Chrome Generator

[Richard M.]

A buddy gave this to me and I can't not take it apart and restore it.

It must've been a hoot to chrome plate it about 50 or 60 years ago. I've never seen one before. I wonder if it was for a GM show car at one time. There is no tag on it. I'm pretty sure it's a 30 Amp unit and has Pass car end-frames as the spacing from mounts to armature shaft centers is 3 1/2", not 3 1/4" like for Corvette.

The housing is just greasy so it'll likely clean up nicely.

Rich

[Mark E.]

Re: Chrome Generator

Rich,

How did the generator turn out?

[Richard M.]

Re: Chrome Generator

Hi Mark, Still working on the case to shine it up. I decided to take it apart and use some heavy duty cleaner and solvents to remove the years of grime and Corrosion.

Then I took it to my buffing wheel using white compound. I got it mostly done. Boy is it heavy to hold at the buffer.

I need to polish the aluminum end frame too. Notice even those long bolts are chromed too.

Here are some photos so far..... Rich

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[Richard M.]

Re: Chrome Generator

Ok, so last week I had a little time and decided to go...."all in". I finished the case buffing and some other clean up.
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There was much gooey stuff inside the case, so I pulled it apart completely. I removed the brush holders and the field coils.
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I wrapped the case and media blasted the inside.
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After removing the 2 steel coil inserts, I used a water bottle to hold the 2 coils apart so as to not break the delicate copper wires.
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I'm using a fabric sports tape to replace the dilapidated coil wire insulation.
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Coil inserts media cleaned also.
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To be continued.....

[Richard M.]

Re: Chrome Generator

All ready for reassembly and testing....
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New hardware. Old ones bent & tired looking.
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I changed idea from white to my sticky black harness tape.
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I think I'll use my Dremel and do a "1102043-RPM" part# and today's date! lolol
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Light coats of Eastwood 300*F zinc inside case and coil inserts. No more future rust.
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It had it's original "E" 1/4-28 ground bolt so I cleaned on wire wheel then buffed using white rouge. It leaves a coating to keep shiny and free of corrosion. Learned that trick many years ago on the wife's Jag air cleaner bolts.
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[Richard M.]

Re: Chrome Generator

Kidding aside, this is a method that you can follow to rebuild your own generators. Only yours will be black, not chrome and polished aluminum.

Rich
P.S. When it's all done I'm returning it to my friend so he can use it on one of his 17 Corvettes or Classic GM toys somewhere.

[Tom P.]

Re: Chrome Generator

I personally disassembled (NEVER had done it before) the 043 generator on the 56 "airbox" back in the 70s during college, when I worked at a chrome shop. Put it back together with new brushes, bearings and replaced the 3 5/8in pulley with a 4in pulley. Has worked great ever since.

[Richard M.]

Re: Chrome Generator

I personally disassembled (NEVER had done it before) the 043 generator on the 56 "airbox" back in the 70s during college, when I worked at a chrome shop. Put it back together with new brushes, bearings and replaced the 3 5/8in pulley with a 4in pulley. Has worked great ever since.

Nice story Tom. Well, you certainly did a good job on the rebuild then.

That must have been fun chroming your own parts then. Did you chrome the aluminum drive end frame too, or just polish it?

The one I have here was not chromed, just polished.

Rich

[Tom P.]

Re: Chrome Generator

Yes, I chromed both end plates.
While I was going through pre-med, I worked at a chrome shop. After graduating, I went to work for a pharmaceutical compand (did not go on to med school). The owner of the chrome shop was a VERY good friend, and would let me come down at night and chrome any of my own stuff. That was in the days of the NCRS purist radicals, so I was not concerned with originality.
I did a frame off on the 56, and chromed almost everything except the frame, engine block, heads, Muncie case and rearend 3rd member case. I even disassembled the soft top frame and chromed all the pieces-----------------and believe it or not, got it back together and it folds up and down.
Dale Earnhardt liked it enough that he wanted to buy the 56.

[Gary C.]

Re: Chrome Generator

Rich,

Tom's 1956 is a one off beautiful and extremely well done Corvette.

Gary
....

[Tom P.]

Re: Chrome Generator

Gary,
Thanks for the kind words.

[Richard M.]

Re: Chrome Generator

Gary, I've always wanted to see Tom's car up close.

Tom, well deserved. I always loved looking at photos of your '56. The detail you put into it is amazing. Plus, every part you chromed has saved base metal from rusting. The nice thing is it protected all of the parts much better than paint could have ever done. And since the parts were only about 15+ years old when you chromed them, I'd think there was no pitting on most of them.

Thinking about all those parts and how you had to buff to bare steel, then copper coat, then buff, then plating. It must've taken you months to do all of that.

Curiously, what exactly was your process? Did you "triple"? Copper, nickel, chrome? Or some other process? And how much time do you think you spent on the process?

