I did a search and figured I would ask anyway since most of the info I found was fairly old. Maybe something new has come up.

Picked up a used aluminum DeeZee Gold Series tool box for the back of the '86. It's in good shape except for the dull, weathered look. Wondering if there are any recommended products to clean and protect it. I'm open to suggestions. Thanks.

 

I tried Turtle Wax Chrome Polish and Blue Majic Metal Polish with no changes. Upon closer inspection I see that the tool box is weathered quite a bit. That's alright. It still looks good and I plan to get plenty of use out of it.

 

I use a light abrasive 3m rubbing compound. If it's a diamond plating, the easiest way to clean it is to grab a scrap of carpet to apply it with. We have an old buffer machine that has a lot of clearance between the wheel and the unit so Steve cut a piece of the carpeting and screwed it to the top of the buffer wheel. Saves a lot of time for me.

If the box is off the truck, another method you can try is "OOO" Steel wool and laquer thinner. I wouldn't recommend this method if it's on the truck because I don't know what it would do to your paint.

Once you have the metal clean, put the polish on. I like the Blue Majic because it has a silicone base and seems to hold up better on our fuel tank than anything else I've tried.

Anyway you go about it, have several pairs of heavy duty rubber gloves available otherwise you'll have black under the fingernails for weeks.