The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Polishing Stainless Trim

I Have been trying to get my hood strips on my 46 clean and polished. I was watching American Restoration on HGTV and Rick had a segment on removing rust pimples from chrome using aluminum foil. So I tried my same metal polish with the aluminum foil and it took off the years of grime. Then repeated with a rag and they shine like new. Now time to paint the red stripe in the middle .

Interesting! I've got that task on the list too. How is the foil used? Instead of the microfiber towel with polish?

Yes just like cloth. Bunch it up and rub.

That's an old trick that I was taught by the porters to clean up
rusty bumpers on the used car trade-in's when I first started
working at Phil O'Keefe Chevrolet back in the late 50's.

Here are a couple of original chrome plated hub caps for a '50,
3600 that were badly pitted and rust stained when I got the
truck back in '05. The reproduction hubcaps won't clear the
free floating hubs on the rear so I had to use the original
ones. These four pictures was taken just this morning. I hadn't
cleaned them for quite a while, years in fact, and you can see
the pits are quite pronounced. A quick rub with a wade of foil
and from a couple of feet away the rust pits almost disappear,
They will look even better after a wax is applied:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/154683852
Click 'next' in the upper right corner to see each one.

I think what happens is the aluminum is much softer than the
chrome so it won't scratch it but it is abrasive to the stains.
I also think it leaves a little of the aluminum in the pits
that helps to hide them.

What brand metal polish is recommended?
Harold

For chrome or for stainless steel?

Happich Simichrome Polish
Autosol Metal Polish
Bar Keepers Friend

Not trying to steal your thread GW just throwing out my opinions
to the discussion. Any of the commercial chrome cleaners would
work just fine for cleaning chrome. I use Borden's No.7 Chrome
Polish, which I got at Farm & Fleet and I've literally had it
for decades and have no idea if they still make it:
http://www.pbase.com/dennygraham/image/154684224/large
I'm sure Gene has his favorite also as most everyone here does.
What ever you do, don't use a Scotch Bright pad on any
chrome plated part unless you're planning on painting
it afterword's.

DG

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Just bought a used pickup with rusty nerf bars--1/4" to 1/2" rust circles raised above the circles. My metal polish was doing nothing. However, Wenol and aluminum foil erased most of the rust and significantly improved the appearance. It's always great signing onto the 'Bolt.

I can't take credit for this one - good old TV Ricks Restoration. What I am using is Blue Magic Metal Polish Cream. It works on all sorts of stuff. The reality is you can always sand down to 2000 grit and with enough different abrasives you can bring it to a mirror shine assuming you have enough metal. Just thought I'd share as it was new to me.

Hey Denny, who's that distorted looking fellow trapped inside that there hubcap?
Carl

Different Subject Denny. What do you do with the center hubs of wheels. Do you assemble the hubs to the rims? like with rivets or weld them?

He's the distorted one that's connected to the distorted one that's addicted to this here web page.

That's a project in the works Gene. I've just got the centers
punched out, haven't yet been able to find rims with a 14.25"
ID to put them in. If I could find a 16" or 17" ID rim blank
that would accept them I would plug weld the centers to them.
All of the vendors that are making rims cut the flanges off and
weld the centers to the rim from the back side only. Not my
favorite way of installing them. Posted a bunch on that subject
in another thread.

Denny G

Gene, can you post some pictures of your results please?

I am painting the red stripe Saturday and after that sure.

I have my stainless Hood Strips in photo bucket. The other new photo's are for a roller system I made for the door windows and track. I had used cintered brass bushings and they broke so I had some new rollers made from hard brass. Once I got the regulator springs fixed the windows operate great and stay up.

Thanks, the stainless looks awesome!