Stainless restoration

[Jimmie]

I have some scratches and tiny dents in the stainless rocker panels of my 1950 Champion. When I asked a local fellow who has completed a couple of restorations about "fixing" the stainless he said that after carefully tapping out the dents that I should use a file or fairly rough sandpaper first and then work it down with finer and finer sandpaper until it shines. He cautioned me that it would take lots of time but that as I worked with the fine sandpaper that it would take on a shine like when it was new. Has anyone ever done it this way, and are there other better ways. Comments will be greatly appreciated.

Jimie
Orleans, Indiana



1950 CHAMPION -ORANGE COUNTY, INDIANA

[whacker]

May I suggest you start here?

http://www.studebakerdriversclub.com/techtips.asp

Written by a real pro. Read the entire stainless restoration group before you touch anything.

[colt45sa]

Stainless restoration is a very tedious process. You will need a variety of hammer shapes to tap out the dents. Be careful as you will not be able to shrink it back if you tap too hard and stretch it. The filing is additional leveling after knocking ou the dents. If you have a belt sander, you can buy sanding belts from 420 grit down to the finest belt, then the hand work begins. Hand sand the surface down to 1000 grit then head for the buffing wheel. You can find people at most of the bigger car shows who sell the supplies. There's a company called Tarheels in N.C. I think he is a regular advertiser in Hemmings. Try www.hmn.com for Hemmings on line.

[Lark Parker]

Rocker panels are tough because they are about four times as thick as the usual stainless pieces. You will have to hit them with more force than shown in the tech tips. You will still need to use a hammer shape that fits as Colt45 said.
On the plus side they are so thick they can take a bit of filing and you can sand your little heart out. And you may need to.



Lark Parker

Just an innocent possum strolling down life's highway.