who is reputable for restoring stainless steel trim and trim rings?

[resq302]

Has anyone had any stainless steel restoration work done to items such as windshield trim or trim rings?  I have a set of windshield moldings from my dads el camino and a set of 4 1969 trim rings off of my charger that need to be straightend and restored.

I am looking for someone who is good that does quality concourse work and has reasonable prices.  I have never had stainless stuff repaired or straightened as I have only used the buffing wheel kit from Eastwood in my basement.  Stuff that does not have any dents or dings I have had come out excellent but I do not have the skills or the know how to straighten out dimples and dents.

Thanks for your help.

Brian

[mikepmcs]

I'll just piggyback and  bump this thread so I don't start another one. I am curious to know how to remove the little dings/dents/creases myself in the stainless.  Does anyone have any idea how this can be done in my basement by me.  And a reputable repair shop as well for resq302.

thanks
v/r
Mike 

[resq302]

Mike, I ended up playing around with the two trim rings I have after getting a buffing kit with mini hammer and anvil from the EAstwood company.  So far they are turning out better than what I thought and I have some pretty high standards.  I also picked up the expander sanding belt wheel.  Seems to make the whole process a lot easier as there is no more hand sanding really, only detail sanding left to get any sand lines out.  The hardest part of this whole trim thing is it takes A LOT of time and patience to get it perfect as with the stainless steel, it has to be perfect as the more you make it shine, the more it gives off any imperfections or flaws.

[mikepmcs]

302
My trim is the outside trim around the roofline and stuff.  You know the 1/2  PITA trim..I don't think I can get an anvil to work for that but i guess i could fabricate something for it to rest on and make it straight(wood).  My vehicle is a driver and although i'm an anal freak, if i had perfect trim, the rest of the car might look worse than it is.  LOL
good thing is, i read all these trim threads before i put the heat to it, DOH!.  That would have been bad.
thanks for the info though.


v/r
Mike

[resq302]

Well with your trim, you would need to take it off prior to using the trim hammer and mini anvil.  Basically, you need to take all of the trim and mounting clips off in order to straighten everything.  From what I have been finding, it is an art very much the same as metal fabrication.  VERY time consuming.

[mikepmcs]

How about a mini english wheel as in a window screen roller. i think it can work.

[no318]

JB's Metal Polishing @ http://www.jbpolishing.com/home.html or 402-362-6066.  John is very good and very reasonable.  If he can't do it, he will say so.   We are in the same town and he is a trusted friend & businessman.

[resq302]

No318,

Does he do trim rings?  The problem I have found is that the majority of the stainless steel resto people do not want to do the trim rings due to the compound curves they have and fine compound lines that are on them.

[no318]

I can't say for sure on that.  Give him a call and tell him that Kevin sent you.  He'll treat you right and tell you if he can't do it.

[bill440rt]

Brian,
My father actually restored & buffed ALL of the stainless trim on my cars. It's his specialty, sort of a hobby. He is currently doing stainless trim rings for a '31 Something-or-Other for the body shop owner where I sprayed my car. You've seen the trim on my cars, so you can base your opinion from there.

I can tell you from past experience, the GM stainless trim is a lesser quality than the Mopar stuff. It's thinner & harder to work with, I think it was a lower-grade stainless, or a stainless "alloy."

I could talk to him & see if he'd be interested in tackling some more side work. It would all depend on the condition your trim is in. Everything is done in his basement. Best of all, you wouldn't have to worry about your parts getting damaged in shipping.

Let me know (PM) exactly what/how much trim you want restored.
BTW, aren't your trim rings supposed to be brushed?? 

[resq302]

Bill,

With the exception of my trim rings, all of my stainless stuff is in pretty good shape I think so no need to remove and polish it.  So far the job I am doing is turning out pretty good I think, what judges think is something totally different.  You are partially correct as the inner part of the trim ring was brushed but the outer ring part was polished.  It actually makes the restoration and metal work easier as the brushed area will hide some of the scratches left from sanding and such.

I know a lot of the GM stuff, at least on our el camino, was annodized alluminum such as the door glass trim and such.  I know that the windhshield trim and possibly the rear window trim was stainless but body moldings and such probably were annodized alluminum.

[Silver R/T]

Id like to have my stainless restored also.