Why Chrome Up an Engine?

Ok, as y'all know, i'm finally able to start slow restoration/repair work on the xTardis building up to the final custom paint job i want to get. I'll have paint questions by winter for a certain person who did amazing when she painted the hell out her X! I like the idea of painting the seats, too. But....

My kid and i were checking for parts crawling O'Reilly's, AutoZone, Pep Boys, etc when he asked me a question that left me stunned. He asked "why do people chrome their engines?" Now the kid is bright with an amazing mind. I started with the usual "for the bling and to more easily locate leaks and such" response. He looked at me, with this look he gets when he's really thought it through, and asked "so, why not just keep the engine clean? And why don't professional racers do it"? I realised then that i hadn't really thought of that since playing on my old 67 Mustangs in high school or any of my buddies cars back in the 80's.

So, help me answer him well. Why -do-people bling it up with chrome, braiding, colour, etc under the hood and around the chassis? Other than for looks, i mean. I can see a colour scheme to separate systems (blue for cooling, red for fuel, black for vacuum, etc) but for sheer functionality? How/why did it come about and what's its purpose?
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Over the many decades that I've been in car culture the best I can come up with is that chrome is hard to keep clean. It shows everything from water spots to dust. If you chrome out the entire engine bay it shows that you not only have money and poor taste, bit that you have ENTIRELY too much time on your hands. Because every time you so much as look at your engine it has to be cleaned again.
 
Good point, Prime. I did braided hoses on my 'Stangs but never chromed it up because of that factor. Back in high school in the 80's, I did that to separate systems out but never chromed it up because I didn't have the ca$h and didn't see the point other than for bling. Any other reasons, folks?
 

Prime

Shut up Baby, I know it!
Admin
Location
Denver Adjacent
Don't get me wrong, I think its impressive to do the entire engine bay in chrome and I completely understand the work and time that goes into it to make it look that clean. Its just not my thing. I think its too flashy and gaudy. I just don't like chrome at all. I think you can have something thats clean and well put together and even show worthy, but it doesn't need to be chrome. It fits well sometimes on classic hot rods and such, but I'm just not into it.

Its one of the reason's I don't really like Harley's that much. Everything has to be chrome.
 

Clayboy

Bought an X
Location
Harrison
chrome is used on most aluminum parts. aluminum parts are light weight, and are less restrictive towards things like air flow, and dont break down like steel, though it isnt as strong... most of the time aluminum is used for those reasons, and people put a chrome polish on the parts to keep them looking clean and from rusting. now, as far as puting a fake braided line over the existing, thats just to look like it has alot of work done to it. it dresses the motor up and makes it look cleaner.
 

KBTerra

Bought an X
Location
Gray, GA
Unless you are planning on entering your ride in car shows I feel it's point less. Hell, I didn't have one piece of chrome on my Duster and still had it in shows. I just don't like chromed out engines.
 

granitex

Skid Plates
Founding Member
Location
Columbus OH
People started using chrome because of its resistance to corrosion. A very thin layer of chrome protects the underlying material much better than paint, or zink. Powder coating has taken a lot of the market that was once all done in chrome. Most of the guts that I know just use paint because it is much cheaper and easy to touch up when you do get into something.

True chrome plating is electro plating, just like galvinizing, and is more resistant to corrosion than stainless steel is. There are a lot of good reasons to use chrome. But for the most part it just isn't the best choice for us because of the practical limitations of the material, and cost.
 

Xterraforce

<img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u7/ra
Founding Member
Location
Signal Mtn., TN
I was in the car show scene for several years and won several trophies. The only real reason I know of for chroming out an engine is simply because the owner likes the way it looks, and so do many car show attendees. To me, a spotless engine bay looks just as good if it's chromed, custom painted or factory original. In some cases such as air cooled Volkswagens too much chrome can be a bad thing if it's daily driven in hot climates. A good chrome layer can cause certain parts to retain too much heat.

Probaby the two most common comments I've heard are "if it won't run, chrome it" and "chrome won't get you home." Both illustrate chrome is all for show. If you like chrome and don't mind the extra effort to keep it looking good, chrome it. If not, don't. It's that simple.
 

metzican

Suspension Lift
Location
Lafaytte, la
Thanks, all. That answered his question well. Much better than i could. His mind is very much functionally oriented when it comes to this and amateur/cb radio stuff.

This is awesome Parenting. I was one of those kids that had a question about everything. My parents always told me the real answer or tried to find it out for me. Never got a "Because I said so" or "shut up".
 

Creepy Cruiser

Sliders
Site Sponsor
Founding Member
Location
6 Feet Under
I personally like both chromed out motors and non chromed out ones. It all depends on the rest of the build.

Here's a '96 KA24DE that I just built for a '71 Datsun 510.

newmotor2Large.jpg



And here's the motor in my Hearse.

P1100178Medium.jpg
 

Xterraforce

<img src="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u7/ra
Founding Member
Location
Signal Mtn., TN
Those are perfect examples Creepy. The blacked out enine in the 510 looks amazing and just right in that engine bay. Then with the build of your hearse I'd be shocked if you opened the hood and I didn't see chrome. To me, everything from bumper to bumper should be done so each part flows with the total build.

Speaking of the total build, I'd like to see more pictures of that 510.
 
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