How do I brighten a 70 Grille?
 

Hey guys,
My dad has a nice grille for his truck thats very dull with scratches. Is there a way to brighten it up?. I tried oven cleaner - didn't work. Does anybody know of a product or steps I need to take?. Thanks

I have played with spray on oven cleaner and scotch bright pads.... Try out the technique on your light bezels first...there is a lot of scrubbing to get it shinny. Then you have to put a clear coat on it.

I've tried this in the last week or so and it is a lot of work. Soak the parts in liquid draino overnight. The anodizing washes off and the you can polish to a high luster. Looks cool though.

Did you polish it wish aluminum wheel polish?. Did you use a buffer or by hand?

ttt

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http://hometown.aol.com/racedvl/racedvl69index.html

Woodstock,IL.northwest of Chicago

It's not what you buy, it's what you build!!

I did not climb to the top of the food chain, to become a vegetarian.

For some pics of my truck.

Eastwood sells a stripper that will remove the coating and then you will have to sand it with a fine grid sandpaper then buff and not with your hand.good luck!

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BIG ORANGE 1971 SUBURBAN
1970/90-Little Buck's Truck (ONE DAY)
USED TRUCK PARTS 4 SALE

I have this polishing compound from "Michiana" polishing in Indiana. Bought it at a swap meet and it works fine by hand but would be quicker with a polishing wheel. I mixed up some draino last night and let it sit too long. Made teh aluminum a little thin. Pay attention on how long you let it sit if you use crystals. I let the premixed liquid plumber sit overnight and it was ok.

this is interesting to me as I like to play with parts restorations. I never heard of the draino thing before though . how many gallons does it take to soak one of those huge grille shells in though and did you buy a big tub to put it in? do you think it would work to soak a rag with it and lay it on the grille a section at a time? thanx , DAVE

Have you tried a can of Never Dull? That is what I have used for years. It takes a bit of elbow-grease, but usually turns out ok.

In case you don't know, Never Dull is in a blue can, inside is basically full of cotton that is soaked with some sort of chemical. You just pull out a wad and get scrubbing. It works awesome.


Reid

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Sylvan Lake, Alberta, Canada

1970 Chevy C20 Custom Camper
#s matching 402BB Turbo 400 trans.
Air conditioning, power steering, manual brakes.
73,600 Original Miles!!

How hard is it to apply the clear coat, what kind of materials are needed?

Dave,
In an answer to your question on part size, I have not done a grill shell yet but don't see why a rag soaked with the solution would not work. For long pieces such as the front fender spears, I put them in a 2" piece of PVC with a cap on the end and fill the pipe with solution. Draino is only $4.50 a can at Wally World and makes quite a few gallons. If your time is worth money, it definitely is faster than sanding. I used to glass bead blast the anodizing off but that lead to a lot of sanding and prep before polishing. Let me know how you like the process.

Here's one I "fixed up". It had the usual dents & dings, as well as a nasty series if creases along the top edge. I was able to knock all the dents out and clean up the hammer marks using 220 sandpaper. I then used 320 to get out the 220 scratches, 600 for smoothing and ended up with 1500 grit to get a nice sheen. I finished it off with 0000 steel wool. It's now ready for the black lettering & accent stripes. Took some time, but I'm pleased with the end result! Lee

http://www.freephoto-i.net/users/wlee/Grille.jpg

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1969 Custom 20 Longhorn
1970 CST 20 Fleetside
1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe
1991 Jaguar Sovereign
1992 Mazda Miata
1969 Triumph Bonneville
1964 Harley Sportster

Looks great!!!!