firstly what was the coating?? to me it looks like some sort of anodize??
Can this be duplicated in some way like a metalic paint .
There is a DB on ebay that has a very simular paint job as the Turbo not sure if I like it tho ......its close.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...3684991735&rd=1

I have heard that spray on window tint might work?Seems like a decent idea.

Turbo's were finished with smoked chrome plating.

I dont think they were,it wouldn't wear off as easy as it does if it was chrome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What about black ink on chrome?

they were a smoke clearcoat over chrome. powdercoat, perhaps.(?)

Yep it does seem pretty soft I have scratches from the chain on my turbo.
I might take it down to an auto paint shop just to see what they say.

Leave it as is unless its totally trashed. Restored frame sets are not worth as much as frame sets with the original finish.

The Turbos like some of the Mongoose Pro Classes were black chromed. Black Chrome is not as hard of a finish as regular chrome and it fades adn wears very easily. Looks very cool though. Leave one in the sun long enough and it will go purple on you before it fades to a super ugly grey.

I have been trying to find a chromer locally that will do Black Chrome but most will not touch it anymore due to the chemicals involved.

Have a great day!!

Bill

there is a place in san diego that will do smoke chrome which the turbos were and black chrome .

Turbo's WERE NOT Black Chrome, the Chrome that no Chrome shop in California will touch, they were as , mr coasterbrake stated in an earlier post a thick black tinted clear-coat over the chrome, hence the tendency to fade when exposed to sunlight, this also made (makes ) it very delicate and suseptible to be scratched very easily. The Turbo-lites were done in the same finish. The pro-class may have been a true black chrome that was electro-plated but I'm not too sure, but the Turbo was not.

The one listed on the link above is not a Turbo, the seat angle is too laid back.

there is a place in SD that will do black chrome Ramon.

That's great because last I heard, no chrome shop would touch the stuff.