Noticed the headliner trim was getting pitted and spotty and thought I would need to re-chrome it. I tried some Turtle Wax chrome polish and 30 minutes later it looks great. There is some small pin size spots I couldn't get, but huge improvement. Thought I would share.

Before.



After

 

Looks awesome! I've done the same thing before, it is amazing how well some of that stuff cleans up!

 

Thanks. I was really shocked as well. I never valued that chrome polish before. I remember seeing that stuff in my dads garage when I was a kid and thinking turtle wax? What is that crap? Works though!

 

HOLY HECK!

Thanks for sharing! I thought that once it hit rusted "spots" like that, the piece was pretty much unsalvagable!

Now I'm going to go buy a 20 gallon drum on turtle wax for my chrome!





Thanks again!

 

that looks brand new, thats nuts i think im going to go out and get some. did you use that powerball thing or just a rag?

 

Just those yellow micro fiber rags from Costco. Any micro fiber will do. A lot of pressure and try not to rub the surrounding paint/headliner. I did each section about 3 times with a new spot on the rag and fresh drop of polish.

 

Looks awesome! How well would that worl on the aluminum trim on the outside? Mine looks pretty good, but I'd like to do it all when I get the new grill shell.

 

Unfortuneatly it won't do anything on the outside trim as that is anodized. Anodozing can't be polished up like chrome or uncoated aluminum. Now I did rub some Mothers aluminum polish on a section of anodized trim for about 10 minutes and it made it a tad cleaner, but it's still cloudy.

The only option for cloudy/dull anodized aluminum is to strip the anodizing, polish then leave it or get it anodized again. It's a lot of work.

I stripped the coating off my grille shell with oven cleaner, sanded for what seemd like forever, 400, 600, 800, 1500 then polished with buffing wheel and by hand. Looks good, but nothing like a new shell from DC or chromed shell from LMC.

 

It wouldn't work at all on the outside trim, because of the anodizing. You'd need to lift the anodizing, polish the aluminum and then refinish. If you use any form of polish on your outside trim, it'll look a tad better for about 30 seconds, then go back to being just as cloudy as before.



To the OP...looks really good. Amazing what a little time and elbow grease can do, huh?

 

Actually I just polished my grille shell and it made a night and day difference. It is still anodized so I guess technically the aluminum did not get "polished" but it still made a hell of a difference just taking off stains, bugs, scuffs etc.

 

i just read that you can also clean up chrome with a piece of balled up tin foil and one of three different products (all work):

1) Tin foil + Coke

2) Tin Foil + Vinegar

3 Tin Foil + Water

Be aware of what you're doing though. After you're done taking off all that rust, make sure to wax/polish it down so that you can keep it as nice as it is once it's cleaned.

The first two methods were proven by a user whom posted on the Paint/Autobody Forum.

Try it! I know I am.

 

I've used Coke as a cleaning agent for a long time now...that's also why I stopped drinking it. You should see how well it cleans corroded battery terminals and cables.

 

Hey! I've tried that! It works super well too. It makes a sticky mess if it's your first time, but once you get the hang of it, it really makes a difference because of its acidic qualities.