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Hi Andrew, The painted "chrome" you propose to use on the reflective surfaces of your light fixtures may pass the heat test for your turn signals but I'm not so sure about running lamps. For headlights it's a definite no-no unles it's a very temporary fix. The paint will overheat, it doesn't have a long service life, it's impossible to clean if it gets pitted or dirty and its reflective qualities are very poor in comparison to the original, so safety is an issue.
Your original reflectors were most likely "chromed" using a process called vacuum-metallizing, which bonds the chrome film to the plastic. This manufacturing process, which superceded a process similar to metal electro-plating has apparently now been abandoned in favour of a newer method in most new vehicles - but I don't know why there has been a change or what the new process is.
If you live in a reasonably populated area, there should be a vacuum-metallizing shop in your yellow pages that is willing to re-do them for you, but the process may include "chroming" the outside of the housings as well as the insides, which has no effect on their performance or longevity. It just looks funny under the hood.
I had mine done recently for under USD$20.00 for the pair with quite good results.
If you do not live near a vacuum-metallizing shop, you may be able to get them done through a local car restoration or car repair shop, but expect to add some middle-man price mark-up and shipping costs to the process. Good luck!
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