Chrome Window Trim
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
not really. the chrome trim you refer to, was in the 60's and 70's. which was chrome plated steel. Like I said Chrome will not stick to aluminum. period. it must first be plated in Zinc first for it to adhere correctly. So, therefore, it's not cost effective.
well. just warning you, if you chrome your aluminum, you may not be happy with the results. and you can't undo it. Rarely does it come out nice. that's even if you can find someone who is willing to do it, but you seem obsessed with the idea, so...good luck...
Oh and just a suggestion. If you are gonna go with the SEC look grill, bag the hood star. Be prepared, people WILL hack on you for it.
Oh and just a suggestion. If you are gonna go with the SEC look grill, bag the hood star. Be prepared, people WILL hack on you for it.
Sorry, 123, what is a "mirrow?"123CLOCK said:
The trim on our cars is anodized aluminum. There are many posts on this subject on this forum. It is impossible to refinish these trim pieces on the car - if you want it to look new, you need to buy new trim parts. Re-anodizing is possible, but costs more than the parts. Polishing the aluminum lasts about 2 days before it starts oxidizing again. Aluminum is just a natural for oxidization… try cutting up a few pieces of aluminum foil and touching a lighted match to them… POOF!
Anyway, the trim pieces are, IMO, not too bad on price these days… compared to twice-weekly polishing…
Dave
Well. don't say it's impossible until I get done with mine. Especially since noone has actually tried this product on this forum. I got a good feeling about this. For those who don't bother actually reading about the product, here's a rundown.
step 1. strip the anodizing off with the stripper included in the kit.
Step 2 sand it with 2000 grit sandpaper included with the kit.
step 3, refinish the aluminum with the included finisher. It appears to be much like Zoop.
I'll let ya know what I come up with. Trust me if it works, or doesn't work out, I'll let ya know either way, and we can put this subject to rest. I promise, I will be objective. You know me, if it doesn't come out fabulous, it won't be good enough for me. so...stay tuned...
step 1. strip the anodizing off with the stripper included in the kit.
Step 2 sand it with 2000 grit sandpaper included with the kit.
step 3, refinish the aluminum with the included finisher. It appears to be much like Zoop.
I'll let ya know what I come up with. Trust me if it works, or doesn't work out, I'll let ya know either way, and we can put this subject to rest. I promise, I will be objective. You know me, if it doesn't come out fabulous, it won't be good enough for me. so...stay tuned...
1982 380SE AMG euro(parted out),1983 300SD "Good Girl", 1984 500SEL AMG euro "Bad Girl"
Joined
·
3,250 Posts
Hey DarkOne. I tried the Mother's billet polish and it did remove a lot of the clouds on the bright work but it was a sheot load of work. I'd say one window per weekend unless your wanting to go insane and make your thumb fall of from rubbing. Have you found that it doesn't last after you've polished it?
How much is this kit? In my anodized trim thread I used $0.99 Walmart oven cleaner to strip the AlO2 and 2000 grit paper from tap plastic as a final sanding. I started with 400 grit on the stripped pieces and removed all prior scratches, worked my way down to 2000, and then hit it with metal polish for a mirror shine. I even tried the mother's polish today on a piece I had previously sanded and got nice result but so have many other polishes. My next endevour here will be to home re-anodize the pieces to get a hard durable surface again and SEAL the damned things. My homegrown kit about $4.00
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/att...82-anodized-window-trim-restoration-trim7.jpg
How much is this kit? In my anodized trim thread I used $0.99 Walmart oven cleaner to strip the AlO2 and 2000 grit paper from tap plastic as a final sanding. I started with 400 grit on the stripped pieces and removed all prior scratches, worked my way down to 2000, and then hit it with metal polish for a mirror shine. I even tried the mother's polish today on a piece I had previously sanded and got nice result but so have many other polishes. My next endevour here will be to home re-anodize the pieces to get a hard durable surface again and SEAL the damned things. My homegrown kit about $4.00
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/att...82-anodized-window-trim-restoration-trim7.jpg
1982 380SE AMG euro(parted out),1983 300SD "Good Girl", 1984 500SEL AMG euro "Bad Girl"
Joined
·
3,250 Posts
Ok, I'd be up to $12.00. I've read good reports of Boeshield.
Boeshield T-9 Waterproof Lubricant & Rust Protection.
So how did the Mother's hold up?
Boeshield T-9 Waterproof Lubricant & Rust Protection.
So how did the Mother's hold up?
A coupe owner at our GTG this weekend mentioned he found a place that will polish and re-anodize for $5 a foot. Doesn't sound like too bad a price, if you consider your own time spent refinishing worth anything more that a labor of love. Of course his car (pearl black) has the trim painted to match a la AMG monochrome look.
Ok. after experimenting with the classic trim coat a little, the magic ingredient is definately the polymer top coat. It had the same feel as a newly anodized section of trim. I am willing to bet, that it's the magic ingredient in the rubber kit, the aluminum kit, the plastic kit, and the bumper kit.
I coated a bunch of stuff with it, rubber, plastic, aluminum, just a stripe or 2. and that stuff is awesome. It really brings out the black in the rubber part of the side mirrors and i bet it lasts a ton longer than "back to black" might be a thought for grills as well. anyways...
so basically it's this. wetsand with 2000 grit sandpaper cutting down the anodizing a bit until shiney. (In my case, I didn't have to cut too far, but I had a very old, very bad piece of trim in my garage I tried and even that turned out good.),
then use the "Special" cleaner, (which is alcohol), and coat with the polymer top coat.
The sections I did to test, came out pretty nice. However, putting on the polymer takes practice to get it right. if you screw up, that's where the stripper comes into play. If you make more than 2 passes with the foam applicator, it dries and streaks bad. if you do it right, it looks awesome.
So, I went to Home depot today and bought a polymer by minwax. 5 bucks. I will play with that tomorrow and let ya know if I get the same result. if that's the case, you can refinish your trim for less than 20 bucks, to make it appear brand new. I'll post pics tomorrow as I only had a chance to "play" with it. the real work starts tomorrow.
I coated a bunch of stuff with it, rubber, plastic, aluminum, just a stripe or 2. and that stuff is awesome. It really brings out the black in the rubber part of the side mirrors and i bet it lasts a ton longer than "back to black" might be a thought for grills as well. anyways...
so basically it's this. wetsand with 2000 grit sandpaper cutting down the anodizing a bit until shiney. (In my case, I didn't have to cut too far, but I had a very old, very bad piece of trim in my garage I tried and even that turned out good.),
then use the "Special" cleaner, (which is alcohol), and coat with the polymer top coat.
The sections I did to test, came out pretty nice. However, putting on the polymer takes practice to get it right. if you screw up, that's where the stripper comes into play. If you make more than 2 passes with the foam applicator, it dries and streaks bad. if you do it right, it looks awesome.
So, I went to Home depot today and bought a polymer by minwax. 5 bucks. I will play with that tomorrow and let ya know if I get the same result. if that's the case, you can refinish your trim for less than 20 bucks, to make it appear brand new. I'll post pics tomorrow as I only had a chance to "play" with it. the real work starts tomorrow.
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
