Hello TC friends!

I'm still putting on some of the finishing touches to the body of my 66, and have a question aboutwhats the best way to go about polishing up the rocker moldings?

They are in great original condition with no damage, but they are a bit oxidized and faded.Assuming they are galvanized aluminum, does anyone know the best way to get these original moldings to shine like new again?

Thanks in advance for the help!
:beers:

000 steel wool and they will shine!!! :yes:

I haven't tried the 000 steel wool myself. What you have is a polished aluminum piece that has been clear anoidized. As the anoidizing wears it starts to oxidize and fade. You can remove all the anoidizing and then buff them to chrome but they will oxidize very quickly now that there is no protection from the elements. Buying repops may be your best bet IMHO.

OR... you can ship them off for reanodizing.. in the end, everything is expensive :(

Hey guys, thanks for the replies!
I really wanted to avoid using re-pops since nothing aftermarket seems to fit without major modifications. Besides, almost everything on my Chevelle is aftermarket and I would like to try to stick with at least some original stuff.
I sent my original Malibu grille off to a local resto shoplast summer. They promised me a 4 week turn around, and to make a long story short, 3 months later I got it back. It looks great but it s just re-polished. Because of that, they told me it would oxidize and dull out, as mentioned above. I figured if that is the case with the rocker moldings, I would just do it myself and save lots of time and money. I just didnt know the best way to go about it.
Thanks again!

Hmm..how do you remove the anodize?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hydroxide

I don't know if this will help, but anyway. http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/66-mustang-rocker-panel-molding-102991.html?highlight=polish+aluminum+moldings

Thanks guys! :beers:

Easy Off Oven Cleaner is lye in a spray can. Get the lemon scented kind and use a pair of rubber gloves when you strip the anodizing.

Couldn't you clear coat these pieces after you polish them?

I have had all of the original pieces for my 66 re anodized except for the rocker moldings. I will be taking them to fall Jefferson to give to the guy that does them. It is very expensive to have done, probably about 2K for the pieces I have had done, but they look perfect, and because they are OEM, I know they will fit.

If your car is garage, polishing off the anodize will bring back the shine and you only need to polish them once or twice a year. I had most of my trim polished and not re-anodized in 1999 and it still looks great. I just polish (simichrome) them before I wax my car.