Chrome cost drove me to powdercoat and I'm very happy with it. I've used it on my 50 GMC grille as well my 55.1 Chevy grille. It looks great and is easy to keep clean. Only problem is that you'll need to choose a color; the chrome powder looks cheap. I use powder on every metal part of the truck that can be removed and sandblasted. If there was a filler that could be coated I would have all of my body panels coated. There was an instance where my man failed to mask off the spindle surfaces which contact the axle and king pin bearing; I totally wore out both arms with a new bastard file before I ever started to see metal. Powder is incredibly tough.
I did buy repro chrome bumpers for the 55.1, from Jim Carter's. The chrome looks really good but there was little if any prep before they were plated. Specifically, when metal is stamped it leaves a sharp razor edge around the perimeter and they didn't bother with a deburring operation so the edges will soon be rusting. The metal is noticably thinner than the original bumpers.
