Straightening and Polishing Aluminum

[@maxmoovin]

Excellent instructions. Thank you and a big fan. Subscribed. Polishing a full sized Jeep razor grill.

[@nimster64]

Thank you for the video. Do you have a video on how to remove the anodizing?

[@ClassicCarRestorationClub]

Here is some information for you: www.classiccarrestorationclub.com/video/removing-anodized-finish-013907/ Thanks!

[@nimster64]

@@ClassicCarRestorationClub thank you

[@waringrob]

Once it's nice and shiny how would you protect it? a coating?

[@ClassicCarRestorationClub]

Once it's straight and shiny you have options. For interior pieces, I typically polish it once a year and it looks great all season. Exterior parts will tarnish faster and can be polished once a month or you can have them flash or chrome plated for a chrome like shine... Or have them clear anodized, but that takes down the luster some... clear coat paints typically start peeling off after a season or two, although I know some people who have clear powder coated the parts with good results. Flash and chrome plating is what the auto manufacturers use most often though.

[@EamonnSeoigh]

Hi Mark, Ive got a grill piece that has been abraded with some removal of metal. What type of fluxed filler could I use to fill depressions before shaping?

[@ClassicCarRestorationClub]

Can you give me a little more detail? What metal is the grill made of (i.e. steel, aluminum, stainless, pot metal, etc.)? Out of curiosity, what is the year/make/model of your project car? For small gouges in aluminum we typically use a zinc/aluminum brazing rod like "Alumiweld" or "Blue Demon Triple Play " Keep in mind that aluminum needs to be flash plated or anodized on items like grilles to prevent corrosion. Deeper gouges in aluminum are best filled using a TIG welder and aluminum fill rod.

[@EamonnSeoigh]

Its the grill from a 1979 Dodge D100. Its aluminum. I saw a guy that was adding metal to a piece that was scraped up enough that polishing wouldn’t have been able to hide it. It looked like he was soldering the metal into the damaged sections. I cant find where I saw this video- it’s somewhere on YT. What I’d be interesting in finding was the filler metal he was using, assuming that you know of the material. When he was finished sanding and polishing it down, it was perfect.

[@ClassicCarRestorationClub]

Yes the two products I mentioned earlier would be a good choice to fill your aluminum grill and they're easily filed, sanded and polished.

[@EamonnSeoigh]

Classic Car Restoration Club Thank you very much for the names of those products. Something else i noticed while setting up to repair the grill was the under structures supporting the headlights- those are made of cast pot metal. I pretty much gave up on trying to straighten what was bent in those pieces- the cracks got worse. I found and bought some pieces on eBay.

[@freddiec7128]

May i ask what model buffer is he using???

[@ClassicCarRestorationClub]

Hi Freddie, The small buffer in this demonstration is a 1/3Hp Packard buffer from the 1950s that Mark inherited from his father. He admits there much better buffers made today like Baldor and others, but this one has its own special appeal to him. Mark Classic Car Restoration Club

[@thecraftsman72]

Anodization after restoration? Or are we just to sand and buff every year until the Aluminum is gone?

[@ClassicCarRestorationClub]

Hello, I do not see that your active Premium customer. Our Ask Expert Program is for those Premium members. Here is a link to our Premium membership at a deep discounted rate: go.ClassicCarRestorationClub.com/C21976

[@cblanton42]

Possibly the worst camera work ever, I hope you didn't pay someone for this train wreck of a video! The only thing this video showed was the guys hands constantly in the way and the wrong side of the part. Lol!!