I have a 72 F250. I stripped all the trim and wet sanded it down to 1500 and then polished with Mothers. It shines like chrome. What is the best thing to do to coat it? Should I take it somewhere and have it clear coated or????/

 

clear powdercoating would IMHO be the best but you could also spray it with clear urethane (next best)

 

How did you strip it?

 

150 GRIT on an adjustable speed orbital sander. I tried the oven cleaner trick but you need to baby sit each piece or else you'll end up destroying it. I almost ruined one piece so I went to sanding.

If it is something you are thinking about doing, first, think real hard. Very labor intensive. I went from 150-220-240 on the orbital ( 240 was a waste ), then 320 wet- 500 or 600 wet ( depending on what I had ) to 800-1200-1500 wet then Mothers aluminum polish x3 with the polishing wheel on my variable speed drill and then one more pass with the buffing pad on my buffer. Came out looking better than chrome really. That's why I want it coated.

I don't think I can powder coat because I used pin stripe tape for the black lines. Guess I would have to ask the guys who powder coat.

Here's a couple of pics...



This is basically a pic of the stages before the polishing




Grill after polishing



This was on the cloudy day

 

Nice work.

 

Urethane or polyurethane??

Also, how should I prep it prior to spraying it. I will be using rattle cans.

Thank you, Todd.

 

IMHO, poly is typically used for wood where Urethane is a typical automotive type product, but with that said, there are numerous options on the market......IMHO, I would visit the local autobody paint supply store, they can mix you up a product & put it in a spray can or IMHO the best of this, would be to visit a local auto body shop and with the component in hand, ask them how much to spray it..........

 

That's what I am leaning towards,

 

I believe Beechkid to be correct in his information. Poly is used for wood mostly. I just went back over several pages of your build, and concur, nice work amigo. You are proceeding at the "Speed of Right", and you cannot go wrong with that approach..

Baja