Classic car trim, differences and product discussion.

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NotQuiteAPro

New member
So my dad was looking around on Craigslist (he's like me, when we get bored we fantasy car shop). Anyways, called me in to show me a 66 Malibu Chevelle to ask me how much I could do for the paint. We have been looking for a decent driver condition muscle car to do a LS swap into (maybe big block, but I know more about EFI and I would be doing all the work). We don't want to fool with body work if we don't have to so we are always looking for a faded driver condition at a fair price.



Anyways, this led me to think of something I don't really know much about. The only two classics I have ever fooled with were back at the bodyshop I used to work at, the bumpers were both chrome (is this how all bumpers were factory for the mid 60 early 70 period classic cars?) while some of the trim was raw aluminum.



What are the differences between chrome polishes and metal polishes? May they be used interchangeably? Just from thinking about it, it would seem that chrome polishers are just a light cleaning agent where metal has stronger abrasives to remove the oxidation? Am I on the right track with this line of thought? I would imagine you could use chrome polish on aluminum wheels but not metal polish on chrome since it is a plating.



Can chrome be brought back to life through polishing if it is in bad shape? I have seen what wet sanding and polishing can do to aluminum. I have show polished my tensioner and water pump on my Camaro, these techniques can't be applied to chrome right?
 
[Can chrome be brought back to life through polishing if it is in bad shape? I have seen what wet sanding and polishing can do to aluminum. I have show polished my tensioner and water pump on my Camaro, these techniques can't be applied to chrome right?





A chrome finish can be ‘polished’ by hand or with soft cotton mushrooms (Eastwoods) on a drill , however it’s too thin to withstand wet-sanding techniques



Chrome Finish



Prior to the application of chrome in the 1920s, nickel electroplating was used. In the US for the short production run prior to the entry into the Second World War, Chromium plating, often referred to simply as chrome, is a technique of electroplating a thin layer of chromium onto a metal. The most expensive and durable process involved plating the steel first with copper, and then nickel, before the chromium plating was applied.



It’s designed to be aesthetically pleasing and durable. Thicknesses is approx 0.254 µ (micron) 0.010 mil. The chromium plating is usually applied over bright nickel plating. Typical base materials include steel, aluminum, plastic, copper alloys, and zinc alloys



It is extremely soft finish and once you get a chip in the finish, water, salt corrosion etc can easily get under the chrome plating causing it to fail.

Damage control with chrome surfaces consists of the application of surface protection, thereby preventing contaminants compromising the finish. The chrome plating is very thin and this is one of the short coming with most modern chromed surface.



1. Clean surface with P21S Total Auto Wash

2. Remove any road tar (bitumen) using Optimum Power Clean â„¢

3. Use P21S® Polishing Soap – formulated with polishing clay and soap flakes, a mild wheel cleaner that's pH balanced making it simple, gentle, and effective. Its primary function is to return metal to its stock finish. It will remove a lot of the tarnish from their finish, along with any other contaminants. It can also be used on lightly tarnished aluminium, exhaust tips, or any other tarnished metals.

4. P21S® Finish Restorer - this product is primarily a polish, used for metals to refine their finish as opposed to a cleaning product to remove contaminants from metal finishes. These two products can be used together, first using the polishing soap and then the finish restorer. Finish restorer can be used on its own on metal that is only lightly tarnished.

5. Finish with a water-soluble polish (Happich Semichrome Polish, ECP Showman Polish or Autosol)

6. Apply surface protection (Optimum Polymer Technologies Opti-Sealâ„¢)





Note; Do not use any kind of acid on compromised finishes i.e., pealing or chipped chrome plating
 
NotQuiteAPro said:
S

What are the differences between chrome polishes and metal polishes? May they be used interchangeably? Just from thinking about it, it would seem that chrome polishers are just a light cleaning agent where metal has stronger abrasives to remove the oxidation? Am I on the right track with this line of thought? I would imagine you could use chrome polish on aluminum wheels but not metal polish on chrome since it is a plating.



Can chrome be brought back to life through polishing if it is in bad shape? I have seen what wet sanding and polishing can do to aluminum. I have show polished my tensioner and water pump on my Camaro, these techniques can't be applied to chrome right?
Click to expand...



Chrome is very thin and cannot withstand heavy polishing so be very careful. I would just concentrate on "cleaning it up" and using a light metal polish to bring out a nice shine.



Alloy on the other hand can be worked with alot more and yes it can be sanded, compounded and polished.



You'll know which is which by doing a test spot with a light polish. If the towel turns black then it's alloy.
 
On those old trim pieces, which I restore quite of few of each year, it is usually required that some sanding take place first, starting with 220 or 32o, then go to 800 or a 1000, then you can get to the polishing part.

I use stick rouges (black for stainless, tripolai for aluminum) for the main part using a stand mounted buffer with two wheels, one for cutting, one wheel for polishing.

I then follow up with a hand held air polisher and either a jewelers roughe or Mothers Power Metal Polish.

Grumpy
 
Yeah Ron I used a some almost exactly like what your referring to when I did the show polishing on the engine pieces I mentioned. Bench polisher with the compoud sticks works great for getting an even finish quickly. I did have to a lot of detail polishing and sanding with the Dremel on the water pump. Talk about time consuming.



I also found that for a OTC metal polish the Meguires motorcycle metal polish is really nice.



So basically anything used for fine swirl removing can be used on chrome since they have minor abrasives?
 
Ron in regards to metal polishing have you ever used step up wheels? How would you rate that as far as quality and time saved versus traditional sandpaper techniques?



If it saves significant time and effort I would considered buying a separate bench just for a 220 and 320 step up wheels.
 
NotQuiteAPro said:
Ron in regards to metal polishing have you ever used step up wheels? How would you rate that as far as quality and time saved versus traditional sandpaper techniques?



If it saves significant time and effort I would considered buying a separate bench just for a 220 and 320 step up wheels.
Click to expand...



If you looked at my gallery the buffer has two different English Custom Polishing wheels. One is agressive, the other is polishing.

I have found that for me, just do the sanding, at least the 220 or 320, on the trim I have been doing.

:dig
 
Ron those pleated wheels looks nice, I have never used anything like that. If it truly runs cooler that would be great I sometimes run into burnishing problem when polishing on oddly shaped objects when in tight corners. Thanks for pointing me to that site. I may also pick up the showman's polish to give it a try, those pictures on the site are extremely impressive. Gives me something to shoot for when I strip the wheels on my Camaro.
 
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