How Do They "Restore" Damaged/Dented/Bent Trim Anyway?

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dibbons

dibbons

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For example, chrome/stainless wheel well molding is always taking a beating, as well as other exterior chrome and metal adornments (see photos #1 & #2). I read where these things are "restored" somehow and somewhere. Is it performed by elves with tiny hammers? I can't picture straightening out the bent/dinged up metal pieces without making things worse. Maybe a lack imagination or a degree in metallurgy on my part but is there a video somewhere showing the secrets of this sort of alchemy? If I can't do it at home, at least show me how it's done! Thank you.

P.S When I remove the exterior moldings after having been placed 50 or so years prior, I find all kinds of dirt/gunk stuck under the moldings (see photo #3 of molding on '65 Barracuda quarter panel). When restoring, are these moldings just screwed or pushed back on or is there a filler/gasket/silicone used in the gap? Thanks again.

wheel molding bent 1.JPG


wheel molding bent 2.JPG


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dibbons said:
For example, chrome/stainless wheel well molding is always taking a beating, as well as other exterior chrome and metal adornments (see photos #1 & #2). I read where these things are "restored" somehow and somewhere. Is it performed by elves with tiny hammers? I can't picture straightening out the bent/dinged up metal pieces without making things worse. Maybe a lack imagination or a degree in metallurgy on my part but is there a video somewhere showing the secrets of this sort of alchemy? If I can't do it at home, at least show me how it's done! Thank you.

P.S When I remove the exterior moldings after having been placed 50 or so years prior, I find all kinds of dirt/gunk stuck under the moldings (see photo #3 of molding on '65 Barracuda quarter panel). When restoring, are these moldings just screwed or pushed back on or is there a filler/gasket/silicone used in the gap? Thanks again.

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I'm pretty sure its done like any traditional metal work, hammering, shaping, sanding and polishing. It is truely amazing what some craftsmen can do.

I sent my '68 Barracuda grill to the guys in this link. While not cheap, they did work with me by doing only the restoration of the parts I couldn't do like the soft aluminum border that goes along the outer edge of the grill. Mine was smashed flat, ugly and dull. Looked like it had been bumped into hundreds of things over the life of the car. Not enough to dent the surrounding sheet metal, but enough to smash and deform the outer lip of both sides of my 1 year only grill surrounds.

When they sent it back, I had to paint and assemble the grill parts, but their work was stunning. I bet these guys could repair an aluminum can that was smashed between a stomping foot and the ground.

Home – King of Trim

1968 Barracuda Grill Assembly 1.jpg


1968 Barracuda Grill Assembly 3.jpg
 
I sent this bend and twisted piece of rocker molding to, Classic Trim Restoration, North Richland Hill, Texas.. They said that they could make it look like new for around 100 bucks!! There is a 2 month wait, but I'm in no hurry, been looking for this piece of stainless for 8 years!! NO training or special tools required....FOR ME!! Since this piece is very rare and impossible to find, usual cost $300, I think I got a good deal.

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This kind of information-sharing is why I consider my membership with FABO to be my most valuable resource in restoring my cars. Thank you guys for these posts. I’ve already ordered my trim repair book from Amazon and marked the video sites.
 
azaustin said:
This kind of information-sharing is why I consider my membership with FABO to be my most valuable resource in restoring my cars. Thank you guys for these posts. I’ve already ordered my trim repair book from Amazon and marked the video sites.
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Well, remember the famous line from the movie for a few dollars more when the father of the Rojos clan tells Clint Eastwood," Often times a man's life in these parts depends on a mere scrap of information.".

I found that to be very true in this life.
 
I just massages some trim rings. Making them flat is easy, put 'em on a flat backer and hit them with a flat hammer! now trying to replicate a radius or a rilled lip gets challenging as youll have to make a like shaped anvil or backer. I thought of using a piece of 1/4 plate bent in a radius to get the edges of the bezel to become flat but I went the other way and beat the dings out from the inside with a punch. Very intricate work as the punch makes small corrections and if your backing is not squared, your making more problems. I used a piece of heavy glass as the backer for its hardness and snoothness. there is only so much stamped 24g AL in those to file down and polish before you break through. Those little trim anvils are probably worth their weight for doing this stuff.
 
There's a guy on youtube ColdWarMotors... he has done a ton of trim repair, it's not step-by-step but it's an interesting watch.
 
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