I have a few scratches/scuffs I want to polish out of my windshield frame. Are they made of stainless steel, so a standard stainless steel polish would work?
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The ones used on CMC/FF are polished aluminum. Mentioned a couple times in build manual plus I recall trimming the ends and it was easy (SS is very hard to cut and drill).
Thanks @WOLFGANG that makes sense. Aluminum should be easier to polish. I bet vintage speedsters used the same material.
@silverghost posted:Thanks @WOLFGANG that makes sense. Aluminum should be easier to polish. I bet vintage speedsters used the same material.
The OEM ones from Porsche were brass , too expensive for the replica car builders....
FWIW - I use Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish. It works VERY well and always brings my aluminum windshield frame back to a brilliant shiny chrome-like finish.
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Thanks I'll give that a shot! I also found a youtube vid suggesting a fine scotchbrite pad and WD-40 prior to polish cleans it up real nice, have you tried that? Obviously you'd want to tape off the windshield and paint where you'd be working.
I would be concerned that the WD-40 would leave a film that's hard to get rid of.
Last time I did my windshield frame I used the same polishing compound used for polishing clear plastic headlight covers. (I think 3-M, but others are just as good)
It doesn't take very much to bring up a shine on the frame.
@Gordon Nichols WD-40 was invented for cleaning aluminum and water dispersal, from what I understand. It's not actually a lubricant and isn't as adhesive as many people think. I've seen it used to polish aluminum with a scotch bright pad, which leaves a nice brushed finished, but it will work on it's own with just a cloth, something stiff like denim is best. Regardless, might be overkill for my current needs, but a nice tool to have in the quiver.
Some of the windshield frames are anodized to keep them from corroding. Rubbing out scratches will leave un-anodized spots and may change the "color" of the aluminum in the areas rubbed.
At the last LA Toy and Lit Show the original un- chromed brass windshield frames were selling for $1500.00..........Bruce
Mine still chrome-like after years in humid barn so agree on some type of coating. The bumper overriders (cast aluminum) don't appear to have same coating as they do need a polish to bring back to being shiny.
Wolfgang......I believe that a lot of those bumper overriders are cast aluminum and don't do well with the anodizing process. They shine up nicely though..........Bruce