Cuda Metal Trim Restoration/Polishing Question

I have a really good used set of tail panel trim for my 70 Cuda that I'd like to have restored/polished. I'd also like to restore some of the other trim pieces on my car.

I’m looking for some recommendations for who I can use for trim restoration? Does anyone have any recommendations and experiences they can share? I’ve seen many cars with the trim restored to an extremely high shine, and it almost looks like chrome. I’d like to try to find someone who can retain the original sheen level, if possible.

Thanks everyone!

Because 90% of the people on this board refer to every shiny part on a car as "CHROME", you are behind the eight ball from the get go. Those pieces you are referring to are stainless steel. And yes, if it is polished to a very high degree, it does look like it has been chrome plated! Unfortunately the best guy to do this, is no longer in business. www.alltrim.com Although his site is still up.

I made these videos to help anyone that wants to polish stainless trim themselves. You can make stainless look like chrome or stop at any point you are happy with the look. The end of video 3 shows the before and after.

Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTxR8LB9iek

Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc1iY08HU7w

Part 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWy9awGv6so


I do not do polishing work for others, but thought I would share in case you want to know how it's done. What I show in the videos is the way I do it. There are others ways to polish stainless too. I just enjoying sharing and helping others.

If you ain't got anybody close, try here...


Mcnichols Polishing & Anodizing Inc
12139 Woodbine
Redford, MI 48239-2417
(313) 538-3470
www.mcnicholsanodizing.com

Prepare to mortgage the house !

Thanks everyone.
Cody, I'll take a look at those videos and see if it's something I can do. I would rather leave it to a professional, however. There are a couple small imperfections that I'd like someone with more experience to address.

Does anyone else have a stainless trim buffing company they've used with good results?

Stainless is much more easier to tackle at home for the beginner than aluminum.

Yep, that process looks very familiar Cody. If you do enough cars, you learn to do much of that type of work in house because of the cost and needing the part NOW. I'm looking at a small mountain of stainless trim I will be starting very shortly for the pink tuna boat we are finishing up.

Excellent video's Cody, nice work. Unless you do enough stainless trim restoration, you really don't have a clue the time it takes to do that good of a job. I did all the stainless on a 68 Charger only because the owner was a REALLY GOOD friend of mine.

A lot of platers will do the stainless and aluminum as well, and at least my guy isn't bad. After watching Cody's videos however, I think I will have to give it a shot myself!!!!

Well here's my 2 cents (from my personal experience)

If you do it yourself, invest in a BIG, quality Baldor buffer and the big wheels and the compound kit (TP Tools have a great package deal). Small, cheap Harbour Freight buffers and wheels just aren't up to the task.

Don't expect great results in a short timeframe. After you hit the first piece you're going to see a million scratches you didn't notice before. Each one has to be SANDED out with multiple grits before its ready to be buffed.

Dents are a whole other issue.

In the end you will have either:
a) spent half your life buffing the stuff
or
b) wish you'd left well enough alone

Regardless, you'll have spent a bundle on tools and you will have a clear understanding why the guys who do it charge so much.

I've done fine with a larger model Harbor Freight.

Those big floor mounted 3 phase pro buffers are great. Results are much faster. I've used one to do a bunch of stuff. Scary though. No thanks, I like all my fingers still attached to my hands.

x2 I have a good friend who had a bad incident with a buffing wheel. A piece he was buffing kicked out of his hands and hit him right in the face. It almost amputated his nose. Thanks to a great plastic surgeon you cannot even see the damage now. He was very fortunate it wasn't worse. Gloves a face shield and a heavy or leather jacket would be some good items to wear if trying this at home.

Now matter how careful you are you will have some pieces take off on you. You'll be very lucky if they don't turn into pretzels in the process!

I wore welding gloves and a heavy jacket and goggles - still had some scary moments! A face shield is highly recommended ... and a dust mask wouldn't hurt but kept fogging up my glasses!!

Keep in mind that the factory finish on these pieces was "as stamped" from polished stainless so getting a mirror finish is actually over-restoring it.

Also, avoid too much pressure in one spot - if you heat it up it will change color (slightly) but that is irreversible.

Discolor or even burn through the piece. A friend of mine got a kit from Eastwood and tried it. He ended up burning right through the piece after it started to blue and then he said it acted like a welder and burned right through the spot.

Find a pro...


McNichol's did my stainless...

Came out real nice...

Very well said, in my experience this is exactly right. I'll do small pieces myself, but am just fine paying someone else to do the rest

Either your friend is a complete idiot who should not be allowed near power tools or this is total bullsh!t.

I think its the latter ... there's no way a buffer will burn through a piece of stainless ... the buffer would catch fire long before that happens.

he was using one of the expanding wheel sanding belts with a 400 grit. Pretty much part of the process of restoring stainless to get the part flat again. And yes, it was his first time doing it. Since then, he no longer does it and sold his stuff off to someone.

Also, are you saying that a buffing wheel can not generate enough heat to discolor a piece of stainless or other metal?

discolor - absolutely. set fire to stainless - no way

I purchased a large HF buffer/stand ( looks just like the Baldor for 1/3 the price) ordered some buffing wheels and different buffing compound sticks, and did my entire car..

It took a lot of time and had some "zingers" but eventually learned what to and what not to do in a short time. Lots of good advice on this site. Not perfect but pretty darn nice...

I never said "set fire". I do know that he burned through the stainless as he had that bluing color to the stainless and the metal got paper thin which ended up leaving a small "weld-like" hole in the trim. I can see if he still has the piece and snap a pic of the result.

I could see one of those "expanding wheels" be somewhat dangerous for a novice to be using.

Same as a novice using a rotary buffer on a paint job ( DAMHIK) LOL

I've done a good bit of this in my day both on my own ride and on a very select professional basis. I have to say yours is the best response I've ever seen Stanton. It's not unusual for commercial polishers to charge by the inch.

For those wanting to try their own hand, I'd recommend reading The Buff Book on the CaswellPlating.com website. It's a good primer for beginners and will give you a good introduction on various buffs, compounds and how to get the most out of your tools.

Don't polish inside your garage, not only make a filthy mess but flying parts will do a lot of damage.

I place a very large piece of cardboard in my driveway to sit the buffer on. Prevents buffer from scooting about and when done for the day, easy to dispose of debris generated by buffer and polish fluff.

Spend the money to buy a great buffer and stand. Will be one of the best tools you ever bought and will save you hours of grief and effort. I do very well with a 3/4 hp Baldor and heavy cast iron stand.

I spent some 250 hours doing every inch(there is a lot of them on this car) of stainless on our 300 B. Much of which was spent learning. I was re-doing what I had paid a professional to do and had never been satisfied with quality.

Now am often axed, who did your stainless and would you do mine. No way,,,it's a labor of love,,,never would wish to do it for a living.

Wear heavy clothing with no loose ends that might tangle in the wheel, heavy leather gloves, apron, full face shield, and very important, good ear protection. I use noise cancelling Bluetooth earphones so can listen to radio/music while protecting ears.

Just as with auto body work,, the time preparing the surface with coolly labor is just as if not more important than than the final painting or polishing to achieve superior results

Read some books or watch some UTubes. It's a skill that you will use a lifetime and likely save you thousands of dollars.

"axed" ... I've often heard that word used by people of African American descent but I've never actually seen it used in a sentence until now !

The current issue of Mopar Action has an article by Richard Ehrenberg on restoring stainless trim. I'm no expert so can't/won't comment on its value.

Please note what I give as my place of residence. Standard King's English is an anathema in our diverse society. If you can pronounce it, it works.