INTRODUCTION

Chrome plating of an aluminum wheel is an intricate and time-involved procedure. Below are some of the major steps required to chrome plate a wheel. Additional proprietary operations contribute to the wheel's final form. (Our Clientele)

1. WHEEL PICKUP Local pickup is available in many regions on the West Coast.	2. RECEIVING - Large Orders Wheels are unloaded, sorted and prepped for processing.
3. RECEIVING - Individual Orders Individually shipped orders are received daily through ground delivery services.	4. UNPACKING Individually boxed wheels are unpacked by hand.
5. INSPECTION Wheels are inspected, and checked against included paperwork and photos are taken.	6. TRACKING Each wheel is engraved on the barrel with its own unique internal tracking number.
7. TRACKING - Detail Detail of tracking numbers.	8. PAINT STRIP All paint and primers are removed.
9. FIRST STAGE POLISHING This procedure prepares the larger facial area of the wheel.	10. DETAIL POLISING W/ HAND TOOLS This work is necessary to process the detail relief areas of the wheel (windows).
11. SEMI-AUTOMATIC This procedure brings the lip and outer edge area to a high luster.	12. JITTERBUFF The flat part of the wheel is worked to eliminate waves in the material.
13. SOAP BATH & RINSE The wheel is put through a special operation to remove all polishing compounds.	14. CHEMICAL ETCHING The wheel is put through various chemical baths to etch the surfaces.
15. COPPER PLATE Copper plating helps fill imperfections in the porous, aluminum casing. Not all platers utilize this important step.	16. COPPER PLATED WHEELS After the completion of this procedure, copper wheels must again be polished before the next plating step can occur.
17. COPPER BUFFING Upon completion of the copper plating, the surface of the wheel needs to be brightened to a high-luster finish.	18. COPPER BUFFING (DETAIL) Once again, the relief areas (window) needs to be brightened to a high-luster finish.
19. BRIGHT NICKEL The application of nickel is very important for corrosion resistance and plating coverage (wheel shown with anode attached).	20. AUXILIARY ANODE This device is placed on the wheel and helps to ensure complete and even coverage.
21. CHROME PLATING SOLUTION Wheel center shown with auxiliary anode after being dipped in chrome solution.	22. FINAL RINSE Any remaining solutions are removed.
23. COMPLETED PART Here is the completed part. It has been paint-stripped, polished, copper-plated, copper-buffed, nickel plated, and chrome plated.	24. INSPECTION & CLEANING As each wheel is cleaned and inspected, it is identified by the customer number that will determine its packaging.
25. TRACKING Completed wheels are tracked once again to ensure proper delivery.	26. PACKAGING Individual Orders are boxed for shipping via UPS, CalOvernight, or palletized shipment.
27. PALETIZED SHIPPING Large volume orders are loaded onto pallets and shrink wrapped.	28. WHEEL DELIVERY Individual orders, including mummy wrapped tire & wheel packages can be shipped via UPS.
29. WHEEL MOUNTING Wheels with tires are professionally mounted and road force balanced.	30. INSTALLATION Installation directly to vehicle by our trained technicians is available to local customers.