Stainless, chrome, or aluminum?

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Woodsman341

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Picture attached.

On the front of the Darts, what are these two pieces made of? The part that says "DODGE" and the bright piece of metal at the bottom edge of the grille?

Whatever it's made of, what's the better way of cleaning and polishing them up? I finally got my front clip (minus the bumper), and got some restoring to do.

1-1975-dodge-dart-swinger-grille-jill-reger.jpg
 
"Stainless, chrome, or aluminum?"

The smart *** answer is yes!

67 has all 3 all over the car.

Since the front appears to be 70 up,
The only thing I could add is if it is thick it's chromed.

If it is thin it is AL Or SS
AL sounds dull when tapped with a finger nail.

SS sounds more tinny, sharper
 
Dana67Dart said:
"Stainless, chrome, or aluminum?"

The smart *** answer is yes!

67 has all 3 all over the car.

Since the front appears to be 70 up,
The only thing I could add is if it is thick it's chromed.

If it is thin it is AL Or SS
AL sounds dull when tapped with a finger nail.

SS sounds more tinny, sharper
Click to expand...

Thanks, it's a 1975.
 
Dana67Dart said:
"Stainless, chrome, or aluminum?"

The smart *** answer is yes!

67 has all 3 all over the car.

Since the front appears to be 70 up,
The only thing I could add is if it is thick it's chromed.

If it is thin it is AL Or SS
AL sounds dull when tapped with a finger nail.

SS sounds more tinny, sharper
Click to expand...


And the thought just occurred, stainless steel is still magnetic, correct?
 
Anodized aluminium.
Must be stripped poilished and re anodized
 
I have stripped aluminum, and polished it. I didn't re anodise after. In my opinion, it's not that hard, or frequent that I have to polish again.
 
furyus2 said:
I have stripped aluminum, and polished it. I didn't re anodise after. In my opinion, it's not that hard, or frequent that I have to polish again.
Click to expand...

I've done it on motorcycles with good results, just wasn't sure which material I was working with. It does SEEM to be aluminum, given the info I got here. I've seen pros and cons of clear coating with rattle cans, but I don't think it would be necessary...just the occasional cleaning and polishing. My main issue now is that the aluminum I polished before (by hand) ended up with an almost chrome appearance, and I don't want to go quite that far.

Anyway, one more decision to make in a long-term project.
 
Anodized aluminum on the 73+ darts. You cant polish anodized without removing the anodizing first. This can be done with a lye solution but you will have to keep it polished or have it re-anodized to keep it shining without the anodizing.
Simply put, anodizing is a thin hard layer of controlled corrosion that seals the part.
 
Woodsman341 said:
That hasn't been my experience in the past, and a quick Google search shows that it has only gone up. Not "particularly expensive" is a pretty subjective statement. :)
Click to expand...
I had several, um, parts... anodized at a local anodizer and once I explained that they weren't a rush and he could get to 'em when it was convenient for him, his price dropped by 75%. He is used to doing large rushrushrush commercial jobs. I think he just enjoyed doing something different.

METAL PROTECTION SOLUTIONS AND ELECTROPLATING SERVICES SINCE 1994. Call him and describe what you need.
 
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