Cheap chrome front mudguard ?

[Anonymous]

I am in the process of refurbishing a 1980 GS850GT and having great fun with seized brakes, dodgy electrics and rusty chrome !
The front mudguard is the original painted metal, but I really want a chrome one. I have looked at a few 2nd hand chrome guards on Ebay, but they seem to be few and far between, expensive, imperfect and I am not sure if the bracing is adequate (are all GS chrome guards braced ?).

So I am thinking about the following -

a) Chroming my mudguard - is this possible and if so how much is it likely to cost ?

b) Doing a cheap makeover by painting with metallic silver paint and finishing with lacquer.

I like the idea of b) cos it sounds cheap, but of course the finish may turn out really nasty and my efforts will be wasted. Has anyone tried this and were the results OK ?

Any advice welcome ..... before I reach for the paint stripper !

[Hoomgar]

I have tried "b" on many parts in my life and it always comes out looking exactally like what it is. If you want it to really look nice you can get it chrome plated but you would be better off getting a real chrome fender off another bike and having it repaired/chromed if needed. Usually unless the chrome is really bad you can buff the shine right back into it with a little elbow grease.

[Evil Hobbit]

So what does it normally cost to get something like a 4 to 1 header chromed (without the muffler)?