head light trim
- Thread starter Tadams
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ScampMike
Despicable Damn Yankee
I doubt a pro knows an easy way.. I think you'll find there is several hours of tedious work involved..
ScampMike
Despicable Damn Yankee
I got ya - check this out http://bumpsides.com/stainless/index.html
ScampMike
Despicable Damn Yankee
oops --Tim -- wrong thread - goober!! LOL
66Dvert
Working on my custom car parts again!
it's not hard to do just time consuming. Aluminum is a bit trickier than Stainless since it so thin and easily sanded through than stainless but the basics are the same. first get some yellow top original easyoff oven cleaner or draino with lye in it works too!(but draino/lye is way stronger than oven cleaner so you have to watch the part or it's get pits or extra etching in it) to remove the anodizing or it'll take forever to sand the part smooth. then get some wooden dowels that you can shape to the curve or corner of the trim ring. the trick is "gently push" in all moves, and if you push too far tap it back lightly instead of sanding(that way you won't thin the metal too much). I have a scratch awl, 3 or 4 differently shaped wooden dowels ,a flat anvil,flat faced body hammer and plenty of different grates of wet/dry sand paper ranging from 220 to 1500 I used to clean and fix mine. I use soapy water to help in sanding and cleaning the trim.
mine started out like this
View attachment DSCF3695.jpg
yeah there were a couple of extra holes in it too! I used the harbor freight aluminum welding rods and a propane torch to fix the tears and holes in the bezels.
View attachment DSCF3694.jpg
and ended up looking pretty good
View attachment 0208131615.jpg
View attachment 0208131615b.jpg
View attachment 0208131616.jpg
Are they perfect? not really, but close and 1000% better than they were.
2 hours each on shaping and 1-2 hours more on sanding in finer grits until I could polish it with #3 compound for aluminum (medium/hard) and polishing compound (20 minutes per piece) I had to use a dremel tool to get into some of the sharp tight corners when polishing and should have used it to clean up some scratches that I missed in the corners too!
Everything I hear is, because they're aluminum, they're harder to do (stretching, thin, etc.)
BTW, Layson's is supposed to be doing some repops this summer (fingers crossed)
BTW, Layson's is supposed to be doing some repops this summer (fingers crossed)
pishta
I know I'm right....
Laysons get a mint for theirs. Nice if you can afford it. I got 2 sets that are almost perfect but of course I can see the flaws. I originally tried to fill and sand, then paint but the paint just didnt do them justice so I stripped them again and am in the process of carefully tapping out the flaws with said wooden dowels. That anodizing is a bear to sand off. And I have had no luck polishing these either.
66Dvert
Working on my custom car parts again!
to easily remove anodizing you could.
Soak em in a solution of water and LYE (ie Draino) check then regularly and 10 or so minutes should show you how long to leave them in the solution, or spray then with the "original" yellow top easy off oven cleaner and cover with a wet paper towel to keep it wetter longer. easy off is less aggressive than draino. sanding off anodizing SUCKS and takes forever.
polishing is easy on aluminum trim if you go slow
i went from 220 wet to 600,1000,1500 cross each grain (220 //// this way, 600 \\\\\ way till the scratches were goand and on up the grit until the scratches were gone. Then
I used the stick you could get from Lowes and used #2 (hard non ferrous stick)and #4 (polishing non ferrous stick)
holes can be repaired by using a propane torch and those cheap harbor freight aluminum filler rods. they look weird at first but blend right in to the trim. use backing on super thin places that you have sanded through or it'll make a BIG HOLE.:banghead: this I do know first hand.
There are a couple books out there about restoring trim. I got this one quite a while ago. Must be out of print now because I know I didn't pay THAT much.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0760303312/?tag=fabo03-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0760303312/?tag=fabo03-20
Have you seen what people are asking for the complete junk trim rings on eBay lately?
I have seen the prices. That is the reason I had asked about doing these myself. I still wonder why Chrysler would have used such soft metal for these. I have rarely seen any that are in good shape. Thanks for the information. I can imagine once I finish painting my car how these will stick out like a sore thumb. And then the bumpers, and the list goes on.
Dart_Doctor
Asa style
If you buy new look me up mines a rat rod
Pretty sure they weren't worrying about how they would look in 50 years...they wanted you to trade in/up every 2-3 years
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