What color are you doing your PP?

[macfly]

I have looked into my engine bay at length, and decided to take the plunge and do my PP in chrome, as there are several chrome highlights in the engine bay, and also I think the chrome ring willlook more special on my silver shock tower domes than the black pieces.

[Norcal]

How soon will you have the kit chromed and installed for all to see? I will just install mine as-is the week of the 30th (my car is black any way), but I plan to finish it later in Gloss black or chrome (if yours looks good :). I don't think to R&R it later will be hard.

[thegunguy]

Z8Doc is planning on doing chrome as well.

Mine has been re-powder coated gloss black. I'm sure the standard satin finish will look fine on most cars, but I wanted to better match the paint.

I'm going to pick up the newly finished kit on my way to the dealer on Tuesday for the installation. I'll have pictures sometime next week.

[ron's rocket]

for a body matching silver powder coat and clear coat finish. Should have it back and ready to install next week. My concern with chrome would be that any flexing of the strut might crack the hard chrome finish. Would the temperatures seen in the chrome dipping process change the strength of the parts?

[macfly]

but on may motorbikes you see chromed suspension springs, and it seems to hold up ok in that application. Also it shouldn't really move at all, as the aluminum chassis is meant to be very rigid. I'm sure the chassis has some very fraction flex, but there really shouldn't be any flex in the bar at all, so it should be good.

[Z8Mania]

Im going to stay "au-natural" it matches the color of my black beauty too :)

[2112]

what the preparation for chroming might do to the metals properties.

Have you considered "permastar" powdercoating? Vic Edlebrock uses it instead of chrome on lots of his products. I had some 429 Super cobrajet valve covers for my boat done with a "ebony" permastar. Looks like black chrome.

[bummsbass]

one should be aware that the brace has contact with the insulation material of the front hood (at least in my case, and I can't imagine the opposite). After having the kit installed since two weeks I have to say that this fact is visible at the surface of the brace. Chrome might be a better idea than simply coating. 2112 is right, there is a risk that the preparation for chroming has influence to the metals properties, and even to the corrosion risk of the overall installation.

However, I agree with Andrew: it looks like a patch, and this is somewhat disappointing.

[macfly]

especially those used in alloy wheels, where cracks related to chroming have been frequently reported, but I have never heard of chroming hurting steel in any way before. Steel isn't nearly as porous, and the chemicals used in plating don't seep into the metal the same, and my understanding is that it is a very safe & stable metal to plate. I'd certainly like to hear more about everyone's concern with chroming steel, as this is new news to me.

It is also a little frustrating to hear that the brace rubs the hood liner, any other reports on that?

[Orcatek]

From my understanding of the kit, once the bar is installed it can be unbolted by someone with a little bit of time and effort. So my plan is to get it installed then consider various options.

I like chrome or body color. The "black chrome" sounds good too. And it may look good as delivered. So I will wait and see.

BTW my dealer hadn't heard about the kit yet.

[NYZ8]

Can anyone show us photos of PP installed in our Z8 with different color or finish? I would love see silver or chrome.

Robert

[macfly]

I'll be picking up my car from Peter Pan this Thursday, so I'll post images of my chromed one then. Dana found a show car chromer to get the best and deepest finish. I am hoping that it will resist the rubbing from the tight fit under the hood that some owners have reported takes the paint off the stock PP.

[melny]

How did Peter Pan get the parts for the PP package and Concours can not.....and if in the future hood damage occurs, will we need to pay again for a post PP package for the hood?

[macfly]

Difficult questions to answer, as I have no way of knowing, but you could always order your PP directly from Peter Pan, and just have them send it to your dealer. Maybe your dealer doesn't have mechanics who are BMW NA tested/qualified on the Z8, which is why they can't order it?

[macfly]

Here is my PP in chrome - quick pix from first drive, better to follow later.

[fun2drive]

Once my car is no longer hibernating, I'll take a pix (body color).
Evie

[Z8doc]

Thought about doing my PP in chrome too but could not find a trustworthy place here locally. I too had heard about the chroming process making the steel more brittle due to a what is called hydrogen embridlement. Happen to amature chrome seekers as there are home chroming kits available (trouble is getting rid of the toxic by products environmentally -- not something to just pour into your yard or down the city street sewer!!).

Looks as nice as I expected it too. Mine is black... for now.

I did have a strange thing happen -- my PP strut brace is actually # 2. The first one was installed and the Z8 sat at the dealer for a couple weeks due to bad weather locally and I did not want to risk the drive home. When I came by to pick it up -- the battery was being charged and I looked over the work and there was an actual imprint of the hood pad with contours and texturing of the finish into / on the strut brace. This was NOT something that would wipe off. IT was embedded into the finish??? The car was not driven and the Service manage had already ordered a second one. Had it installed a few days later. No problems since on the new brace.

Wish I would have gotten a picture but did not have my camera with me. The hood pad does contact the strut brace so more than likely the mechanic wiped the brace with brake cleaner or something and it then reacted with the finish of the powdercoat on the brace.

[macfly]

Dana Caldwell at Peter Pan's Dad is a show/custom car enthusiast, and thru him Dana found the best show chromer in the Bay Area. I figured we need a good deep finish because of the contact, so that is why I spent the extra getting it done just right.

[macfly]

I really like this treatment of the PP in ///M Blitz's car.

[///M Blitz]

I really like this treatment of the PP in ///M Blitz's car.

It's powder coat (Red Baron) and it just so happens that it matches the Hellrot perfectly. I was amazed.

The hood inside liner will indeed leave an inprint on the powder coat. I put a strip of the same 3M stuff that the invicible bras are made of on the brace.