I'm getting ready to put the chrome trim around the drip rail on my 71' GS but I noticed there are some small dings that i would like to smooth out. Is there anyone out there who has done this or has seen it done, also what is the best method of installing these pieces (drip rail chrome) without destroying them or messing up the very nice and fresh burnished cinnemon paint job. I've been told a small rubber hammer and a block of wood is best for installation but nothing on what to use to remove dings. Mark, 71' Stage1 4 speed
I use red oak as the base. I then make another piece of oak fit the inside area to knock out the ding. Take your time and several hits with a small hammer to gently ease out the ding. After each hit, check your progess. It is very easy to go too far.
Taking out the dings, etc is just like doing body work. You'll need a small flat METAL dolly or go to Harbor Freight and get one of their mini-anvils (like a large one but approx 6-8" long and weighs maybe 6-8 lbs---very hand to have on the workbench for other stuff also). Go get a cheapo pointed body hammer (or use a good one if you already have one) or two and file down the point to a small, ROUNDED point--approx 1/8" or slightly smaller---you don't want it to be a sharp point or you'll end up making a bunch of deep dents in the trim). It may also help to get a body hammer with a rounded tip---not the 1/8 described above but more like a rounded 1/4" or so tip---this hammer size is not very useful on drip rails because of limited space of the backside. Now--on to assessing the damage.... Clean the rail and go outside/inside the garage and hold up the trim and sight down the length of it like a rifle--while pointing into the sun....or better yet into a light in the garage. This is when it gets UGLY----you will likely see all the little waves and various defects in the piece. The sharper dings/dents will be obvious (if you haven't spotted them already). Clean the backside of the rail---use a sharpie marker to mark the dinged area on front, or the edge of the front and flip over the piece and use the marks to help you locate the dings on the backside---with good light (and vision) you'll see evidence of the dings, dents, waves, etc on the backside..it sometimes helps to kind of rotate the piece in the light while viewing the backside--you will see the distortions there also. Lay the dented area on your flat metal backer (dolly, etc--make sure it is completely FLAT--not just a chunk of metal with raised edges that will only serve to put more dents in the piece as you take out one dent). Use the hammer, or a blunted flat-tip screwdriver(another useful tool) or whatever to ding out the dent, etc. NOTE: GO EASY ON THE DINGING--it doesn't take much to get the metal to move. Work around the outside of the ding in a circular pattern towards the middle of the ding. Flip it back over and use a VERY FINE file or some 80/100 Grit stuck onto a 2=3" piece of wooden paint stick to file/sand over the frontside and smooth out the metal. Once again--don't go crazy with the pressure here--the file will put deep scratches into the stainless if you overdo it as well as the 80/100 grit. Work through the process again using finer papers like 220 then maybe 320. After that you can go to a wetsand type paper---with a backer board and/or by hand. 600 wet, maybe some 1200 wet, etc. Many times you will get close to being finished and then find the dent you dinged out now appears as a high spot on the frontside......typically I go back and file or 80/grit again at some point as this seems to happen quite often. This is the quick and dirty on how to do it yourself----naturally, you can get a buffer/polisher if you want to spend even more $$$ and take more risks (of catching the piece on the buffing wheel after all that work and completely ruining it!!). If you have enough time, patience and/or a total disregard for anything else you need to be doing that day/evenings :Brow: you can do all the polishing by hand using very fine wet paper and some soapy water. Let the paper 600, 800, 1500 wear down as you use it. Wipe off the part and inspect periodically under good light to see if you really removed all the earlier, heavier grit scratches,etc. It's a learning process as you go. I will say spend extra time on the 220/320 stages as the file or 80/100 scratches are the hardest to get out...you will get to a stage of sanding with fine paper and once it is shiny enough to really see the polished surface you will see what I call "phantom" scratches that didn't appear before--these are merely the bottoms or what's slightly left over from the heavier grit stages (most likely 80/100 and or file scratches). You can eliminate some of these steps with a complete buffer setup using sisal wheels, etc but either way---the better the finish you want the more time will be required. Also--don't sweat large gradual waves you may see in the part (ie 2" or more)---you'll never get these out--better off finding a cleaner piece. Put on your favorite CD (more likely will need a lot of CD's with the time it takes). Installation---better off slipping the top edge of the stainless over the top of the rail and using hands/palm to push it on--you can kind of whack it but TAKE IT EASY---you can put waves in it again even with a whack of your palm. HAMMER TO REINSTALL?----DO NOT DO THIS!!!!!!! :spank: On narrow pieces like drip rail you can get a pretty nice finish without using a motor buffer if you have the time and patience....enough sanding with worn down 600 or 800 or 1500 and some Mother's wheel polish afterwards and you will have some good pieces. Good luck. Patton
Thank you for your input on this. The dents that I have thankfully are small i will try the procedure on one of the least noticable first and go from there. As far as the hammer install i didn't try it although i was tempted after a few attempts of putting them on by hand I now know to put that notion out of my mind. Mark
George's suggestions are useful----on a larger ding of something that doesn't have a sharp dent in it you can start with something like the oak. The overall theory here is to only use enough force/tool hardness as is required to push the dent out---if a hardwood peice will work then no need to get more aggressive as you are only creating extra work......so A selection of relatively cheap/free stuff is all you really need. Small fine triangular file (6" or so) Anvil (very cheap @HFreight) Hammer(s) Backer board--free paint sticks Red Oak pieces Flatblade screwdriver (filed down somewhat or rounded somewhat) Sandpaper(worth getting the better stuff here as good paper makes the job a lot more enjoyable) Pretty easy to carve/file pieces of oak to fit the various applications you may need for pushing/dinging out the dents. Start with less aggressive measures and if that doesn't work then step up to something more aggressive---that theory holds throughout the process--dinging, sanding, polishing. The only thing that is not cheap will be your time and patience. Vinyl top car or no vinyl top?
All good stuff... the car originally had the vinyl top but i decided to leave it off for now i have all the trim for some time in the future.
one final tip---make sure whatever area you are dinging on the backside IS SUPPORTED by the metal dolly, anvil, oak, etc on the front side. If you ding too hard on unsupported or "unbacked" trim then all you will do is stretch the metal more as you push it past its original shape outward. So, many times you will have to rotate the trim slightly (remember the cross-section or profile of this trim is not flat) so each hit is against the dolly, etc. You can tell when you hit unsupported trim and when you hit supported trim, and the sound is different also (the sound besides the sound of you cussing when you realize you overstretched it from lack of support :laugh: ). Patton
When is the show? I am attempting to get the car finished by the end of May and it is my plan to have it judged sometime there after. The whole car has been gone through and , in my opinion, is looking very good thanks to the help of many Buick fans like yourself and of course a lot of $$. :TU:
Well written advice Patton. Time and patience, the two most important components in the process. Very easy to get frustrated and p@ssed off when you are not familiar with what you may encounter. One thing I also suggest is if your work bench or space is not long enough to support the entire length of trim you are working with, make up some temporary string slings to hang the overhanging trim. Too many times people have brought me very nicely polished pieces that were twisted spiral slinky things because they were using a buffer or repairing dings with 95% of the piece hanging free off the end of the bench.
