting chrome. No matter what you do to try and prep it, the paint just comes off! In the long run, it's going to look like crap.

 

[sebatron]

rough it with 240 grit and hit it with etch primer. The paint should bond pretty well but i'd hit it with a few layers and some clear, or use a baked on high temp paint.

not as good as having it stripped then powdercoated, but better than nothing.

 

[Ringo]

Muriatic acid. You can get it at any hardware store. Just dilute a little, soak overnight, and prime with etching primer. It'll hold up plenty good.

 

[Ringo]

oh, and yeah, definitely get rid of that rust.