Refurbishing Side Moldings 72 Chevy - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

**nitrosport_5** · 08-31-2012, 03:23 AM

WHats the trick to polishing the side moldings from a 72 chevy cheyenne? Ive tried a few different things with mixed results. What have you guys done that has worked for you? And what color is the black supposed to be? Gloss/Semi gloss/flat? Id really like to re-use my side moldings as they are nice and straight. I can immagine that the aftermarket moldings are not near as good of quality as the originals.

72BlckButy · 09-09-2012, 11:42 AM

Bump... anyone?

**nitrosport_5** · 09-09-2012, 10:11 PM

I did more digging and found this page http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/665.cfm

I tried the drain cleaner trick and sure enough it takes the annodize off. Does not seem to cut through the paint, but does well on the unpainted surface. The moldings polish up nice with some mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish. taping off and painting the lower moldings is a huge pain. the uppers will be even worse. Is there a better way? How about brushing the paint on?

Sillyoldman · 09-09-2012, 10:14 PM

I just buffed mine out. Thanks for reminding me about painting them, not fun.

**nitrosport_5** · 09-09-2012, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sillyoldman

I just buffed mine out. Thanks for reminding me about painting them, not fun.

you buff them before removing the annodize? What did you use if so? that is ultimately what i would like to do, clean up whats there without having to completely strip them.

BruthaMan · 09-13-2012, 05:10 AM

I'm currently working on this with my '72. The best way to get the anodizing off is using oven cleaner. I tried all sorts of things, including a buffing wheel with heavy grit polish, sanding by hand, wet sanding. The oven cleaner takes it off. Sprayed it very heavily.

I have a compressor and die grinder. Locally, could not find any sanding discs for the 3" die grinder above 220 grit. I searched online and came across this site:

http://www.onlineindustrialsupply.com/3solid.html

I ordered a box of 600, 800, 1000, 1200 and 1500 grit sanding discs. Before getting these, I was taking 800 grit sheets and cutting out circles then super gluing them to a sanding disc. The 800 grit worked well to smooth out the trim from the oven cleaner, but the sand paper would tear pretty quickly and it was a PITA to keep manually cutting out circles of sand paper and gluing them. I did more so to test how it would work.

A good buffer/grinder setup with a course wheel and polishing compound will easily take out 800 grit sanding and polish up nice.

We're going to start up on the process again tomorrow (Friday). It's been a low priority, but weather will be cooler (I'm not a big fan of hot weather) this weekend. If I can find my camera, I'll take some before/after pics.

Once we finish up polishing, we're going to tape off to paint the center section black, then follow up with a clear coat over each piece.

08-31-2012, 03:23 AM	#1
nitrosport_5 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: St. John, Washington Posts: 617	Refurbishing Side Moldings 72 Chevy WHats the trick to polishing the side moldings from a 72 chevy cheyenne? Ive tried a few different things with mixed results. What have you guys done that has worked for you? And what color is the black supposed to be? Gloss/Semi gloss/flat? Id really like to re-use my side moldings as they are nice and straight. I can immagine that the aftermarket moldings are not near as good of quality as the originals. __________________ "Rusty" 1972 K20 Cheyenne Super, 496, A/C, Tilt, Tach, Buckets, 4l80e/NP205, 4" Rancho Lift, 35" BFG AT "Ramp Truck" 1972 C30 Ramp Truck 350, Air Bags, Factory A/C. "1968" C10 Shortbed project

09-09-2012, 11:42 AM	#2
72BlckButy Tot Roddin' Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Mid-MO Posts: 24,461	Re: Refurbishing Side Moldings 72 Chevy Bump... anyone? __________________ -Nate 1969 CST SWB - Project Blank Slate (4.5/6" ECE Static Drop, 6-lug disc brake upgrade (manual), Billet Specialties Vintec 20x8.5 255/40 (F) 20x10 295/40 (R), 250 I-6) 1960 AMF Skylark - Tot Roddin' (Lowered with custom frame; soon to include custom push bar and interior) 2008 Silverado CrewCab 1LT (5.3L, 3:73, 4x4, LT1, Z-71, Towing Package)

09-09-2012, 10:11 PM	#3
nitrosport_5 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: St. John, Washington Posts: 617	Re: Refurbishing Side Moldings 72 Chevy I did more digging and found this page http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/665.cfm I tried the drain cleaner trick and sure enough it takes the annodize off. Does not seem to cut through the paint, but does well on the unpainted surface. The moldings polish up nice with some mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish. taping off and painting the lower moldings is a huge pain. the uppers will be even worse. Is there a better way? How about brushing the paint on? __________________ "Rusty" 1972 K20 Cheyenne Super, 496, A/C, Tilt, Tach, Buckets, 4l80e/NP205, 4" Rancho Lift, 35" BFG AT "Ramp Truck" 1972 C30 Ramp Truck 350, Air Bags, Factory A/C. "1968" C10 Shortbed project

09-09-2012, 10:14 PM	#4
Sillyoldman #16876 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Auburn WA Posts: 12,266	Re: Refurbishing Side Moldings 72 Chevy I just buffed mine out. Thanks for reminding me about painting them, not fun. __________________ Posted via Stationary Device '71 Custom Deluxe C-20 402. '67 Buick Special 455. '49 Plymouth Special Deluxe. *"I love that old car smell"* *Some people are like Slinkies... not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.*

09-13-2012, 05:10 AM	#6
BruthaMan US Army Veteran Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Central Texas Posts: 1,049	Re: Refurbishing Side Moldings 72 Chevy I'm currently working on this with my '72. The best way to get the anodizing off is using oven cleaner. I tried all sorts of things, including a buffing wheel with heavy grit polish, sanding by hand, wet sanding. The oven cleaner takes it off. Sprayed it very heavily. I have a compressor and die grinder. Locally, could not find any sanding discs for the 3" die grinder above 220 grit. I searched online and came across this site: http://www.onlineindustrialsupply.com/3solid.html I ordered a box of 600, 800, 1000, 1200 and 1500 grit sanding discs. Before getting these, I was taking 800 grit sheets and cutting out circles then super gluing them to a sanding disc. The 800 grit worked well to smooth out the trim from the oven cleaner, but the sand paper would tear pretty quickly and it was a PITA to keep manually cutting out circles of sand paper and gluing them. I did more so to test how it would work. A good buffer/grinder setup with a course wheel and polishing compound will easily take out 800 grit sanding and polish up nice. We're going to start up on the process again tomorrow (Friday). It's been a low priority, but weather will be cooler (I'm not a big fan of hot weather) this weekend. If I can find my camera, I'll take some before/after pics. Once we finish up polishing, we're going to tape off to paint the center section black, then follow up with a clear coat over each piece. __________________ 1972 C10 Highlander - The making of a daily driver



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