How do ya shine up your 1972 outer grill?
 

I am nearly ready for this job, cleaning up and shining up the outer grill of my 1972. How do I do it?

It has some paint overspray from Mr. Bondo some years before I got it and it has some rust from the grill brackets. Need that off too.

Re: How do ya shine up your 1972 outer grill?
 

Re: How do ya shine up your 1972 outer grill?
 

My buddy used a commonly available drain cleaning fluid. It worked amazing to remove all the grit, grime, and stains. He then lightly polished and it looked like new!

Re: How do ya shine up your 1972 outer grill?
 

But you do have to keep it polished, right?

Re: How do ya shine up your 1972 outer grill?
 

It still looks good after 6 months of no polishing

Re: How do ya shine up your 1972 outer grill?
 

Lye will strip everything off and give you a raw base to polish. You cannot polish a discolored grille due to the anodization. Do not leave lye (drain cleaner, oven cleaner) on it too long or you will ruin it. If you do not want the upkeep associated with aluminum it will either need to be re-anodized or parked in a garage, otherwise it oxidizes quickly and will need frequent polishing. I had my grille restored and did not re anodize. It is garage kept and I have only polished it once since then.

Re: How do ya shine up your 1972 outer grill?
 

Wax helps, once it's polished, to keep it there. Ditto on can't polish anodized. It all depends on how far gone it is. Sometimes a super good cleaning will help it