Body / Glass: Polishing Advice

[mgs174]

I'm completely new to polishing/making metal parts shine. I have a 65 Commander l6 and if anyone could help me with the questions listed below it would be greatly appreciated.

How can you tell the difference between different metals in an engine ie stainless, chrome, aluminum?
How would you polish a part with rust and pitting to a mirror finish?
What parts of an engine can't be polished?
What types/brands of material would be used in the particular step?
Will stainless steel ever loose its shine once polished?
What are hubcaps, intake manifold, trim, and engine blocks made out of?

Thank you for your help,
Michael Scharf

[Warren Webb]

For years trim on Studebakers was either chrome plated pot metal or stainless steel. However in 1964 aluminum started to be used on some body trim, mostly body side mouldings and grille with adjoining headlamp bezels (or doors). Hubcaps & the optional full wheel covers are stainless. Stainless steel can be straightened, polished until there isnt any left. Matt Burnette (mbstude on the forum) repairs & polishes stainless parts for a living. You should get with him on polishing. Parts if not done correctly can be damaged, destroyed or cause severe bodily harm.

The engines have always been cast iron, as was intake, exhaust & water manifolds. I dont know what you have in mind to "polish" on it. The valve covers, valley cover, air cleaner are all made from sheet steel, stamped to shape. Some of these parts were chrome plated on vehicles made with Avanti engines. Hope this helps.

[JohnM15]

Good question! I'm doing a rescue not a restore so for me nothing is critical but it would be nice if all those experts came out of the woodwork and depart from their expert opinions.

I have tried the spray can clear coating on polished metal (mostly copper and brass) but it seems to flake off very easy. Some parts I am repainting. The outside body panels are just getting some sandpaper, steel wool, and Johnson's wax. The inside of body panels are getting wire wheel, rust remover (chemical), metal conditioner (chemical), and Rust Bullet.

Once plated metal starts to rust because the plating has eroded then there is not much one can do but to clean, remove rust, condition, and paint.

When I reinstalled the from clip I replaced all the fasteners with stainless steel. Expensive but no rust.

[jimmijim8]

Copper, brass, and non anodized aluminum , and even steel can be polished to a high luster only by making the surface extremely smooooooooooooooth. Steel wool, drill mounted wire wheel, sand paper of progressive finer grits, rubbing compound, brasso. simi-chrome, buffing wheels and by hand. Lotsa stuff out there. After {smoothing and polishing} to your expectations, wash the object in dish soapy water. Dry completley and wipe object down with paint prep degreaser. Buff again with a clean dry cloth. Tack rag your object and spray several thin coats of high heat clear paint available from Auto Zone, Summit, jegs. "VHT" paint brand. Should last a long time. OOOO steel wool is great for shining up non magnetic metals but the steel wool does have a bit of oil impregnated into it. Make sure before painting that your metal is clean, clean, clean. I did both bottom and top tanks of my radiator years ago and although not as brilliant as it was 7 years ago it still looks fine. Take your time and do it to suit your standards. jimmijim

[mbstude]

I'm completely new to polishing/making metal parts shine. I have a 65 Commander l6 and if anyone could help me with the questions listed below it would be greatly appreciated.

How can you tell the difference between different metals in an engine ie stainless, chrome, aluminum?
Studebaker stainless is magnetic, aluminum isn't. Chrome is a plating and will pit whereas aluminum or stainless won't.

How would you polish a part with rust and pitting to a mirror finish?
Can only be done by sanding it smooth.

Will stainless steel ever loose its shine once polished?
Maybe after 40 years.

What are hubcaps, intake manifold, trim, and engine blocks made out of?
Hubcaps are stainless. Trim can be stainless, chromed pot metal, or anodized (dull) aluminum. Engine blocks and manifolds are cast iron.

[mmagic]

I've come to prefer Master Series over Rust Bullet. Less expensive and flows out great even with a brush. Like Rust Bullet, wear gloves cause any you get on you will be worn to church at least two Sundays!

After a month it is tough enough that it doesn't cut easily with a wire brush! Pics are of the Champ truck bed from absolute fish scale, alligator skin of the worst kind to today. The scale that was under the junk and conveyor belt was 10 times what you can see in the first pic. All that was done was a 20 minute pass with wire brush on the grinder, brush on MS and spray on several coats of what was left in the gun red base and a pass of clear. 2 coats of MS are recommended but I didn't see pin holes so I stopped at one.

The scale was so bad, sticking up perhaps an eighth of an inch or more, that I wasn't sure hitting it with the wire brush wouldn't let me see the driveway!