please tell me I didn't ruin my expensive chrome bumpers

[BarryK]

Bob

at this rate, by the time I've learned enough to actually hand out advice to others I'll be broke and would have had to sell the car as each thing I learn turns out to be pretty expensive.
Case in point: it's cost me 8 months and many $$$'s on this current body/paint project and this all started because I hadn't known about putting a towel across the chrome air cleaner with the hood up to eliminate reflections of the sun off it onto bottom of the hood causing the paint to blister on top of the hood.........
That was a VERY expensive lesson to learn the hard way!!!!!
Now this lesson learned the hard way about chrome.
I think the last car I had that had real chrome (as opposed to the fake plastic "chrome" trim pieces most cars have had over the last 25 years) was my first car when I was 12 and picked up an Austin Healy. I just drove that little A-H all over our farm but wasn't too concerned about the chrome at the time or proper care of it.

So far, the best thing I've learned is for ME not to touch ANYTHING on my car or i'll be sure to screw it all up: Don't raise the hood outside, don't touch the chrome, don't touch the motor or anything else on the car if I want it to keep working or not get damaged!

 

[67HEAVEN]

Case in point: it's cost me 8 months and many $$$'s on this current body/paint project and this all started because I hadn't known about putting a towel across the chrome air cleaner with the hood up to eliminate reflections of the sun off it onto bottom of the hood causing the paint to blister on top of the hood.........

My solution for the above problem....

 

[BarryK]

My solution for the above problem....

yeah, yeah, yeah........show off!!

 

[BarryK]

ok, well, I've tried using wax and I tried the toothpaste suggestion but nothing is getting the swirl marks off the chrome bumper. Looks like i'll have to live with it as it is now for a while until I can afford another replacement unit.

on all the others i'm going to just use a wet cloth to GENTLY wipe them down down to get the dust off and than just apply the wax and be done with it.
The wax I have is Meguiar's #26 which I believe is only a pure wax and NOT a cleaner or polishing wax so does everyone think that should be safe enough? I already wiped down one of the other bumpers just with the wet rag and it cleaned up great with no marks, swirls or anything else and it shines perfectly like a mirror. All it needs is the wax on it now.
I shouldn't have tried to get "fancy" using the chrome cleaner on the first one but it's too late to do anything about that now.

 

[00fxd]

I used to work at a chrome shop. Never use any chrome polish on your nice new chrome. Treat you chrome like paint using ony your best paint products. You will not now get the swirls out. You may be able to fill them with several coats of wax.

 

[BarryK]

00fxd
where were you and John yesterday morning BEFORE I went and used the chrome polish!
That 3M chrome & metal polish is in the trash now before I go and ruin anymore expensive chrome

 

[stepinwolf]

Sad to hear

00fxd
where were you and John yesterday morning BEFORE I went and used the chrome polish!
That 3M chrome & metal polish is in the trash now before I go and ruin anymore expensive chrome

My initial responce recommending the use of bug cleaner, looks as though it has been lost in the flood of replys you have received. I find this sad, knowing very well that it's the only product that would have worked, and not damaged the your chrome or paint. I'm hoping that maby someday in the future, you will remember my recommendations the next time you need to refresh a plated, or painted surface.

Having something simular happen to me many years ago I know the feeling. I'm sorry for your loss.

Bob

 

[JJS]

My initial responce recommending the use of bug cleaner, looks as though it has been lost in the flood of replys you have received. I find this sad, knowing very well that it's the only product that would have worked, and not damaged the your chrome or paint. I'm hoping that maby someday in the future, you will remember my recommendations the next time you need to refresh a plated, or painted surface.

Having something simular happen to me many years ago I know the feeling. I'm sorry for your loss.

Bob

hey, c'mon....it's not the end of the world!
It's only 1 of four that has some swirls. Take care of the other 3, and nobody will notice the one. You'll know the swirls are there, but you'll also be the only one that it bothers. I have the swirls in mine, and just about everyone comments on how nice my chrome is. Don't worry about the little stuff, and look at it this way - you already have something to do next winter!

