has anyone chromed the aluminum grill and headlight buckets on a 67 Fury?

[Windsor56]

I had mine stripped and polished at a local shop and it looks just like chrome and was a lot cheaper I can send you some pictures if you want them

 

[Yatzee]

Thanks for the pic. Looks great! The added weight isn't a big concern but how the pieces fit after with the added metal might be a problem.

I had no distortion of the shape of the pieces after chroming and the fit was identical to the original fit.

 

[hotdog647]

Anodized Aluminum is hard to strip, polish and costly to re-anodize. If your car isn't a museum piece and your pockets are empty, you might consider an old redneck trick. "Check this out" on You Tube. It's an inexpensive product from Home Depot:Instant Power Hair & Grease Drain Opener. This product will strip the paint from your car and the skin from your hands, so be careful. I like to keep the trim on the car to hold it in place without bending, then remove for the car's prime and paint. Do a test on any old piece of aluminum trim. Wear gloves(not the cheap vinyl kind) and brush some of this product on. It dissolves away the annodizing and leaves bare aluminum. Wash it off ready for buffing or polishing and waxing. I've heard it turns yellow if you clear coat it. I just keep it waxed like my cars. It really works well on old stamped checkerboard grills like 65-66 Plymouth Fury.

 

[Fury440]

Oven cleaner works well too and is maybe easier on your skin. As Hotdog advises use good quality gloves. I also advise safety googles since your sure as hell don't want that crap in your eyes. I use a sand blaster full face shield.

 

[hotdog647]

Oven cleaner works well too and is maybe easier on your skin. As Hotdog advises use good quality gloves. I also advise safety googles since your sure as hell don't want that crap in your eyes. I use a sand blaster full face shield.

Of all the ones I tried, this is the #1 fastest and best. I always do a test section, and it will brush on. Depending on condition of aluminum sometimes it takes only 10 minutes or less. Sometimes more. If I had the money to own and restore a 1937 Chrysler Imperial C-15 limousine, I'd never even think about this. But for some of my projects that don't warrant a big cash infusion, the process works well. I have used oven cleaner, it was just slower. Maybe i didn't get the right kind. Doug

 

[Fury440]

I didn't intend to imply that oven cleaner is better, just an alternative for us Canadians. Home Depot in Canada doesn't sell Instant Power Hair & Grease Drain Opener.

 

[Big_John]

I've used Easy Off heavy duty oven cleaner, but a good drain cleaner will probably work just as well, if not better. They both contain lye and I would bet that the drain cleaner is more concentrated. Some guys like to use Simple Green or Purple Power degreaser too. The bottom line is any of them will work and sometimes you just want to use what's on the shelf.

 

[GPayment]

Thanks for the ideas regarding a chemical cleaner. I will give that a try!

 

[commando1]

Instant Power Hair & Grease Drain Opener.

is simply LYE, btw...