looking to polish my grill shell

[DT1]

Originally Posted by Shane

$640 new is chinese/taiwan made junk ... it's your truck & your money ... you're the one that's gotta be happy with it.

I'm not sure about all of it but I actually had to buy one piece of lower molding from LMC because I sanded right through a corner of the original part when I was restoring it. When I compared the Repro/foreign piece to my original stuff, I absolutely could not see or measure (With calipers) any difference. It also fit and looks so close to original, I challenge anyone to tell me which is the Repro molding.
Very odd at the time because most of the stuff I have purchased from LMC is real junk.

[DT1]

Originally Posted by dfwright

Not $640, but you can get a full set of American-made upper and lower trim new from Mar-K for less than $1000, and while I have no personal experience with Mar-K products, I have heard nothing but good things about them.


www.mar-k.com

Had I known that at the time, I wouldn't have spent all those weekends restoring mine!

[Classic Heartbeat]

Original molding has tooling marks not present on the reproductions. The original moldings are annodized and the reproductions clear coated. Scratch the original and you get a small scratch. Scratch the reproduction and the clear coat chips around the scratch. Don't missunderstand me, I am not dissing on the repops, because they are nice and rapidly becoming our only option, but you challenged me.... WES

[Classic Heartbeat]

[69sixpackbee]

I can get trim here in town for fifty-bucks ...oh, wrong "trim"...sorry

[DT1]

Originally Posted by Classic Heartbeat

Original molding has tooling marks not present on the reproductions. The original moldings are annodized and the reproductions clear coated. Scratch the original and you get a small scratch. Scratch the reproduction and the clear coat chips around the scratch. Don't missunderstand me, I am not dissing on the repops, because they are nice and rapidly becoming our only option, but you challenged me.... WES

I had a feeling someone was going to blow me out of the water. I think I speak for everyone here when I state; "We all prefer original parts". In my case, I took the time to restore the original. I didn't see any tooling marks but then I wasn't looking for any. I also had to clear coat all of it because no one in my area was equipped to anodize the long pieces. I finished my moldings a year ago and they're holding up very well so far. If I do get a scratch or two, it's easy to fix.

[A69C10]

Easy easy guys, looking at eastwood polishing kits, just have to invest in equipment

[Classic Heartbeat]

I had a feeling someone was going to blow me out of the water. I think I speak for everyone here when I state; "We all prefer original parts". In my case, I took the time to restore the original. I didn't see any tooling marks but then I wasn't looking for any. I also had to clear coat all of it because no one in my area was equipped to anodize the long pieces. I finished my moldings a year ago and they're holding up very well so far. If I do get a scratch or two, it's easy to fix.

I wasn't trying to blow you out of the water... It is just hard to resist a challenge.. I agree with any way that someone chooses to repair or replace old warn out parts as long as the fit and finnish is acceptible. A lot of people will strip off the anodizing and pollish their grills only to be dissapointed when they oxidize. Clear coat is a good option, but as you know clear coat (like any paint) has to have something to hold on to. A pollished surface doesn't have that. the surface is perfectly smooth on a microscopic level. This is why it chips away at the scratch instead of just scratching. WES

[JJanzen]

Originally Posted by dfwright

Not $640, but you can get a full set of American-made upper and lower trim new from Mar-K for less than $1000, and while I have no personal experience with Mar-K products, I have heard nothing but good things about them.


www.mar-k.com

Thank you DFWright for the direct answer.

['70_402]

Anyone ever got any ideas on how much it would be to have a grille re-anodized after polish??
Posted via Mobile Device

[bosco200]

Originally Posted by shane

uh ... Pretty sure that's chemistry

lmao!!!!!

[72SWBURG]

Originally Posted by dfwright

Not $640, but you can get a full set of American-made upper and lower trim new from Mar-K for less than $1000, and while I have no personal experience with Mar-K products, I have heard nothing but good things about them.


www.mar-k.com

LMC has lower trim kits for about $170 less than mar-k

Black lower trim kit:
LMC - $329
Mar-k: $493
Posted via Mobile Device

[72SWBURG]

Originally Posted by DT1

I'm not sure about all of it but I actually had to buy one piece of lower molding from LMC because I sanded right through a corner of the original part when I was restoring it. When I compared the Repro/foreign piece to my original stuff, I absolutely could not see or measure (With calipers) any difference. It also fit and looks so close to original, I challenge anyone to tell me which is the Repro molding.
Very odd at the time because most of the stuff I have purchased from LMC is real junk.

I'm shocked to hear that the stuff you have purchased from LMC is junk?? Do u have an example??
Posted via Mobile Device

[68Mike]

I recently polished the grill on my '69. Took it to a local polishing shop and he sent me first to an anodizibg shop an hour away to strip the anodize off so he could cut the time in removing the dings & dents. The anodizing shop told me he would charge me $100 total to remove & re-apply anodize. The local polisher charged me $150 to sand, polish, & buff grill. Looks awesome but unfortunately at the moment I'm unable to post a picture of it.

Only thing left to do is repaint letters & striping black.

Polisher:
MirrorImage in Salinas, Ca
831-757-2627

Anodizing Shop:
Du All Anodizing in San Jose, Ca
(408) 275-6694
www.duallanodizing.com
Posted via Mobile Device

[88fordf150]

I'm thinking of stripping, polishing and clear powdercoating my 69 grill.

[Indyuke]

Originally Posted by 67sss

be careful.............


Strong bases attack aluminum. Sodium hydroxide reacts with aluminum and water to release hydrogen gas. The aluminum takes the oxygen atom from sodium hydroxide (NaOH), which in turn takes the oxygen atom from the water, and releases the two hydrogen atoms. In this reaction, sodium hydroxide acts as an agent to make the solution alkaline, which aluminum can dissolve in. This reaction can be useful in etching, removing anodizing, or converting a polished surface to a satin-like finish, but without further passivation such as anodizing or alodining the surface may become degraded, either under normal use or in severe atmospheric conditions.

Yep. That's why after stripping the anodizing and polishing, you should spray on some auto clear or use alodine 1000 to protect the surface.