Cen-Tex Plating Company

I inherited two 1967 Plymouth GTX’s from my Brother-​In-​Law and brought them home to Texas from his place in Georgia recently. FYI, the Plymouth GTX was introduced into the Plymouth line in 1967 and this model did not share the styling or design with other MoPar models. Furthermore the body style changed completely in 1968 and thereafter. Why the long winded intro? …Because none of the aftermarket classic car parts manufacturers produce reproduction parts for the 1967 Plymouth GTX and additionally only 12,010 units were built that year which is very low. This makes used parts scarce.
I’m restoring both of these cars and needed the services of a good chrome plating company. I took the beat up front and rear bumpers from one of the cars to see how they would turn out being re-​chromed. The owner David explained that he would send the bumpers to their San Antonio facility where they had patterns of all the bumpers made when the cars rolled off the assembly line and that their craftsmen would bring my bumpers back to match those specifications. Just thinking about that is really something.
When I returned about four weeks later to get them I unwrapped one and was completely blown away. Nice work? No, spectacular work! The quality of the chrome plating was better than any I have ever seen. The bumper was repaired to perfection and the cost was much less than buying an aftermarket bumper which in this case is unavailable.
I asked if he could refinish some of the pot metal, stainless steel and aluminum trim and he told me to bring them to him. I picked up a bunch of trim and molding from him today and was once again impressed beyond words. This company does outstanding work, at reasonable prices and the turnaround time is great. The only problem I have now is that all the other work on the cars has to be done to somehow match the workmanship standard set by Cen-​Tex Plating Co Inc., no easy feat!

I had a great experience using these guys for a classic car project. The results were great and the service was top notch. Dave went above and beyond to answer all of my questions and give me hands on help with my project.

Just picked up some vintage Platner wire chairs that I decided to splurge $ 500 and have re-​chromed. They look horrible. Amateur job to say the least. The chrome is spotty in many areas and non existent in several others. They advised me there would be a place the chrome wouldn’t take, down in the center where it wasn’t visible, well it wasn’t chromed there or for that matter in many many other areas. They said there would be many hours of sanding and polishing– clearly they didn’t do it well. On the back it looked like they took a wire wheel grinder and marred the surface. No discount given, no conciliatory anything. If they couldn’t do a good job, they shouldn’t taken the job. 6 weeks of waiting for a total clown job– Hammered crap. Plate your things elsewhere! Or spray paint them– you’ll be happier and save a ton of dough.

Sure the office may look a little messy, but I’ve done eight different plating jobs with these folks and every one has turned out perfect. I will continue to use their services and have no complaints.

Me and my buddies have been playing fantasy football for awhile now and decided to get a really cheap pewter trophy loving cup from the 1920’s off eBay. We decided to re-​plate it ASAP. So I found CenTex online and went to their shop. The owner David was a bit puzzled when I showed him the 2-​foot tall trophy. The original plating was in bad shape and had surface rust on the exposed parts. When I showed up 4 weeks later I couldn’t believe it was the same trophy. The nickel plating looks awesome and the price was totally reasonable. I can’t wait to show it to the league.

I had written a less-​than-​perfect review back in 2009 based on experiences with CenTex back then. However, since then, I have begun using them for my classic car chroming needs on a regular basis, and I have to say that I have been very pleased with the results thus far, and feel that my earlier review is no longer appropriate to the much improved quality of work that CenTex is currently producing.
David, the owner, is usually on premises, and makes it easy and quick to get a firm quote for the job.
I don’t know of any other platers in the Austin area, or even San Antonio for that matter, so CenTex is one of those old-​line businesses that I feel needs the support of local classic car and bike owners, so they will still be here next year when we need them!
I have found David to be personable, and extremely responsive to any issues that may arise during the process. On one occasion I was in a bind for some parts because the intended vehicle is used in my business. David expedited the order and got me back on the road well in advance of their usual 4 – 6 week wait list.
The chrome plating process is a bit of a black art, and sometimes things don’t come out perfectly. In such case, I’ve found CenTex to be readily willing to redo the piece to make it right.
Even David will tell you that their forte is not necessarily Pebble Beach quality plating. For example, if your part has any pitting or corrosion underneath, the plating process won’t eliminate those bumps in the final process. If you need perfection with a pitted part, then one of the high-​end (and high-​dollar) platers would be more appropriate.
But for most of us local car owners looking to spruce up their ride with a nice replating, Cen-​Tex is the place to go.