'66 GTO brightwork restoration
 

When it comes to ALL trim on the '66 except chrome... What's anodized, what's stainless? Any other material used? I'm talking rocker, beltline trim, drip rails and front and rear glass trim.
Anodized stuff generally need to be stripped?

1966 GTO
 

Beltline (top of doors, quarter and around back window) are Stainless on Convertible only.
Other beltline is anodized aluminum including post cars.
Drip rail is also anodized aluminum.

Trim around front and rear widows are stainless.
Rocker trim is stainless below doors and lower quarter.
Rocker trim on lower front fender is chrome.

What did I miss?

You gave me just the info I was looking for.
Thank you!

Anodized aluminum is pretty much impossible to polish unless the anodizing is removed. You may be able to find an anodizing shop in your area that can strip them; I did that once for the trim on my old Ford pickup, the results were good and it wasn't all that expensive. Otherwise there are some home brew methods for stripping the anodizing but I don't have experience with them, you'll have to do your own research. Sanding them is also an option, but that's very labor intensive and can produce less than desirable results.

Thanks Stuart, I have been watching videos on the process, just wasn't sure what was what on my car. I'm a do-it-yourselfer so I definitely plan to give it a shot. Looked at a cheap benchtop buffer at HF this morning. It might be good enough to get me through one car at least... but I'll be sure to get the extended warranty!

You can strip the anodize with oven cleaner and wrap in plastic. Then sand working down to 600 or 800. Fix Ann dents along the way. Then learn to polish with the right wheels and compounds. You will end up with trim that is very nice. Takes time and patience but worth it.

Thanks, I'm very fortunate that all of the anodized stuff is pretty straight, just very chalky. Window trim is pretty nice for a driver. The rocker trim will need some straightening.

It would be nice to see someone detail a restoration of trim so others can copy.
I have a 67 Sport Coupe that could benefit from that
Jeff sort of teased us with pics of his 66 done,but not much info on process.

I polished the stainless on my '68 but it was in pretty good shape beforehand. It still looks great 10 years later.
This '66 will be more involved because it's pretty weathered. The good thing is that not much of it is dented or gouged. There are some decent videos and articles out there. I have a document somewhere with instructions as well. I'll link anything I can here.
Probably be a long while, I'm just getting into the disassembly of the car. Plan to refurbish/replace things during reassembly. Just planning ahead

Not mentioned is the grill trim is that is anodized, and the wheel arch trim is stainless. Deck lid trim is stainless, but outer trunk trim is chrome. Taillight louvers are stainless.

I refurbished all the trim on my '66 post coupe, but I ended up stripping the anodizing off and then polishing it rather than re-anodizing. Below are some photos I took showing the stripping and polishing process at various stages using a spare piece of trim I had laying around. Stripping the anodizing off is very easy using the heavy duty Easy-Off oven cleaner in the yellow can. The "fume free" stuff in the blue can does not work.

And I will say, polishing the window trim for the post coupes is not original, but it does look nice. If I ever want to have anodizing done, it wouldn't be too hard to do.

https://i.imgur.com/0jZEz80h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/IykjwuJh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Lv8CEUPh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/e4JTfHzh.jpg

If anyone here has questions about refurbishing anodized aluminum or stainless trim for the '66-67 post coupe, let me know. I've done it all on my car. One thing I will recommend right out of the gate is to buy a Harbor Freight 6-inch buffer and universal stand to polish the trim. If you attempt to polish by hand, you will die of old age before finishing the trim. As with any power tool that spins fast, proceed with caution, wear gloves and eye protection (I wear a face shield), and be careful to not send a piece of trim flying.

Correct Easy-Off for stripping anodizing: https://www.homedepot.com/p/EASY-OFF...5720/312609564

Buffer: https://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-b...uffer+polisher

Stand: https://www.harborfreight.com/univer..._psugg_q=stand

Funny, I practically put the 8" benchtop buffer in my buggy a couple of weeks ago when they offered 10% storewide discounts. I decided that I didn't need it at that very moment so I deferred purchasing. I've barely even started disassembly of my car. Nice to know that even the 6" one will suffice.
By the way, I never entertained the idea of re-anodizing mine.

The 8-inch buffer didn't even exist when I bought the 6-inch. Looks pretty nice.

Power-wise, the 6-inch has all the power you need for polishing trim and is very smooth and quiet. One advantage of the 8" unit is that the shafts are extended considerably further outward, which will give you more flexibility with positioning the piece you're working on. That said, if you aren't doing this kind of work professionally, I don't think the extra convenience is worth nearly double the price though. I found the 6-inch version plenty adequate.

Did you do the stainless as well? Rocker trim, wheel opening, reveal? I was wondering if the extended shafts would help there?

Get the 8 inch. I've been using a 6 for years and hoping it will die soon so I have a legitimate excuse to buy the 8. Double or triple up the wheels to make it wider too, rockers go a lot quicker when you do. The rockers always take the longest due to widith and they're almost always chipped and scratched up. Once you start to double or triple the wheels is when the 6 inch shows its weakness.

Great tip. Never would have thought to stack width. Thank you.