C1: S/S New or polish ?

[Rob M.]

Hi all,

I've notice that some of the stainless steel can be rebought at reasonable prices (e.g. dash cap, middle compartment and window moldings). My old (and I think still original) stuff has a zillion small scratches (not very deep though) but I want it to be shiny and new looking. Is it worthwhile to get it polished (I rather not do it myself) or should I just get the new stuff in ? I've no idea of the quality of the new stuff or the costs involved of getting it polished.

Suggestions ?

greetings,
Rob.




The C1 '59 Restoration Project

[Wayne P.]

Re: C1: S/S New or polish ?

Replace or polish about the same price. Get your original polished.

[Terry D.]

Re: C1: S/S New or polish ?

Won't take you long to pay for a new buffer if you do the work yourself. Not that difficult of a job, just takes time and pratice.
Terry

[Dave Suesz]

Careful buffing can turn trash to treasure...

I have resurrected many an old piece of trim, ususally because some idiot hit it with a DA sander during a cheap repaint. Fine wet-paper sanding followed by good buffing can produce better-than-new trim.

[Roy B.]

Re: C1: S/S New or polish ?

S/S having holes can be repaired to look as tho it never had any CHEEP to buy
NOS S/S still needs polishing ,so have your's polished.

[Mike M.]

Re: C1: S/S New or polish ?

www.eastwoodcompany.com sells baldor bufers. best thinjg since canned beer. once you have one, you'll swear by it.ike

[Clare Carpenter]

After polishing, what about the flash chrome?

Wasn't flash chroming used on all SS trim? I know it was on the hubcaps. Since polishing would remove the flash chroming, wouldn't getting the best job require new flash chrome?

My spears have corrosion on the mounting piece under the SS. One piece is badly corroded and actually had a small hole. I treated with Ospho, a phosphoric acid rust converter, it did a good job on what it could reach but the side against the SS couldn't be reached so I'm sure it still has some rust. I'd like to remove and properly clean and repair but am afraid to damage the stainless which is in very good shape. Has anyone else encountered this problem? Do you have any suggestions for repair or refferals to someone dependable who can?

[John M.]

Re: After polishing, what about the flash chrome?

Clare,
You are correct that all the trim was flash chromed, but almost nobody puts the chrome back on after restoring the trim, and I do not know of anyone getting a deduct at judging for it. It is a pretty subtle difference, and the lighting at a venue can really change the look. Wheelcovers are the exception since they are such a large area of stainless, and can be spotted from several feet away. Also, anywhere that chrome abuts the sainless will be noticable such as at the windshield post or door post.
The fender top spears can be disassembled if you have patience. The backing plate can be slid out of the stainless and be re-plated and have new studs spot welded on. If you notice, the windsplit moulding is tapered from the front to back and it does not have to slide out far before it just falls out. I usually just start out uncrimping the front a little to allow the backing to slide out, and then tap the small end of the backing plate with a punch to start driving it out. The key here is not to let the punch ding up the stainless which is real close at this end. If you put the large end against something solid (I usually just clamp a block of wood to the bench top), the plate will drive right out. Once the plate is driven out flush with the large end, I clamp a pair of needle-nosed vise grips on it and drive on the visegrips with a mallet while a helper hold the the trim.
If you wish to return the flash chrome to the stainless trim, try Rick Applegate at Areba services. He advertizes in the Driveline and has done flash chrome for me in the past and does a nice job.

Regards, John McGraw

[Clare Carpenter]

Re: After polishing, what about the flash chrome?

Thanks for the technique John. I'll give it a try. I wasn't sure about how much to try and uncrimp. A old screwdriver notched on the end should prevent slipping like with a punch. Should the polishing be done before removing the plate? I would think plating would need to be done with the backing plate off?

[John M.]

Re: After polishing, what about the flash chrome?

Clare,
Yes, I polish them with the backing plate installed and bolted to a piece of steel strap about 2" wide. This will avoid wadding the trim up when it goes over center! I will remove the plate, ping out the dents, reinstall the plate and mount it to the strap and buff it. You can buff these mouldings without attaching them to a a strap, but there is nothing that pisses you off worse than investing an hour or so on a moulding and then having it slip off the wheel and folding it in half! I have done this several times and will spend a substantial ammount of time straightening it back out. The trim will have to be plated off the backing if you elect to do so. Also, If you have plans to flash chrome the trim, you should stip all the old plating off the moulding with a muriatic acid bath prior to buffing the trim. Chrome plating will not bond to old chrome plating, so it is imperative that you remove all traces of previous plating.

Regards, John McGraw