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Ryoken's Guide to Rust Treatment and Bodywork 101

Overview Gallery Discussion
Chief Brody said:
I am disappointed in the outcome...when I sanded them the shine came off...I don't know how to polish the chrome areas without messing up the paint...and there are many nicks in the emblems that didn't show up before.


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If you sanded the chrome off it will not shine anymore unless you put chrome back on.
 
I'll get some sheets of 2000 and 2500 grit wet and see if that works
 
Look up home made metal polish with Jewelers rouge... some good recipes out there and a lot less abrasive than any sandpaper.
 
OK...I think I got this...all I had was 1000 grit wet but I layed a sheet in the sink and sanded one of the emblems a few minutes till the paper tore.

It looks a lot better just from that...soooo

If I get full sheets of 1000, 1500, 2000 and sand them all for a couple hours it may put a mirror shine on those edges. Lots of elbow grease...:doah:
 
you don't need to go to 2000.. do the 1000, maybe 1200... than put a bit of Finesse It on a buffing pad, hold the buffer between your legs while seated, lock on, and LIGHTLY touch/buff the emblem to the pad... slow speed, and don't let em get flung across the room...

when done, wash em in warm soapy water with a soft paint brush to get any compound out of the nooks and crannies...
 
I sanded and polished them as best I could...they don't look bad...not mirror finish but shiny...and then I mixed my own paint and repainted the yellow parts.
is sloppy and drying right now.
I will go back with a Q-Tip and paint thinner and clean off the raised edges:

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do you think new factory emblems were clear coated with something? :dunno:
 
I'm not completely happy with the results of my emblem restoration...the first mistake I made was thinking they were flat. When I put a sheet of sandpaper down on a flat board and turned the emblems face down and sanded I found that there were high spots and low spots and I actually sheared off some of the high spots. The other issue is that as I sanded the raised letters the metal "spread" and became a little jagged in places...so it became thicker in places and after deburring looks slightly different.

Also, I decided to go ahead and clear coat after I painted them and I am not sure that was the right thing to do...havent decided yet if I will strip them down again and start over. I got the paint too thick inside the letters...I am not sure how they did these at the factory...looks like the paint lays very flat and thin in these things.


This is the best shot I can get right now...the sun hasn't shined here in three whole days...it has rained constantly so I can't get any photos in sunlight and the camera flash just blows it out because of the gloss...they look like crap with the flash because of the hotspots. Natural sunlight is what I want to see them in.



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Got a call from the paint shop yesterday...bodyman came in on the 4th (it was flooding rain here) and finished the driver's side.
So...the hood and tailgate are all that is left...and it should be ready to wetsand.
 
I gotta wonder what the emblems are made of. If its some kind of pot metal, it is never going to take or hold a shine.

I know a lot of those type things were chrome plated.
 
wish I could see an NOS one that never had the sunlight baking it...
 
I have both emblems in my garage, never been repainted or anything. I can snap a few pics tomorrow for you.
 
Fordum said:
I gotta wonder what the emblems are made of. If its some kind of pot metal, it is never going to take or hold a shine.

I know a lot of those type things were chrome plated.
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They kind of are pot metal...but they will take a shine...there's no chrome..never seen any that have ever flaked...
 
Pot metal is mostly an aluminum alloy. You can polish aluminum to a high shine, but it will not hold it unless coated.
Some high grade mirrors are aluminum coated.
Either way, with metal that soft, you need to use a really fine polish compound to get a good shine.
Jeweler's rouge, or maybe even a good cleaner/car wax. When polishing plastic to bring it back clear, I use Johnson's JWax Kit.
A little of it on a polishing bonnet, kept wet to keep the plastic cool, plus low speed, will make a plastic lens clear and scratch free. Might work on your emblems.
 
Looks like I am losing my hood...which I don't know is oem or not...I suspect it is original.

Body shop said the sandblaster warped the hood and the bracing is showing through to the top.
They either want me to pony up $600 to fix the hood or have it replaced at $200.
They said they can't afford to have their bodyman work two days to fix it though. He can lay filler on it but I rattlecanned the underside and they don't want to hand sand that stuff off.

I hate to lose my oem hood.

But on the flip side, if I replace the hood the bodyman says I will probably be able to take the painted Blazer home in two weeks or less.

anybody ever bought an aftermarket hood?:dunno:
 
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