Strip and polish. Then coat with this:
https://www.everbritecoatings.com/index.html#gsc.tab=0
I used it on my 65 Coronet front hood trim after bumping, sanding, and polishing and it looks great.
Mike
Everbrite is a horrible product. We resto aluminum grilles and gave it a try earlier this year. Thoroughly cleaned the aluminum surface, had to brush it on, then waited a week for it to fully dry, then it pulled off with masking tape. ProtectaClear is just as bad.
A major waste of time, money and effort, plus we had to clean it off, repolish the Grille and repaint.
The best way to fully protect your polished aluminum is anodize, but you can clear coat it and get away with it for about 5-8 years if waxed regularly and cared for.
Gettin parts anodized today is a nitemare. Like Chromers, there are many shady anodizers and powder coaters out there. Pick an anodizer that you KNOW works thru other people or test them yourself.
We have received anodized Grilles from Customers where the new anodize scraped off by scratching with your fingertip. You can send them a test piece to anodize like a small emblem. If it is good, use them.
Powdercoaters can be a shady bunch also. We sent out a pair of vintage Valve Cover to a powder coater picked by our Customer, here on FABO. They came back overheated and warped too bad to hold a gasket. They cannot be repaired after this. This was a real shocker for me. Turns out some powdercoaters heat to about 200 degrees, but others up to 400.
You can save yourself alot of crap by buying some of the trick aftermarket paints out there and doing it yourself. The trick is to really clean the surface, use a wire brush on a drill, if poss.
