I have moved on to a different task for a change of pace. I have been working on the stainless trim. A local shop charges 40 dollars per hour to recondition stainless trim and I think I can save a few dollars by doing it myself. I started out by removing any dings and dents with a body hammer and then filing the high spots with a flat file. The stainless trim is the same material throughout so there is no danger of removing the stainless material as would happen with chrome plating. One the filing is done where necessary I moved on to a course grit of metal finishing sandpaper and then to a finer grit of emery paper. After that I went to a 220, 320, 400, 600, 1500 and finally a 2000 grit sandpaper. After that I used Mequires metal polish for a final finish. The end result is not a mirror finish like a new piece but it is acceptable for a daily driver and looks pretty good. The first photo is a before and after picture of the hood side trim. It takes a lot of time and elbow grease to do this but I think it is worth it. CAUTION. Some newer cars starting in the 60's use aluminum trim rather than stainless and is much softer and the methods are different. You can find U-Tube how to videos on most of this type of work. Time to get back to the body work and paint.
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