-John

 

[tomtom72]

Hi Barry, Sorry to hear about what happened to the chrome! I would suggest this as a methode for the remaining new chrome parts:

1) wash with car shampoo
2) dry w/leaf blower & or waffle weave M/F towel
3) If spotted like water spots use a paint cleaner with out abrasives, a chemical cleaner like Sonus Paint Cleanser etc. You don't need this step now
4) Try this now for the swirlls: Zaino Z5 polish, it has fillers & no abrasives.
5) Your choice of a last step product, like wax or polymer. I would use polymer for chrome wheels as first layer or Klasse AIO as it will do cleaning & leave polymer layer and then use a wax or another polymer. I prefer polymers for the firat two coats and then I use wax as a LSP for the sparkle w/depth.

I bought new chrome wheels for my vette & did shampoo, dry, AIO x 2, Luster seal sealer, Zymol sealer, Menzerna FMJ x 3. I used all microfiber towels at all steps(different ones for each product). The applicators were what the product called for at each step & the final buff off of FMJ was with a DF concours towel.

I think the Zaino Z5 will help make most of the swirlls not be visable.
Good luck & all is not lost! Tom

 

[BarryK]

My initial responce recommending the use of bug cleaner, looks as though it has been lost in the flood of replys you have received. I find this sad, knowing very well that it's the only product that would have worked, and not damaged the your chrome or paint. I'm hoping that maby someday in the future, you will remember my recommendations the next time you need to refresh a plated, or painted surface.

Having something simular happen to me many years ago I know the feeling. I'm sorry for your loss.

Bob

Bob
my apologies, I did manage to miss the suggestion of the bug removal product. By the time I posted this thread it would have been too late anyway as the swirl marks were already in the chrome from using the chrome polish. I was just hoping there may have been a suggestion that would allowed me to remove the swirl marks but it looks as though they are there to stay much to my regret until I can buy a new bumper.
I've been laid off my job for a year now and have only been doing some sidework so a new bumper will have to wait for a little while as the current paintjob being done on the car is taking most of what I can spare out of the budget.
The lesson here learned is NEVER use chrome & metal polish on chrome pieces! Geez, go figure, more CRAP on the market that does nothing but damage what it's used on rather than actually do the job it's marketed to do. What a surprise! :eyerole

 

[BarryK]

hey, c'mon....it's not the end of the world!
It's only 1 of four that has some swirls. Take care of the other 3, and nobody will notice the one. You'll know the swirls are there, but you'll also be the only one that it bothers. I have the swirls in mine, and just about everyone comments on how nice my chrome is. Don't worry about the little stuff, and look at it this way - you already have something to do next winter!

-John

Hi John

yeah, I'm sure I'll be the only one that notices the swirls on the one bumper, but knowing it's there will bother ME.
As for next winter, my list of things to do on the car is already long enough and expensive enough, I sure didn't need to add to the list.

It's amazing, when you purchase a car that had already gone through a complete body-off restoration (except for the paint), you shouldn't have a list of "to-do" items as long as mine is.........especially when the restoration was done only about 500 miles before I bought it.

 

[BarryK]

TomTom

thanks for the suggestions.
I never tried the Zaino products but I know from others on here that they are supposed to be pretty good

 

[JJS]

Hi John

yeah, I'm sure I'll be the only one that notices the swirls on the one bumper, but knowing it's there will bother ME.
As for next winter, my list of things to do on the car is already long enough and expensive enough, I sure didn't need to add to the list.

It's amazing, when you purchase a car that had already gone through a complete body-off restoration (except for the paint), you shouldn't have a list of "to-do" items as long as mine is.........especially when the restoration was done only about 500 miles before I bought it.

Barry,
I hear ya on all fronts, as mine was (not fresh, but close) a body off
resto when I purchased it.

I was driving on a highway very early in the morning one Saturday a couple of years back....nobody on the road except for a pickup truck, maybe 15-20' to my right, in the right lane (I was in the middle). Next thing I notice is a broken tail light about 20' in the path of the pickups tires...I saw this coming before it ever happened. The pickup ran over the broken plastic and threw a chunk right into my lower front hood. I was hoping it just glanced off without doing any damage.

When I got home I noticed what "I" thought were two huge gouges in the fiberglass, just under the left front headlight. I called a guy in MA that specializes in corvette resto's, and he told me he could "touch-up" any color except Nevada Silver (color of my car), and he told me that if he did anything to it, it would come out looking worse.

When he finally saw the car, he thought I was crazy! From what I described, and what the damage actually was, were two drastically different things...at least from his persepective. I KNEW IT WAS THERE, and it bothered (and still does) the sh*t out of me!

