What do I use and how do I do it?
My 78 Sedan sat in front of my parent's yard for several years before anything was done to it and the sprinklers hit the bumpers a lot leaving hard water spots and blurring the aluminum. I would really think the car would look nice with polished bumpers and I'm willing to take the time to do it.
I just took my Polishing Buffer and hit mine with Rubbing Compound first then I hit it with some Polishing Compound. They weren't chrome looking but it made them look alot better! Be careful of going around the rubber end caps and the rubber strip down the middle. That's what I did on my '80', I'm not sure if your '78' bumper is the same.
turbowagonman
So rubbing compound first then polishing compound? I'm not looking for a total chrome look, but reflection is what the car originally had and I'd like it back. :P
My 78 hasn't got the rubber end caps or the strip down the middle. It's just a solid aluminum bumper. Front and back.
I wasn't sure if they were the same bumpers or not, I guess they aren't.
I just put down what I did and what worked for me. I'm sure there is a ton of other way's to do this, I'm sure if other people did something else that worked they'll let you know.
Good luck.
turbowagonman
Regular rubbing compound and polishing compound from monther's didn't do anything. I'm going to continue looking around for something that'll cut through the oxidation.
How about aluminum wheel polish?
Quote from: dave1987 on June 22, 2007, 02:41:17 PM
How about aluminum wheel polish?
Give it a try. Also try sanding a SMALL area with 1500 grit sandpaper then rub it out.
I used 3M brand Rubbing Compound. The same stuff we used in the Body Shop I worked at.
turbowagonman
Rubbing compound with a high speed buffer??
How much can I get a high speed buffer for?
Dave1987,
Just a suggestion.....Do you have a bumper chromer in the area......not to get the bumper chromed....but they have to have a polishing shop and those guys that are used to polishing steel can knock off alluminium like it is nothing. And usually for a song.
High_Horse
Hi guys the aluminum bumpers on the Pinto's are anodized aluminum and once you break through it with sand paper and polishing it is a pain to keep nice. I know cause I've done it. They do look nice when they are polished up though.
BOSS2300
Anyone else have any thoughts or experience on this?
I am planning to work on mine soon, and I would like to know.
Thanks,
Bill
Depending on how bad it is some Mothers Polish will do wonders for chrome, aluminum, or whatever.
Heres an easy one I learned over the years. After you get the bumper close to where you want it polished, spray a clear coat on it (the factory bakes one on). The best paint I have found is one of the auto specified type like Duplicolor but I'm sure there are others. The satin works the best if you don't want the glossy look. The bonus is it brings back a more even factory look and is protected for a long time if you wax it. This works great in the engine bay (or anywhere else inside or out the car including wheels) to spray what you just repainted or spray it on existing paint to bring back the deep color and preserve it. This is what Jessy James of motor cycle fame does to the cars in his collection that have original paint worth saving. You can test it by wetting an area with water or WD-40 is even closer to the final look. But you must clean the area really before painting of any grease, grime, WD-40 which is a given.
Thanks for the info. I'm making very slow progress of the bumpper as it is with fine grit sandpaper, but it's slowly getting there. I just need to take an afternoon and do that whole side.
I've been keeping an eye on the Mother's chrome wheel polish, however it is around $8 a bottle here and I just can't seem to bring myself to spend that much on a polish that I am not even positive will work or not. I've already spent close to $60 on different polishing products, expirimenting to find something.
How about the aluminum plate polish? try this for some list of metal polish ... http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=5&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.englishcustompolishing.com%2F&ei=dX6RSfThA5z-6QO6ltGsCg&usg=AFQjCNHSuAyaqYhle-VdEIG8wbU7z3qb4g&sig2=nRn7QfE51TvVwrJhMpp7sg
Hope this help you a little...
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aluminum plate (http://www.preciseplate.com)
Just read this post and would like to put in my three cents worth. I have had to clean and polish aluminum before and the best product I have found is called NEVER-DULL. It is sold at your local hardware store as a Silver polish. See what yall think of it. It works on Aluminum, Copper, Stainless and of course Silver.