65 Riviera Stainless trim

[willys]

I had someone attempt to repair some dings and polish my stainless trim. Where ever he filed scratches out or laid on the polishing wheel to hard, the color changed to a slight yellowish cast. It seems as if he has removed an outer finish. Could this stainless trim be chrome plated and he has buffed through the chrome? How do you restore this trim?

[old-tank]

Hopefully someone that has done stainless trim on a 65 Riviera will jump in here. All I can offer is some general observations and suggestions.

Be sure that the trim is stainless. Aluminum trim is almost impossible to repair and buff since it has an anodized coating that is very thin and will give a different look if buffed too aggressively.

Some stainless trim IS chrome plated. Some of the trim around the windshield of my 55 CVT is like that, but when buffed thru had a more silvery look than the rest. Also it appears that in this case there was chrome applied on top of the stainless without first copper or nickel plating. If your piece was plated with copper and/or nickel prior to the chrome, try polishing with a paste metal polish on a rag and if the rag has black on it there is copper or nickel there.

On some of my earlier attempts at buffing I got some areas too hot and had some blue or brown/yellow spots that were very hard to fix (had to sand again and start all over with the buffing).

[Pete Phillips]

You can tell from the weight whether it is aluminum or stainless trim on a 1963-65 Riviera. They have both kinds, depending on which piece it is. Willie is right, the aluminum has a coating over it, that is easily rubbed off, and the color will change. Chome plating has nickel or brass underneath it, if you rub or sand too heavily on it, it will change color. Stainless steel should be the same makeup all the way through. I have sanded stainless steel with as much as a 180 grit sandpaper, to take out a scratch, without changing the color.

Pete Phillips

[Guest trevor ward]

Willie...,

I don't for one minute doubt you, saying what you believe

to be stainless with a chromed finish...but why would this

be needed as i have NEVER heard of this before

Surely a piece of stainless buffed to a mirror finish would retain this

high level of finish, without the need for further treatments???

I understand that a long period of inattention would perhaps dull the

lustre a bit...maybe it was to prevent THIS happening??

Just a bit puzzled???????

Love to hear any other peoples experience of this????

Trevor.... '64 Le sabre.....

[Buicks Rule]

Buick DID chrome stainless pieces on some of their more flashy cars. Often times this was done on Convertibles in the 50's through mid 60's to provide that extra jewel-like sparkle and also sometimes to equalize the colors when a stainless piece butted up against a plated pot metal piece.

In 58 chrome plated stainless was used on the Roadmaster 75 and Limited convertibles. I know it was done on some models at least through the mid-60's, but from what I've seen it tended to be a convertible thing. Your plater should be able to tell you if the stainless is plated.

Because stainless flexes, it can be difficult to chrome it and have the chrome adhere, plus it adds to the chroming bill.