clapperc
New Member
Hey guys! I need to have my stainless-steel drip-rail moldings restored? Any company suggestions? Thanks!
Stainless-trim Restoration?
- Thread starter clapperc
- Start date
Dan
Well-Known Member
trim restoration
Iverson Automotive did all of mine . Google them
Iverson Automotive did all of mine . Google them
SS trim is the easiest type to repair yourself (notice I did not say easy). Dents and dings can be tapped out as best possible and then the surface fine sanded back smooth - and then polished. The worst part are the rolled edges if they are dented up bad.
pjrenu
Active Member
I have saved lots of money by doing my own stainless. I got a variable speed bench grinder and removed all the attachments and installed two buffing wheels per side in the place of the grinding wheels.One side a more aggressive wheel and the other side less. Dont mix the compounds on the wheels if need get three or for set ups of wheels and change them as you need. The box stores sale the grinder ,wheels and different polishing sticks so it is very easy to get set up,even Sears . Wear some good gloves,goggles and practice some and soon you will be doing all the stainless on your car with a lot of satisfaction. And like one of the previous post mentioned with a small hammer and some patience you can tap out dents and then file down the minor high spots ,sand from 180 working up to 600 wet and dry and then run them on the buffer in different steps. I have had the shop that does my chrome admire the finish product and said they couldn't have done it any better. I have done all the stainless on my 66 Satellite its a good rain day project. Also there is a online supplier of all the products that if you buy from them they will give you assistance. I like the car hobby it offers challenges, tests our skills and gives us many opportunities to meet those challenges and appreciate what our hobby is about.
Dan
Well-Known Member
trim
I have a 66 Satellite and I did my own ss trim. Bought a trim hammer from Eastwood and a polisher, wheels and compound from Harbor Freight for less than $100. The ss came out like new but it took awhile. The cromed pieces polished up like new, BUT when it came to the anodized items, grill, headlight doors rear finish panel and my totally dinged up top of fender, door and quarter trim I went to Iverson Automotive. It came back in show condition. It was going to cost another $1000 plus for reanodizing so I went with restoring and polishing. Then I coated it with Sharkhide from Eastwood. After all that I realized that I forgot the hood lip trim,DAMN, but after some searching I found a new one on Ebay for alot less than repairing the old on. This work is in no way cheap, but I have had my Satellite since 1975. My grandfather bought it new. It only has 63,000 miles on it and is now in the paint shop and I hope to have it on the road again by May
I have a 66 Satellite and I did my own ss trim. Bought a trim hammer from Eastwood and a polisher, wheels and compound from Harbor Freight for less than $100. The ss came out like new but it took awhile. The cromed pieces polished up like new, BUT when it came to the anodized items, grill, headlight doors rear finish panel and my totally dinged up top of fender, door and quarter trim I went to Iverson Automotive. It came back in show condition. It was going to cost another $1000 plus for reanodizing so I went with restoring and polishing. Then I coated it with Sharkhide from Eastwood. After all that I realized that I forgot the hood lip trim,DAMN, but after some searching I found a new one on Ebay for alot less than repairing the old on. This work is in no way cheap, but I have had my Satellite since 1975. My grandfather bought it new. It only has 63,000 miles on it and is now in the paint shop and I hope to have it on the road again by May
pjrenu
Active Member
I had to have all the anodizing removed from my aluminum trim and was going to straighten and polish it all myself. Headlamps turned out great except for some pits. I have decided to have the chrome shop finish up my aluminum by dipping it and polishing it a couple of times then apply some chrome. I also have seen two companies in the magazines that do a spray on technique quite like silvering on mirrors. Anyone have it done yet and if so care to share your experience.
GTXKen
Well-Known Member
Don't use Iverson, he takes forever and even when he tells you he shipped it it will take a month. Then it came poorly backed to boot
Joe Mopar
Well-Known Member
Just making sure but other than the grill which is alum. the est of the trim on a 440 / Polara is stainless steel right?
MRHWS
Well-Known Member
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems most Mopar trim was stainless up to about '72 or '73 and then they started mixing in anodized aluminum.
Forgot to add, I used the Eastwood stainless buffing kit on my stainless trim. Kit includes the rag wheels and compounds. Very time consuming and dirty, but well worth the hundreds of $$$ I saved. Plus another I did it myself project.
Forgot to add, I used the Eastwood stainless buffing kit on my stainless trim. Kit includes the rag wheels and compounds. Very time consuming and dirty, but well worth the hundreds of $$$ I saved. Plus another I did it myself project.
pjrenu
Active Member
ss trim what is what
I have found that the rockers and wheel opening trim is stainless on the Mopars I looked at .But grills,side trim some trunk finish panels headlamp doors are aluminum. Drip rails and weatherstrip retainers stainless. I use an easy test
1) if it looks milky or a powder like and you (plan on refinishing) it try some four #0 steel wool and if itdoesnt take a shine too well then its probably aluminum. Also these parts usually are light for there size. There probably better ways to tell but this has worked for me.
If in a short time it shines like chrome then chances are its stainless or possibly chrome. Most chrome pieces on my car are cast pieces that have been plated. I would also like to mention that I bought a few pieces of aluminum trim online and although they clean up nice any haze or dullness or a semi gloss look is the best I have gotten from polishing. I was going to remove the anodizing and found out if you have no idea what you re doing you can severely hurt yourself or blow up the garage. I paid a chrome shop to remove the anodizing and it was well worth it. I then did all the bench work and will have then chromed .
I have found that the rockers and wheel opening trim is stainless on the Mopars I looked at .But grills,side trim some trunk finish panels headlamp doors are aluminum. Drip rails and weatherstrip retainers stainless. I use an easy test
1) if it looks milky or a powder like and you (plan on refinishing) it try some four #0 steel wool and if itdoesnt take a shine too well then its probably aluminum. Also these parts usually are light for there size. There probably better ways to tell but this has worked for me.
If in a short time it shines like chrome then chances are its stainless or possibly chrome. Most chrome pieces on my car are cast pieces that have been plated. I would also like to mention that I bought a few pieces of aluminum trim online and although they clean up nice any haze or dullness or a semi gloss look is the best I have gotten from polishing. I was going to remove the anodizing and found out if you have no idea what you re doing you can severely hurt yourself or blow up the garage. I paid a chrome shop to remove the anodizing and it was well worth it. I then did all the bench work and will have then chromed .
Similar threads