The dip tank at the shop must've been huge to fit the rear axle. For big bumpers too I'd imagine.

Rich
P.S. Great photo of Dale at the car. That's your son too?

[Tom P.]

Re: Chrome Generator

Gary, I've always wanted to see Tom's car up close.

Tom, well deserved. I always loved looking at photos of your '56. The detail you put into it is amazing. Plus, every part you chromed has saved base metal from rusting. The nice thing is it protected all of the parts much better than paint could have ever done. And since the parts were only about 15+ years old when you chromed them, I'd think there was no pitting on most of them.

Thinking about all those parts and how you had to buff to bare steel, then copper coat, then buff, then plating. It must've taken you months to do all of that.

Curiously, what exactly was your process? Did you "triple"? Copper, nickel, chrome? Or some other process? And how much time do you think you spent on the process?

The dip tank at the shop must've been huge to fit the rear axle. For big bumpers too I'd imagine.

Rich
P.S. Great photo of Dale at the car. That's your son too?

The shop I worked at (D&K Plating), had tanks big enough to do bumpers for semi trucks as well as the long exhaust stacks.

There were 2 polishing rooms. We had grinding wheels with very coarse grit to grind down a rough finish on a part, then progressivly hard and softer buffing wheels to bring the part to a mirror finish. Just like painting a car, chroming is at its finest when the part has a totally smooth finish.
We did triple plate: copper-nickle-chrome. To achieve what we referred to as a "show" finish, after buffing, we would copper plate the part much longer to get a thick copper plate on the part. Then the part went to the buffing room and the copper was buffed to a bright mirror, perfectly even surface, for things such as bumpers. Since the copper is much softer than steel, it is easier (but takes much more time) to achieve a very smooth, mirror surface finish. Then the part is washed (thoroughly) to remove all buffing residue, then nickel and chrome plated. SOMETIMES, if the part is in the chrome tank too long, especially around outer corners, it comes out with a cloudy finish. Simply use the "white" compound and a VERY soft buffing wheel to buff out the cloudy area. You can then shave yourself in the part!
Working in a chrome shop is pure manual labor and it's a filthy, nasty job. But the results are worth it.
Today, plating shops are far and few between. And the EPA has made it almost prohibitive for them to stay in business. ALLLLLLLLLLL the plating shops in the Okla City area (I know of none in Tulsa), except for one, are out of business.
When I was going through pre-med in the late 60s, I made $1.25/hr and happy to get it. The other guys were making $1.50/hr, but I was a struggling college kid fresh out of the Army with zero experience, so I could not command a higher wage!!!

Yep, that's our "baby" boy with Dale in 93. The "Intimidator" on the track, but without question, one of the finest people I ever met in person.
That picture was taken in the service dept of Hudiburg Chevrolet in OKC. When the mechanics learned that Dale was going to autograph the 56, they lined up their rollaround tool boxes behind the 56. After he signed the 56, he stopped at each mechanic's tool box, autographed the underside of the lid, and spent time talking with each mechanic. His people were urging him to hurry up and get to the plane. HE WOULD NOT BE RUSHED!!!!!!!!!!!! Itwasat that exact moment that I realized that he drove the way he did because Richard Childress was giving him a paycheck to win races. My opinion of Dale became totally different.

[Richard M.]

Re: Chrome Generator

Tom,

Thanks for that very informative chrome experience. I too have always been fascinated with chrome and miss looking at my '59 in my garage. I sold it 3 years ago, and the wife's '72 V12 chrome laden Jag E-type. I miss the Jag, but it was always a chore. She got me my '59 for my birthday 38 years ago next month. I returned the lovey-dubbey favor a few years later on her birthday when I spotted the Jag at a Amherst NH Monthly Show & Swap meet.

Jump ahead 18 years, I then convinced her to get my (no-chrome) 2007 Corvette Coupe on my birthday, again.

After I got it I had to put some chrome on it. I bought a aftermarket "Chrome Grille", to give it a little shiny pizazz and be a lookalike '59 grille. Over the years it started to look not so shiny, and recently showed it's old age and faded, so I had to pull the front facia apart to swap the original black grille back in. I had it apart anyways to restore the front area for Flight judging this past January. I can't get the chrome one redone as it's plastic. It's now garage wall art.

By the Way..... You know what? Your '56 would be a hit in our new Concours class Judging arena. I'd bet it'd attract lots of attention too. I know for one, I'd be ALL over it if I attended. Plus it'd be nice to meet you in person. We've emailed and phoned over the years. Remember when you shipped me your 56-57 tail lights and I hand carried and guarded them up and back to Space Coast Plating here in Melbourne?

Rich

[Mark F.]

Re: Chrome Generator

The shop I worked at (D&K Plating), had tanks big enough to do bumpers for semi trucks as well as the long exhaust stacks....Working in a chrome shop is pure manual labor and it's a filthy, nasty job...