How to restore side trim?

[oklaoz]

The side trim on my 71 is in pretty good shape,but the shinny part is cloudy.Is there a good way to restore the shine?

[ETsC10]

The cloudiness you see is actually the anodized outer surface that has oxidized.
First steps are to get below that layer plus massage out any damage.
Followed by buffing to a luster.
Finished by protecting the new surface.

The process can be very time consuming but can save a bundle besides being gratifying.
The above is an over simplified explaination...

This thread will help explain the process further.
There is more than one way to remove the anodized layer
and I'm sure we will get more folks chiming in.

[Dunenutt]

Good luck! It's a time consuming tedious process. I gave up restoring it, and painted it. Now I dont like it, and going to do it all over.

[DT1]

I restored mine last year. It's a very tedious task.
The first thing to do is to strip the anodizing. The best method is to use a 10% solution of sodium hydroxide (Lye) and water in a plastic spray bottle. Make sure you wear eye and skin protection if you use this method. Lye will burn the hell out of your skin and can cause irreparable damage to your eyes!
Use a Scotch-Brite pad to help loosen up the anodizing and repeat if necessary.
When all of the anodizing is off, all of the dings and dents have to be removed.
The most effective way I've found is to set each trim(Molding) piece on a small piece of plywood covered with a towel and use a screen door roller to message them out. Then you will need to sand them smooth. A Sonicrafter type sander worked really well for that. After each piece is smooth and straight, it's time for the buffing wheel. I started by cutting 6 inch discs from red Scotch-Brite pads and tripled them up on the buffer. I found this method works well for obtaining a smooth, consistent surface for final buffing. For the final buffing, I used a Denim wheel and black cutting compound. It takes a lot of patience but eventually each piece will return to it's original luster.
When all that is done wipe each piece down with lacquer thinner to remove any residue. All you have to do now is re-anodize or paint with a good automotive clear coat and repaint the black. I used SEM Trim Black and followed up with clear. Oh Yea...After I painted the top moldings, I realized I had done them improperly and had to strip the paint off and redo them correctly.
Before:



After:

[67chevy1series]

man i feel bad for the guys with 69 72 trim its so FAT and mines so small/skinny lol

[ChevLoRay]

DT1....good, short "How To". There are others, but yours rang a bell with me. Using the screen tool (the roller on a handle) makes good sense.

My project is my grille. I'm thinking a sand bag (body type) would also be a good thing to support the work piece.

[DT1]

Originally Posted by ChevLoRay

DT1....good, short "How To". There are others, but yours rang a bell with me. Using the screen tool (the roller on a handle) makes good sense.

My project is my grille. I'm thinking a sand bag (body type) would also be a good thing to support the work piece.

The grill can be done the same way. A sand bag will probably work fine. I had to make some special dent removal tools out of plastic rod but I also used the roller.

[oklaoz]

Cool! Getting the anodize off is the key info I needed. Thanks.

[ChevLoRay]

There was a post on here about the value of an NOS grille surround for a '71-2. The seller wanted $500 for it. I spoke with a guy 2 years ago about restoring my grille. He wanted $500. I bought a wheel polishing air tool from Sherwin-Williams, for $105. Same tool (identical) thru Eastwood is $130. Do the math.

[oklaoz]

What kind of store sells lye?

[OhOneWS6]

Originally Posted by oklaoz

What kind of store sells lye?

http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/co...lyesources.htm

[wicky]

A sand bag will probably work fine. I had to make some special dent removal tools out of plastic rod but I also used the rol

Do u have any pics of the tools u made. My trim has a lot of dents in the corners. I was thinking of using a small sand bag and something that would resemble a chisel but made out of wood or plastic?
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[oldblue1968chevy]

wouldnt oven cleaner work the same (pretty much lye)

[70cst]

Interesting thread ... Good info.

[sanford66]

Originally Posted by DT1

Before:



After:

Wow, i can't believe this difference between the before and after! Are you sure they are the same moldings? Just kidding. Very nice work and info! Joseph