cleaning alum trim

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Nov 24, 2008 | 06:33 AM

pauls painting

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Joined: Dec 2005

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From: vandalia il..

cleaning alum trim

whats a good product to clean alum trim on outside of truck ? been using alum polish but it still has a few spots of rust/oxidation . truck is a 79 crew cab ranger xlt.

Nov 24, 2008 | 01:03 PM

gfw1985

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Joined: Mar 2008

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From: Raphine, Virginia

If you only have a couple places like you say, tape it off so you don't damage the paint and give it a good going over with 0000 steel wool.

Nov 24, 2008 | 04:44 PM

Duke78

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I don't know about the anodizing part? Mine shined up with a buffing wheel for my drill. I masked off the paint and went to town, it shined up pretty nice i think the best part about it was that it all looked even.

Dec 7, 2008 | 05:46 PM

truckrider814

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From: Sterling, Va

What kind of clear coat whould be good i don't really wanna spend extra money buying new trim when i can use that money to buy something that i can't fix

Dec 10, 2008 | 07:27 PM

pdiesel

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Joined: Aug 2007

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From: Bluffton, SC

Will these tricks work on an aluminum toolbox also?

Dec 11, 2008 | 11:56 AM

daveengelson

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From: Boulder Creek, Ca

There are a few products to seal or coat aluminum, Eastwood carries a couple of different types including a product called 'zoot' it has a 2 yr. warranty and for that limited amount of time, IMHO, seems expensive. Redid 65 grille few yrs back and purchased a can of clear at the local auto supply shop to coat the grille. It's beginning to show some wear and looks like it could use another coat. If it came to a redo I would look into whether there is a clear color 'powder coat', seems it would hold up longer. Read an article where the author is in a spray both applying a clear coat to alum. rims at the same time an electrical charge is applied, simular to the anodizing process only with out the solution and dipping tanks.

Dec 21, 2008 | 01:39 PM

73FOMO

Fleet Mechanic

Joined: Aug 2005

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From: Hartford, AL

Dave...I think that is Zoops Seal that you are talking about. Google it for more info.

About a toolbox..sure it would work, but you would need to know if it was anodized or not. I doubt that it is...so you could polish and use the seal to keep shiny longer.

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Dec 27, 2008 | 10:03 PM

Bullitt390

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Quote:

Originally Posted by UTfball68

That may be the case, maybe yours wasn't as badly oxidized as some. All the trim on the dentside trucks were anodized aluminum. But if you think yours shined well...you've obviously never seen a brand new set, or a refinished set. I'm gonna have to take some pics of the sets I have when I get home. I have a set of 30 year old trim (looks like silve paint), buffed trim (a little glimmer of shine), refinished trim I did (driver quality), refinished trim I had my body shop do (can start seeing yourself in it), a brand new set from DC (showroom condition), and a set that I had chromed (looks like you're looking in a mirror). And the shine increases exponentially in the order that I listed them.

Just curious if you ever got some pics taken?

My dent trim is in great shape, but the grille I picked up from recently, although in great "physical" shape could use a nice refinish once my truck is painted.

I know about the Easy-Off trick, but once the anodizing is stripped what is the process after that?

Josh