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In early automotive trim, the stainless steel
was of high quality. By the early 1950s, an extraordinary
amount of stainless and aluminum trim appeared on cars but it
no longer met the same standards. As a result of the Korean
Conflict, quality stainless steel was in short supply, and
cheaper stainless had to be found. The difference between
“superior” stainless and “inferior” stainless is a high level
of iron in the latter.
 If
noticeable amounts of rust don’t give it away (have you
removed trim and found the fastening clips rust-welded to the
back side?), an experiment will indicate the differences in
the purity of the metal. Place a magnet on a Ford Model A
grill shell: it will slide off. Place it on stainless produced
after the early 50’s: there will be an attraction. Mind you,
not a good type of attraction. Post-Korean Conflict pieces are
flash-chromed to prevent rusting owing to the high iron
content. Ironically, some of the worst quality stainless is on
the automobiles with the most trim, where it is meant to be
the most remarkable - like late 50’s General Motors cars.
Flash-chromed stainless trim poses potentially serious
problems at the start of the restoration process. Anything
that has compromised the thin chrome finish - a stone ding,
slight scratch, or any fracture in the chrome veneer - results
in unseen damage to both the front and back surfaces of this
trim. The entire piece becomes vulnerable. Water, road salt
and other chemicals work their way through these slightly
damaged areas, and can cause pits and corrosion beneath the
chrome. This can start from the back (usually around metal
clips) and work its way to the surface or start at the surface
and work its way toward the back. Sometimes they meet each
other. Therefore, what looks like a small imperfection can
grow in size the more you try to fix it, usually by sanding
the surface. Frequently, this leads to creating a hole, or a
cluster of abrasions, on the surface of your trim.
Another issue with flash-chrome trim: the more you polish it,
the worse it may look. The surface can take on the appearance
of orange peel,akin to paint before it is color sanded. Why?
The heat from polishing has melted off iron molecules, and
this results in an uneven surface.
I cannot overstate the importance of the following:
Not ALL
stainless trim can be restored, even if it looks straight and has
no dents. If your trim has small brown spots on the surface,
it is rust. Most of the time, what you see is a small
indication of the damage that the piece has sustained. |
Important, Please Read This
Stainless trim restoration involves removing dents, scratches,
pits, and any other imperfections prior to polishing.
Beginning in the 50’s during the Korean Conflict, quality
stainless steel was not available to auto manufacturers, so
they used a lesser quality that can be easily identified by
placing a magnet on the trim. Good quality stainless will not
hold a magnet, poor quality stainless will. The manufacturers
would “flash chrome” their trim to keep it from rusting.
Often, you see the mounting clips rust welded to the back side
of stainless.
Anything that fractures, scratches, or compromises this thin
chrome veneer will allow moisture and chemicals to attack the
stainless causing pits and corrosion. Worse yet, corrosion can
start from the back side around the clips and migrate to the
front of the piece. This type of damage can not be repaired.
Flash chromed trim is also much harder to properly restore
because of the iron content. The more you polish it the worse
it looks. The heat from polishing will throw off the iron and
create a finish much like orange peel in paint.
 Most
of the pits and corrosion can be sanded out, but in the rare
instance, it is possible to sand through an edge or corner
while attempting to repair the damaged areas. Occasionally, I
receive trim that has been worked on before or someone has
attempted to pound out the dents, causing even more damage. I
can not guarantee the results of any piece that has had
previous repair or someone else’s mistakes.
Not all stainless trim can be restored. While I highly
recommend restoring the trim that came on your car, it is also
a good idea to start out with the best pieces possible. Any
stainless trim that has holes drilled through it can be welded
shut, but the heat from the welding almost always causes the
piece to warp in the area of the weld.
A very high percentage of the stainless trim that I see come
through my shop has been seriously damaged by improperly
removing the trim from the vehicle. Not only are there
depressions where each of the clips were, but there is a
rebound effect caused when the clip finally releases. This
rebound can cause a bulge to appear next to the depression.
IT IS VERY DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPLETELY
RESTORE THIS TYPE OF DAMAGE!
In addition to destroying an otherwise beautifully straight
piece, it also significantly increases the cost of repair. You
simply can not get a screw driver and pry your trim off
without ruining it.
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