Hi James, and a big warm welcome to the forum. It's great to have you aboard.
James, in the early 60's my family was heavily involved in go-karting (still in the fledging stage at that time) and I can remember that my uncle came back from a trip to USA with a brand spanking new McCullock MC75 that had heaps of chrome on the cowling etc. and looked fantastic, really easy to keep clean too.....
As grumpy has said, the chroming process will help protect the metal providing that it is not left out in the weather for any protracted period. Any good quality auto polish should keep it looking perfect (and give the chrome some protection as well.)
As far as powder-coating is concerned, the finish is also very durable and can be done easily in a range of colours.
I had the cylinder reel, clutch cone and shaft done, as grumpy has said on my Scott Bonnar. I keep it clean using auto polish once a year. You need to do some preparation work before hand though, ie. cleaning all dirt, oil and grease off, then sand or seed blasting all of the old paint
to leave a thoroughly bare surface.
It is imperative that once you complete the blasting, you get the parts to the powder coat shop ASAP as just the moisture in the air will start the rusting process, right before your very eyes!
Remember, any good finish is only as good as the preparation done before hand.
James, could you please post some "before" and "after" pics of your project, as all our members love to see 'em.
Once again,
