Ford Grill

[patruccio]

I have a 68 camper/special and recently had the grill polished, do
I need to clear coat the grill? The folks that polished the grill did
a >>>>??>>> job, so I did the best I could to clean it up. Any info
would be appreciated.

[lilorbie]

i would use a good grade of clear coat. like the kind that is used to paint our trucks. i would also use more than one coat. good luck.

[patruccio]

Thanks for the info.

[patruccio]

Not possible says auto body shop-best to just apply wax.

[patruccio]

That's what my body shop suggested-WAX

[chicof100]

Aluminum 101. You can anodize but you can't clear coat. Anodizing is a thing of the past thanks to the EPA. but there are polishing and sealers on the market. I do not care who you halve talked to if they say you can clear coat, they don't know what they are talking about. For those of you who think otherwise, you don't know squat. I've been doing aluminum for over ten years mainly grilles, I know there is nothing out there to "Coat it with" other than a sealer. I've invested a ton of money learning secrets. Nothing is cheap but at the same time, nothing is expensive, unless your learning. I know a while back people were talking about doing body work on a grille. They suggested using wood and such...... I laughed and argued about how to deal with aluminum, but idiots know better. So I keep my talents under wraps. My grilles are show quality but that's another story.

[FFRKing]

I had a friend who spent a lot of time polishing his old school aluminum wheels to a bright, shiny finish. He took them to another friend at a body shop who did all of the cleaning prep work and clearcoated them using the the best materials and equipment. They looked just like new and absolutely beautiful, for about a year and a half. He drove the car on a regular basis but avoided the really nasty weather when possible. The clear coat started to lift and they looked like the Chevy cars from the 80's. He talked to a couple of body shop guys who have a lot of experience and they all just shook their heads at them. They suggested he strip and repolish them and find a good aluminum sealer. Polished aluminum does not have a good surface for the clearcoat to bond to.

ChicoF100, do you have a good sealer that you recommend?

Chris

[Ohiotinkerer]

I've been using Wizards Power Seal for the last 2 years on the polished frame on my '97 CBR900RR and like it - being bare aluminium its gonna require attention but has really helped on the frequency of doing it!

http://wizardsproducts.com/power-seal-8-oz/