aluminum trim repair

I just read the article from the archives about trim repair, I thought it was a very good article. I need to know after you strip and repair the aluminum trim, What do you finish it with ? clearcoat or something else? thanks for your response

 

I had my trim reanodised by a firm that did name plates and badges etc after I'd wet sanded it down so it looked OEM.

 

All I use is AlumaGaurd.
Spray on, and wipe off. It's a penetrating clear formula with the consistency of WD40.
Make sure it's been polished to your satisfaction first, however, because the surface does stay greasy.

 

I did all the side trim on my 66 F100. Straightened and polished. Cleaned real well with grease and wax remover and sprayed with regular old clearcoat. Has been done since 09 and still looks as good as the first day.
When/ if it ever needs redone, I'll strip it with paint stripper and re-polish, and clear again.
Worked great.

 

The OEM aluminum parts on my Ford seem to have been clear anodized, a great batch process especially with big items like the grille. I bought 3 sets of headlight bezels before I found a set I liked best.

I saw some on another Ford that were powder coated with a nice aluminum finish. Looked almost like polished aluminum.

 

All the trim on my 63 Impala has been chrome plated rather then re-anodized. I think it looks way better.

Gary

 

I've cleared them with Imron, after polishing. Very tough paint, and sticks well to the polished metal.