65 Coronet grill

I would like to restore the grill on my 65 Coronet. However I do not know what it looked like from the factory. It is strait but dull, and the paint on the headlight bezels is faded. Is there a way to restore this myself, or should I find a professional? If so, who do you recommend?
Thanks for the help

They're anodized aluminum.

The anodizing has to be stripped off, grille polished and straightened and then re-anodized. Anobrite or King of Trim can do this for you but it's spendy.

Personally, I did it the "backyard way" on my '63 330's grille and stripped the anodizing with Easy-Off (anything with Lye will strip anodizing), polished it and left it in bare aluminum.

How long will it retain it's luster? Dunno, but it's garage kept 99.9% of the time.

Keep in mind this is after hours of tedious straightening, wet sanding, polishing with Mothers and tedious masking and painting.

Thanks for the tips. I have a couple of old pieces that I think that I'll practice on. What did you use to polish it with? I wonder if a coat of clear lacquer over the top would be wise?

I BUFFED THE CRAP OUT OF MINE. HERES A PICTURE.5 years going strong

Nice job! Did you do the paint too?

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What did you use to polish it with?

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A white t-shirt with Mothers polish. I tried the powerball but it just glided over the top and really didn't get into the crevices like I needed so I hand polished it.