 8. No matter which welder...  8. No matter which welder is used, you will need to grind the area smooth. This is where you need to take your time; if you get too aggressive with the grinder and remove too much of the bumper material it'll take more time to fix it-and we all know time equals money. When you're done, you should see something like this. The weld and the factory chrome are grinded down to the base metal, but that is it. Anymore grinding and we'd start removing the base metal, and once chromed it would look wavy. |  9. Any little pits can be...  9. Any little pits can be taken care of with some brass. Martin grabbed a brass rod and used the TIG to melt it into the little holes (inset). The brass melted pretty quickly and flowed down into the holes without the need for excess heat. |  |
 10. After all of the holes...  10. After all of the holes were filled and the welds smoothed, I took the bumper to Beo-Mag Plating to have it made shiny again. The first step (and the one I didn't get a picture of) in the chrome process was to strip the bumper down to the base metal, which was done in a reverse-current sulfuric acid bath. After the part had soaked enough, all of the old plating was gone and the bumper was ready for the copper stage of the plating process. Not only is copper a soft, easy-to-buff metal, it also allows for better adhesion and longevity of chrome plating. When the bumper came out of the copper tank, it was sent to a polishing station to smooth out any small defects (much like block-sanding does for a paintjob). |  11. The next phase of the...  11. The next phase of the chrome process is the nickel bath, which gives the part its color and brightness. After the nickel bath the bumper went directly into the chromium dip, which acts like a clearcoat, allowing the nickel to shine through. |  12. After paying my tab at...  12. After paying my tab at Beo-Mag, I took the bumper back to the shop and installed all of the brackets and license-plate housing. I left all of the bumper bolts a little loose, so once I had the bumper back on the truck I could shift it around to get it lined up. With the help of my dad and friend Doug, I installed the main bolts in the frame. When I was happy with the fit, I squeezed my hands behind the bumper and tightened the bumper bolts. |
The Final Word
So that's how I got a smooth Blazer rear bumper on the back of my S-10. I really like the look and wish the factory had done it in the first place. If you plan on tackling this job yourself, make sure you research a chrome shop and make sure they know what you are trying to accomplish. Also, take your time during the grinding of the welds; this is where you'll be tempted to get too aggressive, which will make the bumper look wavy.