[fiesta62]

hi, ok sounds like a basic question but i dont want to mess it up, the lower moldings look fine from a few feet away, i usually just wax them and all good, but i have them off car now and up close i can see lots of scratches, i heard somewhere these moldings have some kind of coating on them , so is it safe to get into them with some buffing compound or will i end up taking off this possible coating and then they will just tarnish and loose there shine very quickly? its hard to tell but mine look like they have light sanding scratches under a possible clear coat but its tough to tell really, any thoughts on best way to get them shiny and scratch free ? thanks

[Old Goat 67]

Stainless steel. Sand & Buff, better strap them to a board or that buffer will have you buying new unbent ones.

[BlueGTO]

If you are talking about the ones that run along the top of the door mine were anodized aluminum. Use the toxic EZoff oven cleaner or Red Devil Lye to remove the anodizing then you can buff and polish like any other part made of aluminum. The one that runs along the bottom of the car are stainless with no coating.

[fiesta62]

no not the ones on the top of door , i mean the lower sill molding it runs from the front wheel to rear wheel the longest mold on the car, i think its stainless but not sure

[Old Goat 67]

I just said it was.

[gotyorgoat]

If you just want to shine them up real good and leave them on the car, Autosol by Eastwood is pretty impressive. It makes a HUGE difference, but it doesn't take out scratches. Sanding and buffing takes alot of work, especially for such big moldings.

[gotyorgoat]

It made these old sills look much better with almost no effort.

[fiesta62]

Originally Posted by Old Goat 67

I just said it was.

yes i know, but i have heard different things like its aluminium, i figured it is stainless, just checking,

[fiesta62]

Originally Posted by gotyorgoat

If you just want to shine them up real good and leave them on the car, Autosol by Eastwood is pretty impressive. It makes a HUGE difference, but it doesn't take out scratches. Sanding and buffing takes alot of work, especially for such big moldings.

i have used autosol many times it great but moldings are off and i want them looking new so i think sanding down to a 2000 grade paper then some buffing will be the go, i assume many have gone down this path before me, so just checking this is the best method

[fiesta62]

well i can tell u this much on methods, i have mine off, i just sanded the inside face just to test if method would work, i polished it by hand and it looked pretty good, i then sanded it with 2000 grade paper, i then polished again by hand with autosol and its shiny but i can still see the scratches from the 2000 grade paper, i hoped the scratches would come out by hand with autosol but no chance, so i figure it has to be done with a electric buff and some different kind of compound like the white or green coloured block stuff

[400 4spd.]

Pictured above (post #7) are what we call sill "moldings", sill "plates", sill "trim", etc.
Those are made of aluminum.
What you are describing is rocker molding. It covers the outside of the rocker panel and goes from wheel opening to wheel opening, just as you said. It is made of stainless steel.
See post #2 from Old Goat (Charles) for proper polishing advise. There is no miracle wipe on-wipe off product that will restore the original luster.

Side note, I just had 16 pieces of stainless professionally done. The cost was $1800.

[fiesta62]

oh ok rocker moulding then, yep i hoped sanding and autosol might do it, but expected i really will need a electric buff and compounds, but no problem will be searching for products and will have the rocker molds glowing in no time....

[My442]

First, buffing with a high speed wheel takes skill, and can be dangerous to you and your parts.

Be extremely careful that the wheel does not grab the part. It will go flying at high velocity. And, trim parts are sharp. You can get a nasty cut as well.

Wear a face shield and heavy leather gloves.

I send my parts out to be buffed....had a few bad experiences.

[fiesta62]

Originally Posted by My442

First, buffing with a high speed wheel takes skill, and can be dangerous to you and your parts.

Be extremely careful that the wheel does not grab the part. It will go flying at high velocity. And, trim parts are sharp. You can get a nasty cut as well.

Wear a face shield and heavy leather gloves.

I send my parts out to be buffed....had a few bad experiences.

ok good advice, i'm a builder so used to angle grinders and things but good point about flying trims, never buffed anything never used a buffer, old goat mentioned strapping to a board so i will do that then it cant go flying, thanks

[Old Goat 67]

The weak part on those mouldings is where it has the corners are for the door trim. It will bend there in a split second and ruin it. Make the board long enough to span that point and go to that end of the moulding, strapping it good with velcro strips at the end and under the door opening so it won't be bent at that corner. All it takes is for the buff wheel to grab the end in that split second when you aren't watching closely to render it trash.

[63gpman]

An electric buffer or wheel will not take out anything that sand paper will not. I don't like to go much lower than 600 grit on my stuff and am ok living with some larger scratches to avoid waves but it can be done. 600, 800, 1500 sanding. Move to wheel and use Black then white. It gives good results. I am sure others can do better. I have also started with 320 on some items and have had good results.

[fiesta62]

yes i know, but even a fine grade 2000 grade paper leaves its own scratches, i have ordered correct compounds for stainless and buffing pads that attach to my drill, after speaking with the company that supplies all the compounds on the methods, i think this job will go fine, i dont have any deep scratches so i'm hopeing for a mirror scratch less finish after i'm done with it....

[Old Goat 67]

A drill will probably not give you the results you hope for.

You'll learn a lot from reading this.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/51555553/Pontiac-Learning%20Trim%20Restoration.doc

That's the 3/4 HP buffer I have and it has enough power to do the job.

[fiesta62]

Originally Posted by Old Goat 67

A drill will probably not give you the results you hope for.

You'll learn a lot from reading this.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...estoration.doc

That's the 3/4 HP buffer I have and it has enough power to do the job.

thanks for the link i will have a read, i have the drill parts on order so will try this way first, saves me buying a electric buff, i will post on results when done

[fiesta62]

Originally Posted by Old Goat 67

A drill will probably not give you the results you hope for.

You'll learn a lot from reading this.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...estoration.doc

That's the 3/4 HP buffer I have and it has enough power to do the job.

well seems your right.... i started the polish on trims......got my drill and the 4 inch pads......first i tried the dark cutting compound on dark pad......the white finishing comp on white pad...no difference still see the scratches

ok tried 2000 paper the buffed again, no difference

tried 800 then 1200 then 2000....same thing dark compound the white comp no difference

lastly tried 400 grade , 800, 1200, 2000, gave it a good sand with each paper.....buffed but really no difference, the scratches are still there, these are not scratches from damage they look like light sandpaper scratches, after the 400 grade it appears ready no visable deep marks, all dull 400 grade ready, then when i finish off with 2000 it looks shiny but those scratches are there, the compounds wont remove them

i am using plenty of compound and just mild pressure, i stop when metal feels a bit hot its only thin so dont want it to warp, but really its not getting the scratch free finish i am looking for, actually in the right light and angle i can see buff marks its shiny but scratches and now buff marks......

i would have thought that the cutting compound would removed the scratches from the 2000 grade, obviously i thought wrong.....