Restoring a finish panel

[MMorgan]

Hi folks , I have recently found a trunk finish panel for my 68 Coronet 500. I am going to restore it and would like to know anyone’s experience on methods used. I have a buffer for the metal. I am not sure on how to go about exposing the ribs after painting. Tape off before? Paint it all first and buff the ribs? Was the inside of the 500 red? Thanks for any ideas..

 

[Bighouse]

Me- I’d blast it, glass bead or whatever. Then sand an and polish the ribs and whatnot. Precut masking material, mask and then paint.

If you paint and then do the ribs you might have a hard time keeping the black clean.

In the past on other parts I painted first then sand the ribs followed by clearing it all. That left a machined kinda look to the ribs.

 

[MMorgan]

All good info. Really the hardest part for me would be precutting masking to all match. A peel and stick might work for ease of cutting. Thanks for your input!

 

[RemCharger]

If I'm not mistaken, that's an anodized aluminum piece. I wouldn't blast it. Prep the black areas, and use bodyshop body line masking tape for the ribs.

 

[Davefinan]

Another option would be lightly spray the panel above one third at a time and wipe off the paint from the ribs as you go .
when you are done and the paint is cured. ( 3-4 light coats). You can take a fine steel wool and go over the ribs to remove any remaining black paint. I’ve used this approach many times with good results. Patience required

 

[RemCharger]

Steel wool #0000

 

[Davefinan]

Should have said super fine….

 

[dadsbee]

Scuff the old paint, polish what stays shiny (if the anodize is still good that is), spray the black and clean the shiny off with lacquer thinner... cloth on a wiping block.

 

[4speed68rt]

Sand the black areas lightly with some 1000, polish the shiny parts with a cotton wheel and rouge , Wipe the whole thing down with laquer thinner, Tape off the shiny parts and the decal, and paint it black. Peal the tape off and install. Good tape, and razor blades help alot.

 

[wagonman]

How about Cuda Chick is She still around? She is the best for that detail work and I would trust her opinion also .

 

[MMorgan]

She doesn’t seem to be on here anymore. But thanks .

 

[gdrill]

@CudaChick1968

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Blasting would be a very bar idea... As mentioned it's anodized... Paint stripper won't hurt the anodizing but will remove the paint..

I know you should sand any areas that are going to be painted but the fact is they were never sanded from the factory and many still are original paint that hasn't flaked off....

Edit, forgot to type this earlier... I use a light coat of etching primer before the black....

You can mask all the details but that leaves a very hard edge & the ends of the vertical ribs always turn out marginal...

I mask the top & bottom bands and spray the whole panel then use a rag stretched over my finger tip with a drop of laquear thinner on it to wipe the tops of the ribs... And come back with a little piece of steel wool to touch them up at the end,,

Yes the inset of the emblem is red... Use a syringe to float the paint into the emblem..

BTW I always remove the emblem which makes painting the panel easier & painting the emblem easier...

To reinstall the emblem I drill & tap the two posts on the back of the emblem to accept 8-32 screws..

 

[CudaChick1968]

@CudaChick1968

How about Cuda Chick is She still around? She is the best for that detail work and I would trust her opinion also .

She doesn’t seem to be on here anymore. But thanks .

I'm still here guys.
You can't get rid of me that easily

As to the 500 tail panel, I've never restored one. Trim resto is tedious and time consuming (especially on pot metal which I suspect the panel is cast from) and, though I love doing that kind of work, it's not my main specialty here so I don't take it on frequently.

Never one to pull anybody's lariat or gloss over the facts, I could sit here and type out professional advice for an hour or two, something I've done repeatedly for many years, because Joey's boards are essentially DIY message exchange platforms. I see it as a form of Pay It Forward for the work you've all sent me, and for the advice and information I've learned here.

Then I'll usually get thanked for my input, and it will either be attempted at home or, as it certainly seems to be lately (especially on FABO), all that advice will be taken along with the subject part directly to someone's "local guy" to get done.

Please understand I am eternally grateful for those of you who have supported my shop these last 17 years! I am not pointing any fingers or singling anyone out. The simple fact exists though that I am in business as a FBBO Vendor to support myself and giving out free advice doesn't put food on my table, buy shop supplies or keep the utilities paid.

