2022 marks the 60th anniversary of Advanced Plating opening its doors in Nashville. Although the location has changed over the years, most recently with a move out of Nashville to Portland, Tennessee, they have continued to offer the world’s finest chrome to customers worldwide.

The roots of Advanced Plating started with founder Elton Cole, who first opened shop in Old Hickory, Tennessee, during the spring of 1962. Like several businesses, the shop changed hands a couple of times through the years. Then, in 1985, while racing motorcycles, Steve Tracy started his relationship with Advanced Plating, leading to he and his wife, Sheri, becoming sole owners in 1989.

It would be nice to say the rest is history, but it has not been an easy 35 years of ownership for the Tracys and Advanced Plating. They have had their unfortunate share of devastating events over that time, including a catastrophic flood in 2010 and then a total loss fire in 2018. In fact, the fire of 2018 is what led to the most recent relocation to the small town of Portland, Tennessee, which is situated north of Nashville at the Tennessee-Kentucky border.

Despite the challenges, the business has grown to become a recognizable brand with not only car builders and auto restorers nationwide, but also with manufacturers in the hot rod industry as a source for commercial plating and polishing. Furthermore, Advanced Plating’s reach has extended beyond the automotive world and into the manufacturing and plating of virtually every hardware component needed for an electric guitar, as well as serving manufacturers of musical instruments, the architectural industry, and even boutique businesses with niche markets.

For more info on Advanced Plating, call (615) 313-7147 or visit advancedplating.com.

In our Grand National Roadster Show coverage (Apr. ’22) we omitted a name we shouldn’t have when talking about Edward McSweeney’s ’27 Ford roadster, one of the AMBR contenders. McSweeney is the owner and designer of the roadster with a handbuilt body that features reshaped original fenders by Terry Hegman.

Our omission was in leaving out the significant contribution to the project by Richard Wells. Wells handled the fabrication and the build throughout. The roadster does feature a tubular chassis with the body channeled over the frame that corrals an all-aluminum Ford DOHC 32-valve Lincoln V-8 bolted up to a Ford T5 transmission.

Others who should also be recognized are Don Matter for the exhaust headers, Albert Rodela for paint, Gabe’s Upholstery for the interior, Dave Seal for polishing, Dennis Crooks for the cut down banjo-style steering wheel, and the late Jim Babb for the radiator (a mainstay especially well known for his Model T radiators).

As mentioned in the article the roadster did take home a handful of well-deserved awards that clearly reflect the efforts of Wells in the AMBR Achievement Plaque, Outstanding Detail, and Outstanding Undercarriage.

Our apologies.