Also, my chrome has swirls (although still nice), and I hope "I" didn't do it....I always use Mother's chrome polish....at least I used to.

Hope everything works out for you! -John

 

[BarryK]

John

my suggestion, now learned from hard luck, is to NOT use the Mother's chrome polish on yours anymore. Mother's, 3M, etc, it's probably all the same stuff. As JohnZ and a few others mentioned, don't use it, it will only scratch as I've learned.
I tossed my chrome polish in the trash and will never buy it again, no matter what brand it is ( I also had Mother's Chrome polish also and threw that away same as I did the 3M.
These chrome pieces are too expensive to risk ever using it again.
Chances are the swirls on your chrome is also from the chrome polish.

 

[JJS]

John

my suggestion, now learned from hard luck, is to NOT use the Mother's chrome polish on yours anymore. Mother's, 3M, etc, it's probably all the same stuff. As JohnZ and a few others mentioned, don't use it, it will only scratch as I've learned.
I tossed my chrome polish in the trash and will never buy it again, no matter what brand it is ( I also had Mother's Chrome polish also and threw that away same as I did the 3M.
These chrome pieces are too expensive to risk ever using it again.
Chances are the swirls on your chrome is also from the chrome polish.

Yeah, I caught that advice, Barry. That's why I said "at least I used to" when refering to the Mother's "Chrome Polish." Mine will be in the trash tomorrow.....it's a b*tch to get off anyway if you let it sit. That's probably what causes the scratches...you have to exert a lot of pressure in order to remove it, if it sits for a while.

-John

 

[tomtom72]

Hi Barry, The only reason I suggested Zaino "Z5 Show Car Polish" is that it is not abrasive, has no abrasives in it, and it has fillers to hide swirl marks. At least that is what the web site says. If it hides the swirls then maybe you save the $ on a re-chrome job? Those swirls are not like paint swirls that you can buff down with a ROB & some abrasive unless there is a rouge you could get from a chrome plating place? Obviously they must buff it with something before delivery?? Tom

 

[BarryK]

Tom

I don't know what the plating shops use before delivery. I'll have to check with one and see if they have any suggestions.

hmmmmm, JohnM and Larry do a lot of polishing work, maybe they will chime in with a suggestion also.

 

[tomtom72]

Barry, I'm sorry I didn't think of it earlier!! I was watching one of those car shows on Spike( used to be TNN) & the two guys garage or the one with Dennis Gage... anyway they ran thru the re-chrome & chrome plating process. I remember seeing the final steps, I forgot how many buffs with different rouges. Anyway just a thought instead of buying new chrome straight off maybe a pro can re-buff the bumper. How bad could it be because all it is is micro-marring. That's about all you can do by hand unless you use 600 grit wet paper!!

Just don't use any polish on the rest of the new stuff! Not to sound like a know-it-all(cause I'm not!). I did about a month worth of reading before I ever washed my new ZR-1! I didn't realize how things have changed in 20 yrs & I did not want to mess up the car I just got. Autotopia.com has an e-book that's worth a read! JMHO, Tom.

 

[BarryK]

Tom

this is just yet another case where I learn what NOT to do the hard way!

At least I already asked my painter how to take care of the new paint job so I won't screw that up also.

nope, no more polish at all being used anywhere at all on this car. just water and wax and quick detailer. In fact, i'll just be using the wax on my SS and chrome pieces as my painter said don't bother to use wax on the new paint, just use a quick detailing spray. Since it's garage kept and used only on nice days and gets very limited milage he said a full wax isn't needed and the quick detailer is all i'll need. i'm sure others will disagree with that but my painter has over 30 years experience with working on older Vettes and since i have NO experience i'll take his word on paint related matters.

 

[BarryK]

Can you post a picture?

Larry, as per your request here are a few pics. The first two show the swirl marks on the one bumper from the polish I used. The last 2 pics are one of the other bumpers that I didn't touch yet except to wipe down with a wet rag.
You can see the huge difference between the two pieces and how bad the chrome polish scratched up the one bumper I used.

sorry the pics aren't any better - it wasn't easy taking the pics because of the light reflecting off the chrome and trying to get the right angle to have the swirl scratches show up.

I hope they show up ok posted on here

scratched bumper pic 1

scratched bumper pic 2

good bumper pic 1

good bumper pic 2