Mike's 1973 D22 Complete tear out. From the Roof down!

[Eyez Open]

They are an issue. I simply taped off the thin grill rails with masking tape. Then, I used a sharp razor to trim a fine line along the edges of the grills and coated the rest of the grill with flat black paint.


Here's the tricky part: using 180-grit sandpaper, I carefully sanded the top of the grill lines in one direction to achieve a brushed aluminum effect. It's important to take your time while sanding; a single straight cutting stroke can yield a nicely brushed appearance.



You may want to experiment with 180 to 220-grit sandpaper, depending on the hardness of the aluminum and the finish you prefer.

A 8 hour soak in ocyliac acid will remove any corrosion on that grill

[RockwoodMike]

I simply taped off the thin grill rails with masking tape. Then, I used a sharp razor to trim a fine line along the edges of the grills and coated the rest of the grill with flat black paint.

I would really like to see a picture of that outcome..You have an excellent idea!!

My steps would be..
1. Soda blast everything to get it very clean...

2. with the bench top buffer, just polish the edge as you suggested..That is the front edge..

3..Mask that edge that was just polished with tape..Fine cut the tape to the edge..

4. Flat black on everything that is unmasked..

Excellent idea..Thank You Eyez      

[RockwoodMike]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/364998723396

Maybe some cool fog lights!! 2 behind the grill and 2 on the bumper..

[LJ-TJ]

My suggestion would be to use rubbing compound and a buffer and buff it up to chrome. Then mask the horizontal bars and paint in between the bars black. 

[Eyez Open]

If you brush or sand your grill, it's important to be aware that it is sensitive to the sanding process, which should aim for a bright and uniform finish. Make sure to sand in one direction only, and proceed gently as you go. If you discover an effective grinding method, please share your approach.
The only luck I've had with polishing is with the stuff below. If you get lucky this stuff can really polish

https://www.harborfreight.com/2-12-in-polishing-and-buffing-kit-with-14-in-shank-4-piece-59287.html

Next spring, I will be painting the RV and clear coating the grill, so I have several months of preparation ahead of me.

[RockwoodMike]

That Grill really looks Nice..Excellent Job!!    

I am going to take a long look at this bench top buffer..

https://www.harborfreight.com/8-in-stationary-buffer-58827.html

Look at all the options down at HF..I have all the grill pieces..the corner wall pieces..Exterior door and windows too..

So maybe that bench top buffer is the way to go..Lifetime investment

Since I have been using 6AN fittings for the fuel system, I bought this filter for it all..

I know it is a China import..But I hate to say that I am impressed..

All aluminum..that screen is 30 microns..That is the filter that goes to the pump..Keeps frogs and crickets from getting to the pump..

Then out of the pump in goes to that big spin on filter that has a water separator..then to the carb..

I painted the second white coat on the front face pieces..So I guess it is time for the aluminum trim next

Link for the filters shown here...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/354318779474
 

[RockwoodMike]

My suggestion would be to use rubbing compound and a buffer and buff it up to chrome. Then mask the horizontal bars and paint in between the bars black. 

There is a lot to do..Not only the grill but the 4 wall corner pieces..I haven't even looked at those yet..

After it is buffed up, spray a clear on top to keep it nice?? Or just buff again later when it tarnishes ..??

[RockwoodMike]

Pic 1..Bought the buffer..Came with the cloth wheels..

Pic 2..Wet sanded the item..During the time it was being extruded through the die it leaves full length ridges down it..Those have to be sanded down or it shines through the buffing..Comparison of finished to unfinished..I think these were anodized..

Pic 3..Bought some Stainless screws..self taping..No more rust streaks.

Pic 4..first piece installed..This will be a long tedious procedure..

No idea what to do about the grill..Paint it all black..total black out..

[Eyez Open]

Great job! How much effort did it take to keep the buffer clean enough to achieve a high polish? At first, I blacked out mine, and it looked massive! It completely overwhelmed the front end. For some reason, grills seem to get very personal for people.

[RockwoodMike]

I have no idea what I am doing here..trying to find the most efficient method to do this..So far the best I have come up with is this...

Pic 1..Using a spray bottle with Simple Green..Clean it with a scotch brite pad with it wet with the Simple Green..

Pic 2..Using brown and white compound..I think brown is more coarse than white..

Pic 3..After the scotch brite, you can see the ridges made during the extrude process..That needs to be eliminated or it will take forever and look terrible..

[RockwoodMike]

Pic 4..400 grit wet dry paper in the RO sander..It must be wet with the Simple Green..if it is dry, you will see the swirl circles from the sandpaper in the metal..Use plenty of wetness to keep that from happening..

