I've had this stuff back from the plating shop for awhile but just haven't had time to get to work on the install in my DBS yet.. But wanted to share some more photos.

As mentioned before, I chose to do a nickel plated finish with a combination of polished and brushed effect on all the interior alloy pieces. I have a complete set of glass switches I'll be installing at the same time to complete the look. Still waiting on one more piece.. The trim piece at the leading edge of the center arm rest. This still isn't ready unfortunately.. Hopefully next week.

I'm very pleased with the work. I used a well respected plating shop in Chicago. The only "issue" we ran into was with the shift ****.. Ugh.. What an issue it became :/

Long story short, he did not think there would be a problem plating the shift **** with the glass insert in place. Well.. Let's just say I would highly recommend that nobody else try this. Some of the liquid from the plating process leaked down between the glass and the alloy which ultimately got under the glass and discolored the shift pattern indicator, etc. I could write up an entirely separate post on what I've learned about how that glass insert is installed.. It was quite a process. The plating guy seemed to think it would be "no big deal" to get a replacement glass part but as we all know.. Nothing is "no big deal" when it comes to this marquee. Again.. Trying to keep this brief, I wound up searching for a glass sculpture or artist to help me repair or replace the remains of the glass inlay and was fortunate enough to find a very talented man in south Florida who is my new hero. The good news is I can now help anyone else who needs to remove the glass insert from their shift ****. Also this guy would have been able to recreate the piece if he wasn't able to repair my existing one.. Just FYI for anyone who may have a broken glass inlay you're suffering with. Naturally Aston Martin doesn't offer it separate from the shift ****.

More pictures coming when I finally get to installing.







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That looks very cool, and expensive.
Ron

 

I think that you should get your inside door pull also done, I polished mine over the winter and I think it adds to the interior. I will try to take good pictures of my interior tomorrow to show you. Everything looks so nice and as Ron says expensive...

 

Thanks Ron.. I appreciate it.

 

OH yes.. I've definitely been considering it. I'd love to see more pictures of your finished product. Perhaps I can do those in the brushed nickel to avoid the inevitable fingerprints. Please post some pictures of yours after the installation.

 

Stuff looks amazing. Well done

 

Well hope my pictures turn out good, don't have a very good camera...

 

Wow.. Those handles look fantastic! Definitely something I need to consider. Mine are currently carbon fiber so I'll need to find some replacement cores to start with. Congrats! Nice job!

 

Thanks we like the look a lot but nickel plating them now that is another level of quality. You can find some at a very good price specially the ones that need a repaint.

 

Wow, I am impressed! Great work!

I have been deciding how to bring some bright finish into my interior and this may be an option I will have to consider.

I am liking the polished door door pulls. Nickel plating and brushing those to compliment the other parts would look great.

 

How about divulging the plater's name? Also, looks like the vents are brushed and you didn't opt for the dual finish like the other parts (not enough edge I suppose). They look far more high end than the originals, that's for sure!

 

Woah, NICE! Thanks for posting these labours of Aston love! Looking forward to seeing the install images on these...please post the completed and installed versions.

 

Thank you.. It's definitely worth considering. I have not yet started the installation process and to be honest I'm not looking forward to it.

The issue is with the "joystick" control **** and surrounding bezel. I was able to buy new replacement ***** from Aston Martin for the HVAC and stereo control but the joystick parts aren't available separately from the fascia through Aston Martin. So I bought a used fascia panel I found on ebay to take apart and remove the joystick from. I have to tell you.. It was a bit$h to get out of there! I'm very happy I have this other fascia around to sacrifice and experiment with so when I have to disassemble the unit from my DBS HOPEFULLY it'll go nice and smooth.. But I'm certainly dreading this one.

This may be a job I'll hold off on until the winter months when the car is in hibernation for a few months so I can really take my time and not feel any kind of urgency to get it knocked out.

In addition to the shift handle and control ***** I've also got the vents to swap out as well as all the switches as I've acquired a complete set of glass replacements that I'll take care while everything is apart.. It's going to be a delicate and time consuming job :/

 

I'm always hesitant to mention a business by name on the forum in concern of violating rules regarding sponsorship etc. The place is called "The Finishing Touch". They do all kinds of plating focusing their business on high end vintage automobile restoration. With the exception of the shift **** incident.. I just couldn't be more thrilled with everything.

Yes.. I chose to go with the brushed finish on the vents for the reason you mentioned.. Just not enough surface there to do a combination of polished and brushed.

Our thought around the brushed /polished finish was to brush the surfaces that your finger tips mostly make contact with in hopes of keeping fingerprints and smudges to a minimum. If you notice on the ***** we brushed the sides while polishing faces.

I have 1 other part that was plated with the polished finish and I have not posted a photo of yet and that's the trim piece on the leading edge of the center console armrest.. Right up by the cup holder. Unfortunately the alloy pieces that make up the divider pieces of the cup holder aren't able to be removed it seems without really destroying the center console so those were left as is. I also got a new piano black "trinket compartment" lid to replace the original alloy one my DBS came with. I think that will look better than plating the original one.

 

Hey guys.. Finally making some progress on this project of mine. I got the interior torn apart and the ***** / bezels installed on the fascia.. I'm not afraid to say this is not a job for the faint of heart. By far the most challenging job I've taken on in regards to any of my Aston Martin's.

Removing the pieces isn't so bad.. It's taking this fascia panel apart that's the challenge. Primarily gaining access to the "joystick" and its surrounding trim piece. I realized it was going to not be easy when I first got going on the planning of this. Aston Martin offers all the other ***** / bezels for sale through parts but not the joystick (as I call it). I knew then that it wasn't really meant to be removed and serviced.

I actually picked up a scrap fascia panel on ebay before starting this to take apart to not only acquire a donor joystick but to also gain some practice and familiarity before tackling my own parts. This proved to be a good decision as all of this has become much more than I bargained for. I hope the end result is worth it. Took this opportunity to install the glass switches as well.

Just a few pictures of what I've got done so far..




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