Re-Chroming

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morgy
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Re-Chroming

Post by morgy »

Has anyone had any joy with getting a Ceandess fuel cap re-chromed? Any loss in detail etc.
Paul Blore
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Re: Re-Chroming

Post by Paul Blore »

From another thread Roger suggested that the original caps were of pretty poor quality metal, in which case many chrome platers won't touch them.
The detail shouldn't be affected if you can get it rechromed unless they have to heavily polish it to remove marks and blemishes.
Roger was suggesting that the new caps are better quality and cheaper than the originals.

Paul
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Roger King
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Re: Re-Chroming

Post by Roger King »

As Paul says, I had a couple of originals rechromed a few years ago before Ceandess put them back into production. They were kind of OK if there's no alternative, but a lot of the detail was lost and the definition of the hard edges was mostly completely lost. They couldn't polish all the blisters out but did the best they could.
Why bother? As far as I'm aware the only difference is that the new ones are made of a far superior material. They're made by the same manufacturer so the only reason I can think of for using a badly pitted original is to preserve the original pitting in the chrome. Stick it on a shelf so it's always there if you feel you need it.
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amulheirn
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Re: Re-Chroming

Post by amulheirn »

I'm guessing it is this cap you're considering re-chroming, Mark?

ImageIMG_5800

I've got a repro Ceandess cap, and don't recall it having the wording on the inside of the cap, so I guess you're trying to stay original. I could be being forgetful though - will have a look when at home.

Andy
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Roger King
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Re: Re-Chroming

Post by Roger King »

Whoa! 'Quick reply' ?? Very fancy!

This is a slow reply. Personally, if you have that centre and wish to keep it I would get a new cap, they are so much better, drill out the rivet and re-rivet the centre into the new cap. Rechroming an original cap will end up looking like cap. Plus an 'r', inserted appropriately.
morgy
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Re: Re-Chroming

Post by morgy »

Hi Andrew
Yes thats the one, top surface photo below... It is in ok condition with some Very minor pitting/corrosion.
I have been in contact with Ceandess to see if they had any correct rivets left somewhere, Ed has been very helpful..
I do want to keep as Original if that's the correct word.. ;-) Or as Correct as I can but i will most likely get a new cap and re fit all the old parts if thats possible but looking at images online i do not see much difference in the New inner hardware??
ImageIMG_5786 by mark.morgan07, on Flickr
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amulheirn
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Re: Re-Chroming

Post by amulheirn »

Hi Mark -

Well, it turns out the my new cap from Ceandess has the same words on the underside. No rivet though - it is screwed in this case.

My cap is slightly different to yours, having a 'lollipop'-shaped release button. This is the moment where Roger arrives and tells me I've got the wrong bit for a Mk2 leaf-sprung street car! [Edited as per post 9 in this thread]

Apologies if the photos aren't as good as yours. I can take more if you want.

ImageCeandess cobra filler cap

ImageCeandess Cobra filler cap

Your car is a 289 Sports, so I guess they may have used a later cap. Do you mind if I use your pics on the wiki?

Cheers,
Andy
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nikbj68
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Re: Re-Chroming

Post by nikbj68 »

Didn't realise you could get the 'lollipop' button version direct from Ceandess, as I thought they were exclusive to the ACOC/Gerry Hawkridge. Keith Lessiter was responsible for getting Ceandess to bring them back into production. They were a bit of a nightmare to get right, but really are very nice indeed.
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Roger King
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Re: Re-Chroming

Post by Roger King »

Putting aside the matter of nomenclature for now, this raises an interesting point - Mark's car clearly has the later type of filler cap with a rectangular release button. This is a much more common part, used as it was in most sixties Lotuses (Loti?), Scimitar GTE etc. and pretty easy to find secondhand. It has also been in continuous production by Ceandess as the Presto 75 and is still listed on their website.* Whether or not such a readily available item is worth trying to replate, with the attendant loss of detail, is entirely a matter for the owner with regard to originality, which is always a worthy aim.
The earlier, much rarer, filler cap with the 'keyhole' release button was out of production for many years (decades) and is what I was referring to regarding poor quality of replating and poor outcomes for restoration. Following a lot of hard and stressful work by Keith Lessiter and Gerry H, this was brought back into manufacture by Ceandess using a higher grade of material than the original, rendering restoration of an original fairly pointless. I can say this as I paid a fortune for a very rare original which I had restored at some expense, which lost most of its detail in the process - but it was all that was available at the time, being, as it was, pre-remanufacture.
I don't know which type the AC289 had - but Rinsey Mills' Original AC Ace & Cobra suggests that the 427 S/C road cars 'continued to use the 'Ceandess' filler cap used on Aces and leaf sprung Cobras'**, which should mean the 'keyhole' release button cap. This would suggest to me that Mark's car, like very many other Cobras, has had a replacement filler cap at some point, but I think further research using period photos, road test articles etc. would be advisable.

Just a point of info - the term 'Mk 2' (or indeed 'slabside') was never used by AC and has been discussed at huge length on the originality forum, due to its ambiguous nature. Dan Case has expanded widely on this matter, and the best term of reference seems to be 'leafsprung street car', divided into 'steering box' and 'rack and pinion'. Clumsy perhaps, but unequivocal.

* Note - some earlier caps have a smooth rectangular button, whereas the more common one, and the one still in manufacture, has ridges on the button.
** p. 84


I should mention that I spent some months trying to convince Ceandess to put this cap back into production 10-12 years ago. Only the might of the ACOC and the number of promised orders Keith managed to raise convinced them to do so a few years later.

RK
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amulheirn
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Re: Re-Chroming

Post by amulheirn »

D'oh! Schoolboy error. Post 8 now corrected using the new 'strikethrough' button!

nikbj68 wrote:Didn't realise you could get the 'lollipop' button version direct from Ceandess, as I thought they were exclusive to the ACOC/Gerry Hawkridge. Keith Lessiter was responsible for getting Ceandess to bring them back into production. They were a bit of a nightmare to get right, but really are very nice indeed.
I remember reading that these were being reproduced, then stumbled on Ceandess's website, and bought one directly. Apparently they have some left in stock. It's a Presto 75 with a different shaped button as Roger says. http://ceandess.online/product/chrome-v ... drop-lever and I can confirm it is very nice indeed.

[Edit] Looking at the link above, while the main picture is correct, the two additional photos on the page appear to be incorrect - they look like they are for a locking cap. There are some better-quality pictures of this part in the Wiki - supplied to me by Ceandess when I bought it.

I prefer lollipop to teardrop or keyhole - sounds more cheerful! What I've yet to figure out is whether it is IVA compliant.

Cheers,

Andy
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