Stainless Restoration - Classic Stainless

[Tracy C.]

Re: Stainless Restoration - Classic Stainless

Steve,

Even chrome plated mild steel will eventually rust so the choice of stainless for trim is logical. Furthermore, because heavier items such as bumpers, and pot metal door handles, mirrors, etc. are chrome plated, the thin stainless trim was also flashed chromed so it would match-up years down the road.

Buffed stainless will eventually oxidize and take on a brownish yellow tint. Even freshly buffed stainless has a grayish tint that is noticable when put beside a chromed part. This is especially true on an overcast day.

I can't speak for your 59, but every piece of stainless brightwork on my 63 had to first be stripped of flash chrome before I could sucessfully buff it.

tc

[Mike G.]

HF Buffer

The 10" HF buffer will bog down if you really lean on it.

That said, it will still do the job --at a fraction of the Baldour's cost.
My convertible's windshield moldings came out very decent using a HF $60 buffer.

A word of caution to the novice: if you're not extremely careful, the wheel will grab your precious part and try to destroy it. It only takes an instant. The lower windshield reveal molding is a prime candidate for mangling.

A much safer approach on the delicate pieces is to wet sand them up to 1000 grit and then use a small buff on a drill motor or die grinder. Somewhere on YouTube is a demo of this method by either AutoEntec or Glassworks. Takes longer, but hey -it's a labor of love!

[Tracy C.]

Re: Stainless Restoration - Classic Stainless

Agree....and it's kind of addicting.

Don't try it though without wearing safety glasses and especially leather gloves. They will help you deal with the heat buildup in the part and preventing cuts when (not if) the wheel grabs the part from your hands and gives it ride across your workbench.

tc

[Anthony P.]

Re: Stainless Restoration - Classic Stainless

I would also add a face shield (still with your safety glasses on), and a dust mask as well.

Tony

[John H.]

Re: Stainless Restoration - Classic Stainless

They didn't plate any of the exterior moldings.
Stephen Barrett (21558) 59,66,71,73

Steve -

ALL of the stamped stainless trim on Corvettes was flash-chromed; most passenger car stainless trim was too.

[Stephen B.]

Re: Stainless Restoration - Classic Stainless

John
I'm always learning, so tell me what is the source of this info. Did you work for a supplier or possible for GM? Did you read this in a referance book? I've buffed the stainless on a 66 and 59 and other than internal hardtop trim on the 59 I've never experianced flash crome. Now I have encountered anadized aluminum on later chevys.Enlighten me. Would highly buffed stainless judge differantly from flash cromed stainless?
Stephen Barrett (21558) 59,66,71,73

[Gene M.]

Re: Stainless Restoration - Classic Stainless

John
I'm always learning, so tell me what is the source of this info. Did you work for a supplier or possible for GM? Did you read this in a referance book? I've buffed the stainless on a 66 and 59 and other than internal hardtop trim on the 59 I've never experianced flash crome. Now I have encountered anadized aluminum on later chevys.Enlighten me. Would highly buffed stainless judge differantly from flash cromed stainless?
Stephen Barrett (21558) 59,66,71,73

I'm currently polishing the stainless trim on a 67 hard top. Just did the 5 pieces that go around the back outside below the window. I also did not encounter any chrome. The stainless polished up real nice, no evidence of breaking thru any chrome. One could notice the difference as chrome is brighter than stainless.

Now the inside trim on my Nomad had chrome over the stainless and it buffed thru easy. I had to remove all of it to get the pieces uniform.

[John H.]

Re: Stainless Restoration - Classic Stainless

Would highly buffed stainless judge differantly from flash cromed stainless?
Stephen Barrett (21558) 59,66,71,73

Steve -

The difference is the icy-blue appearance of flash-chromed polished stainless; it's only apparent when you put two pieces (one flash-chromed, one not) adjacent or side-by-side. The piece without the flash-chrome (which is clear) will appear slightly yellowish relative to the icy-blue appearance of the flash-chromed piece. The chrome flash protects the bare stainless from oxidation.

[Stephen B.]

Re: Stainless Restoration - Classic Stainless

John
I can not debate that my 59 hardtop trim is flash chromed,it is. What I can respectfully disagree with is that all Corvette stainless is flash chromed,it isn't. I and others have experienced examples of both.I would therefore respectfully repeat myself from a previous thread.Were you ever connected with GM or its vendors in this regard? Do you have any official documents from GM or its vendors on this topic that would confirm your opinion?Simply because you or I have experience this practice does not make it universal on all Corvettes of the period.
Like so many practices, procedures and vendors that came and went there were dates connected with an issue of this nature.In the interest of accuracy I can't just throw a blank over it and say they were all treated the same. I look forward to discovery on this issue.I'm also tired of debating oil and cams.
Stephen Barrett (21558) 59,66,71,73

[Brad H.]

Re: Stainless Restoration - Classic Stainless

Larry,
I can add just a recommendation for Dave at Classic Stainless. I have had fantastic results with him. He is very reasonable and careful. I would use him every time I had the need. If you decide to just polish the stainless, Dave is the man to do it. He has done every piece on my 69 and every part is flawless, even some heavily scratched and damaged parts came out perfectly!
Brad

[John H.]

Re: Stainless Restoration - Classic Stainless

John
I can not debate that my 59 hardtop trim is flash chromed,it is. What I can respectfully disagree with is that all Corvette stainless is flash chromed,it isn't. I and others have experienced examples of both.I would therefore respectfully repeat myself from a previous thread.Were you ever connected with GM or its vendors in this regard? Do you have any official documents from GM or its vendors on this topic that would confirm your opinion?Simply because you or I have experience this practice does not make it universal on all Corvettes of the period.
Like so many practices, procedures and vendors that came and went there were dates connected with an issue of this nature.In the interest of accuracy I can't just throw a blank over it and say they were all treated the same. I look forward to discovery on this issue.I'm also tired of debating oil and cams.
Stephen Barrett (21558) 59,66,71,73

Steve -

Here's a clip from Tracy Crisler's post this afternoon in the other current stainless thread ("Stainless Cleaning & Buffing"):

<< Today, 04:55 PM
Tracy Crisler (40411)
Extremely Frequent Poster
Join Date: August 1st, 2003
Posts: 2,030


Re: Stainless cleaning/buffing
John, I don't have any GM drawings or processing documents, but when i was doing this for money, everything I did had flash chrome that I needed to remove first. The thing about flash or smack chrome we need to remember is that it is only about .0001 to .0003 thick. (one - three tenthousandths of an inch) It is easy to overlook something that thin.

I tried to get the 63/4 judging manual updated to address it when we did the 5th revison, but the presence of the chrome can be difficult to positively detect on a newly restored/buffed piece of trim if no other chromed pieces are adjacent to it.

I only bring the topic up when someone is having trouble buffing a piece or when I think a person might have a goal of keeping the trim looking nice over the long haul.

A person with a short term goal to restore and flip a car or part will likely skip the flash chrome step all together.

tc

>>

I don't have the drawings handy, but the finish on Chevrolet polished stainless trim has always been specified to be "Chrome Plate per GM XXXX-M" (don't recall the number offhand), which was essentially a quick dip in (clear) chrome which deposited only a few ten-thousandths of an inch of chrome. Fisher Body used the same spec description on their exterior stainless trim drawings (like windshield and backlite reveal moldings, body side moldings, etc.).

A lot of these pieces have been washed, polished, buffed, and otherwise treated (on or off the car) over the 40-50 years since it was made, and not all of the chrome coating has remained, but it was there when the trim was new, and whatever remains must be removed to successfully polish the underlying stainless.