Polishing Aluminum Question

[RCE1962]

I've have various pieces of exterior aluminum trim...that I am trying to restore. I've looked on the Web for advice and found a few tips. So far the products that I've used and that have worked pretty good are various polishes by "Mothers". Very fine steel wool has removed some of the "cloudiness" in the metal. Some of the pieces have deeper scatches that may require alternatives.

As an example....the grill for the 62' may be beyond hope. There is alot of pitting and I may have to resort to getting one of those small, hand held, electric grinding tools with the proper attachments. Re-anodize after polishing or just leave it?

I would appreciate opinons as to whether I should I forget about the tougher pieces and consider re-pops of the trim that I might need?


RCE1962

 

[1958 delivery]

The alum trim if stripped to bare metal should be bright anodized. Otherwise it will eventually tarnish.

 

[Tic's60]

http://www.348-409.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10322&highlight=polishing

is a great thread on this. I used draino and polished with stuff for alumn pots and pans from the store then clear coated it. Looks good for DIY.
If you can afoard the 60-80.00 a foot to have it restored theres a member here that does it.

 

[bobs409]

http://www.348-409.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10322&highlight=polishing

60-80.00 a foot to have it restored theres a member here that does it.

Which member? I worked on my 63 grill for a good bit (still not done) and let me tell ya, $60-80 dollars a foot sounds like a gift! (ok, it's not exactly cheap but...) I did alot of trim and grills are the WORST!

RCE1962, if there are alot of pits such as in a grill (which most have), forget about it turning out perfect unless your able to remove metal to get down below the pits. Otherwise, polishing only highlights these! :eek:

 

[Tic's60]

Dave Kosmann
Caldwell, Idaho 83607
(208) 455-8558
email: dave@1960impala.com
www.1960impala.com

does trim restroration. Cannot remember his user name here.

 

[Nuts]

Dave !!!

When Dave did my trim for the BelAir, he was in the transition from polishing to airline pilot. The last time I talked to him, he didn't have much time to devote to the trim business. You can give him a call, he might have given up on flying because he didn't have much time for family !!!

He does great work, if you can get him to do it !!!!

 

[Tom Kochtanek]

Stripping at home

I did my trim at home by myself and it looks amateur at best. I had original pieces from a well-used vehicle that had it's share of dents, but no rust.

First I aggressively removed the original anodization by hand using wet sand paper. I experimented with several grits until I figured out what works best for me. Say you start at 180 or 220, you then have to move to 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, and then around 1200 you can begin to put the shine back in by polishing on a wheel. You graduate through these as well, using 3-4 different cuts.

The grittier sanding surfaces help to remove the scratches and small dings. If you have larger ones, you get to tap those out prior to sanding.

It is a very time consuming process. I bet it took me 30 hours just to do the six side pieces on a 1962 Impala. When I was done I had unprotected aluminum, which, as mentioned, will oxidize in short order. I cheaped out and didn't send them to be anodized, but I did experiment with Zoop Seal which is a product that fills the pores of the metal and help stave off oxidation. So far so good (two years).

Next time I'm gonna save up and send them off to be done professionally and then anodized properly .

Good luck!

TomK

 

[1958 delivery]

TomK. how's that Zoop's stuff work, OK? I have some but have never tried it. I guess I'm a little afraid that it could mess up some expensive billet wheels.

 

[RCE1962]

Good advise all around. Thanks guys.

Bob. Yeah..I suppose I should leave the grill alone.

I'll try the Draino and wet sand paper approach on some of the other pieces though and look for that Zoops product around here.


Ron

 

[Tom Kochtanek]

Zoops

IMHO the Zoops product works as advertised. I suspect it is not a long term solution, as I recall the instructions state that it can be reapplied. Also, it's not all that difficult to remove after application (I just can't remember the solvent).

Zoops is a less expensive alternative to having your pieces anodized. I even looked into creating an "anodizing booth", it's pretty basic sixth grade science/chemistry. I still might do that some time in the future. Looking back, my fingers hurt while sanding and buffing these pieces, but I rather enjoyed the process. Never even shot a piece of trim off the buffing wheel .

I did use the "Draino dip" for some of the smaller parts, works good. It's basically Lye (NaOH, sodium hydroxide) so protect your eyes and use gloves. Oven cleaner has similar properties as Draino, not sure of the strength comparison between the two.

Cheers,
TomK

 

[wmotor]

Searching the web came up with this product, never tried it but seems like a lot less elbow work.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Anodising-Strip...ryZ98641QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD2VQQcmdZViewItem

... but getting it past Home Security may be another issue.

 

[gabriel-cestaro]

por 15

hi i used hard nose clear on alumuim parts after getting cleaned and shiney the way i like them and it stands up to heat also

 

[models916]

dont waste you money

Stuff on Ebay is Sodium Hydroxide or grocery store Lye. Mix it with water and soak part for about 5 minutes and rinse. Buff and polish. Easy-Off overn cleaner is near the same, just in a spray can.

 

[61BISCAYNE]

hi i used hard nose clear on alumuim parts after getting cleaned and shiney the way i like them and it stands up to heat also

Is this the stuff you used? Has anyone else here used this after polishing?
It sounds simple enough.

http://getrust.com/products.php?category=2

 

[dq409]

I used a lye paint stripper, Peel-A-Way, when I did the restoration on my old house.
It`s a paste and easy to use.
It removed paint down to the wood through many layers of old paint with one application.
Great stuff and resonably priced.
Sherman Williams Paint carries it by the gal or 5 gal bucket.

http://www.dumondchemicals.com/paint_remover.htm

 

[Skip FIx]

I've never used Easy Off on aluminum car parts but on a Go Kart engine I was rebuilding it changed the light aluminum to dark gray. I'd test it on a small area first.

 

[Brian Thompson]

I bought a 62 SS for parts (posi rear) and later decided to save it because it was originaly a 409 car. The car had bad surface rust all over it, so I brushed phosphoric acid (from Home Depot in the paint section) all over it to help neutralize it, sanded it down and sprayed the body down with primer sealer. I didn't take off any of the anodized aluminum and the acid cleaned it from what I thought would need total restoration or just buy repop trim to WOW, I think I will save this and just put some polish on it. You couldn't even make out the engine turned detail in the inserts before, now they are like new! I didnt even realize what I had done until the next weekend when the wife asked if I put different mouldings on the car.

It may be worth the try. cheap and effortless. It didn't seem to harm it, afterall I was going to throw them away!

 

[Boat]

The Phos acid will make ugly aluminum look better, but etchs the surface and leaves it rough and needing polishing.

My understanding of the final polish on aluminum is more like burnishing...smoothing over the pores of aluminum and semi sealing it. Then it needs the bright ano or waxing to maintain the looks.

Been researching...lots of coors cans to make a boat...