How many other FBBO Vendors participate in your threads, commiserate with you on stumbling blocks or cheer on your successes? There's a big list over there -------->>> to aid your recollection.

I hope you understand and appreciate my position. I'll continue to post up when I feel qualified to help of course but having a little opportunity to actually earn your business would be an even greater incentive to participate in your projects.

 

[RustyRatRod]

I'm still here guys.
You can't get rid of me that easily

As to the 500 tail panel, I've never restored one. Trim resto is tedious and time consuming (especially on pot metal which I suspect the panel is cast from) and, though I love doing that kind of work, it's not my main specialty here so I don't take it on frequently.

Never one to pull anybody's lariat or gloss over the facts, I could sit here and type out professional advice for an hour or two, something I've done repeatedly for many years, because Joey's boards are essentially DIY message exchange platforms. I see it as a form of Pay It Forward for the work you've all sent me, and for the advice and information I've learned here.

Then I'll usually get thanked for my input, and it will either be attempted at home or, as it certainly seems to be lately (especially on FABO), all that advice will be taken along with the subject part directly to someone's "local guy" to get done.

View attachment 1517373

Please understand I am eternally grateful for those of you who have supported my shop these last 17 years! I am not pointing any fingers or singling anyone out. The simple fact exists though that I am in business as a FBBO Vendor to support myself and giving out free advice doesn't put food on my table, buy shop supplies or keep the utilities paid.

How many other FBBO Vendors participate in your threads, commiserate with you on stumbling blocks or cheer on your successes? There's a big list over there -------->>> to aid your recollection.

I hope you understand and appreciate my position. I'll continue to post up when I feel qualified to help of course but having a little opportunity to actually earn your business would be an even greater incentive to participate in your projects.

And your shared FABO post just proves once again how hard headed people are. But Leanna, you've always been gracious with your time and advice.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

The panel itself is stamped aluminum, bright dip anodized... The 500 Emblem is Die Cast...

 

[TT from NH]

MMorgan, with all the advice you got, what route did you take and what advice do you have for me who's about to do the same thing? (Sorry about the bold type; I don't know how to make it go away...)​

 

[MMorgan]

Hi TT, I did complete this project and so far am happy with the results. I bought 2 rolls of painters tape. 1 roll 1/4” wide, the other 1” wide. Sanding is next. 400 wet and 600 wet. I rinsed it off in sink to clean it well, then wiped it with tack Cloth. Get all the paint you can off. Even paint remover works well. I would advise against having it sand/ bead blasted. Once you have the panel where you want it, it’s time to tape. I cut 1/4” in tape into equal length strips and took scissors and rounded the edges a bit just to take off the sharp edge of the tape. I think 3 1/2” long each. I left the 500 emblem on but taped it off as you can see in photo. Once I got it taped off to my satisfaction , I bought some “ etching primer” hit it with 2 light coats of that. Let that dry over night I then sanded again very lightly with 600. Fixed any tape issues from sanding and was ready to paint. I used a matte black automotive lacquer. Once dries pull the tape, then I used a red touch up pen with the needle in the end. Layed it flat and let the red paint run into the 500 emblem. Another 24 hour dry, and it was ready to install. Biggest advice, it’s like any other paint project , prep is everything . More time spend on it the better the outcome. Also I did the R/T tail lights. Taped off the chrome outsides, repainted the silver inside portion of bezels. They turned out hood too. Here are some pics good luck TT!!

 

[TT from NH]

Awesome! Thanks for following up. I will print and use your info when I do mine this winter.

 

[Coelacanth]

Absolutely beautiful car! I popped on here while trying to find info on restoring the taillight finish panel on my '70 Charger. Like yours, I assume it's bright-dip anodized, then painted. I've used Easy-Off oven cleaner to quickly remove anodize from various aluminum parts in the past (RC car wheels for example) so I assume that would work as well on the finish panel...then polish it up with 0000 steel wool, mask off the narrow interior strip, rough up the areas outside the polished strip with 400-grit and paint...I was thinking SEM Trim Black as I've had excellent results with it on various other parts & surfaces. Anything about that procedure that wouldn't be recommended?