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MG TD TF 1500 - Rechroming spot and fog lamps

My TD came with a pair of original spot and fog lamps. One has a missing glass and reflector and the other a badly tarnished reflector. These parts are easilly obtainable in the UK. The plating on the bodies, however, is bad and I have cleaned a small area off only to find they are not made of brass but of some sort of white metal. What's the advice - do I get the bodies replated, will the plating take ok, do I buy a pair of repros, will they also be white metal or do I fork up for a pair of new old stock originals.

Cheers,


Jan T
Jan Targosz

Since you asked -- Why not leave them off. The car looks great without them but they are an easy addition if you change your mind.
If you decide to add --I think the original switch was only on/off -- perhaps consider installing only the fog or the long range light based upon your preference and expected driving conditions.
I would go for an NOS if not too different from repro price.
Regards,
Dennis
D F Sexton

Jan, What type of lights do you have on the car? There were several options available at the time of the TD. Some are quite rare and very expensive to replace. Most of the lucas lights that are original from that era are brass bodies with nickle then chrome plating. Are you sure that it is not the nickle plating is exposed and that the base metal underneath that, is brass? Replating costs are dependent on the condition of the metal. Most lights can be plated for under $100. You can save some of the cost if you prepare the lights ahead of time. This includes removing all grease and corrosion, buffing it with a wheel and filling in low spots and smoothing them with a grinder etc. It is not as bad as it sounds and the supplies to do so are readily available and not expensive. You can save up to 60% of the replating costs by doing this. Remember that the chrome shine is dependent on the underlying nickle plate being absolutely smooth and highly buffed. I do home replating including chrome and have had great success. The startup costs are about $500, but if you have a lot to plate it is reasonable. You are limited at home by the size of the pieces you can plate since the amperage requirements are quite high for chrome. While I can't do bumpers, I can do overriders. This is about the largest size for me with my 50 amp plater.
If the reflectors need re-silvering, there are quite a few people who do this, very reasonably, but you have to take the reflectors apart.
If indeed these lights are not original, then it may not be worth your effort to redo them. Lucas 576's are available on e-bay all the time in great condition for $125-200 a set. Personally, I would not bother with rehab and just buy a NOS or a set that someone else has redone. It will probably be cheaper in the long run. Cheers, Rob
Rob Silverman

Rob,

One of the lamps is a Lucas SFT 576 and the other a SLR 576. They are certainly some form of white metal - I have tried a fine file on them.

Certainly take your point about making certain all parts are in impecible condition prior to taking to the platers. I've seen them try to polish out a dent only to be left with the brass being 10 thou thick.

Now that the snow has fallen here in Scotland I am bringing the chrome bits in doors and polishing them by hand with fine emery cloth. I am using a small piece of hard rubber as a backing block and this shows up all the dents. By gently tapping these out and repolishing I am producing a good surface for the plater to mechanically buff. One thing I have noted though is you can't fill dents with silver solder. The heat softens the brass and when you try to file the solder flat you simply push the lump down into brass surface and produce a circular crater around the lump of solder. With the odd piece I have had good success with cutting a circular disc out and silver soldering a new piece in. The trick is to make the replacement piece a really good fit so that you only use a hint of solder. Pitty you are not closer to Scotland I now have enough parts to keep you working for weeks.


Cheers,


Jan T.
Jan Targosz

Jan,
You are correct about some of the small dents, they can be difficult. Your plater should be able to fill these with several thin layers of copper, filed down in-between coats to a smooth surface. This is much preferable to a thick coat of copper that can obscure details and printing if not done carefully. Commercial platers find it much easier to plunk a piece in the copper bath and not look at it for 8-12 hours, then pull it out of the bath with a thick coat of copper that will fill many imperfections, but is not what we were trying to accomplish in the first place.
I also have found that solder will not work with some metals, due to poor adherence. It works great on copper and brass, but poor on base metals. Some of the plating supply companies sell other substances to fill in pits, but they are +/- in their ability to work well. As you have discovered, carefully tapping out most of the dents, then filing down the surrounding areas is best. Try a non silver based solder, more of an electronics type, and don't use cheap solder, Kester makes one of the better solders. In the States, it is Radio Shack's house brand. This may help in adherence to the underlying metal. If you can't find it locally send me your address via my e-mail and I'll send you a coil to try.
Rob
Rob Silverman

I have been told that you need to have a thin copper coat then solder the imperfections and pits, another thin copper coat, a fine buff and nickel then chrome. The solder will stick real good to the fresh copper. I was told to do this on my pitted rear TF taillights.
Jay Dyck
55TF #8631
{8^{
Jay Dyck

Always wondered about this......
"Lucas SFT 576 and the other a SLR 576".......
Is it correct that "SFT" was "fog" & "SLR" was "driving"?
S=? F=fog T=?
S=? L=long? R=range?
Anybody out there that can fill in the blanks?
Thanks,
David
David

This thread was discussed between 02/02/2003 and 05/02/2003

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