alluminium polishing

[chev malibu]

I wondered if anybody has found a good system for polishing alluminium exterior trim pieces. Windshield moldings, wheel lip moldings etc. I have several bars of polishing compound, black, brown, white, blue. If you cut through the anodizing, is there a way to clean this up?

I am wanting to get it all off the car and polished so it's ready to be put on when the new paint job is done.

Also what's the trick to getting off the windshield trim on the malibu? I presume there must be some kind of clip holding them on, but is there a trick to getting them off without breaking them all? Tool used?

 

[87GP]

Yeah there is a special tool to remove the windshield mouldings. You should be able to find one at a local auto parts. K-D makes one.

It's a flat hook tool that you slide between the moulding and the glass and then slide it along the moulding until you feel the clip then pull the tool outward and the moulding should release from that clip. Then just keep going all the way around.

 

[chev malibu]

Thanks, I'll have to check for that tool. I have bought, or rented, a few specialized tools during this resto, and they do help tremendously.

Perhaps the bodyman that is doing the car has one, and he can take them off for me, and I'll bring them home and polish them. I'm doing some of them on the car right now, using the small polishing wheel on the drill, with some brown bar polish, then I'll finish with a white or blue bar. It seems to polish it up pretty good. It takes that kind of a white film off of them, and a few more pass's get them shining. It's a heck of a lot easier doing the polishing on the bench wheel, and you can apply more pressure, to cut the fine scratches. With the drill, you can't get into the nooks and crannys. 🙁