It will take some effort to eliminate the ridges from the extrude process..

Pic 5..Using the brown compound..left side for the brown..white on the right buffer wheel..
You just have to bear down and work it..If you get rid of the ridges from the wet sanding, the buffing goes a lot faster..

And then to top it off..Mother's aluminum polish in the jar..It cleans the buffing compound and does that last little shine..

The main trick is getting rid of those ridges..you can hardly see them till you try to polish and they look awful..Wet sanding is the only way I have come up with so far..

[RockwoodMike]

Found this chart on the grit of each color..Course to fine..left to right..

Maybe get some gray if it speeds things up..

[Eyez Open]

Your experiencing what I call sensitive material. Aluminum is very tricky to polish up,the very reason I went to a brushed finish. One can hide blemishes quite easily as long as you brush in one direction only.Abit like using a matte finish paint instead of a high gloss enamel.High gloss is quite unforgiving.

If I remember correctly white and green seem to get good results. I also used a chemical cleaner when ever possible. This type of work build character they say...bat chit crazy character goes to mind

You can cut a 1/2 wood strip and attach to your trim peice.  That makes a much more stable platform to work with.

[LJ-TJ]

I guess it would be safe to say you've already seen this video.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Master+Tech+Winnebago+Restoration&sca_esv=ce1e5b86bac9726b&ei=IeY5Z9DBIP7s5NoPqqaquQQ&ved=0ahUKEwiQ1pS-s-OJAxV-NlkFHSqTKkcQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=Master+Tech+Winnebago+Restoration&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiIU1hc3RlciBUZWNoIFdpbm5lYmFnbyBSZXN0b3JhdGlvbjIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABSJ2JAVC7A1j8gQFwA3gBkAEBmAGZB6AB-iCqAQw5LjEyLjAuMS42LTK4AQPIAQD4AQGYAhqgAooewgIKEAAYsAMY1gQYR8ICDRAAGIAEGLADGEMYigXCAg4QABiwAxjkAhjWBNgBAcICFhAuGIAEGLADGEMY1AIYyAMYigXYAQHCAhkQLhiABBiwAxhDGMcBGMgDGIoFGK8B2AEBwgIFEAAYgATCAgsQLhiABBjHARivAcICCxAuGIAEGNQCGOUEwgIKEAAYgAQYQxiKBcICGhAuGIAEGMcBGK8BGJcFGNwEGN4EGOAE2AEBwgINEC4YgAQYxwEYChivAcICCxAAGIAEGJECGIoFwgIHEAAYgAQYCsICBhAAGBYYHsICBxAhGKABGArCAgsQABiABBiGAxiKBcICCBAAGIAEGKIEwgIEECEYFZgDAIgGAZAGEroGBggBEAEYCZIHDDUuMTkuMC4xLjYtMaAHkG8&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:bae84bdf,vid:WwhPdWPtm_8,st:0

[RockwoodMike]

I guess it would be safe to say you've already seen this video.

Yes I have..And the build video. My response..He ruined it..Slide outs!?!? Outside TV!?!?..come on!!!

In the first video, he said the side walls were completely replaced..Yea, I will give him that one..I guess with slide outs you need better side walls..

I can understand restoring and making it better..But this was too much..

[RockwoodMike]

This is how it is done..A museum piece.

[LJ-TJ]

  Yeah I couldn't agree with you more. However that's the gentleman's business. I'm sure all he was trying to do was show what his business was capable of. I personally love my 75 just the way it is. Well sort of. You've been an inspiration and have allowed me to think out side the box. Because of the way you show how to do things and what parts your buying and were to get them and how to fix them. My old girl is starting to come along in leaps and bounds. There's no doubt in my mind you are  inspiring many more who are finding this web site.Keep up the good work your amazing.Thanks T.J. from Canada.  

[RockwoodMike]

I think I have a reasonable solution to the aluminum extrude markings and getting rid of them to create a good polish..

I tried to use 80 grit sandpaper to quickly sand down the extrude marks..

DON"T DO THAT!! Yea it got rid of those marks but now you have deep swirl marks from the 80 grit..BIG MISTAKE!!

Using the 400 wet dry RO sandpaper..with soapy water..When you start sanding it, it will create a dark gray soapy slurry that covers up the aluminum and you can't see the surface of he aluminum..

So you must stop, take the sandpaper off the RO sander and rinse everything in the sink..it will wash everything off including the sandpaper..The paper gets plugged up..rinsing will clean it off..

I had to do the routine about 5 times to finally get a nice satin finish with no extrude marks..ready for the buffer..

Brown color compound..Load it on the wheel and do about 2-3 inches of the aluminum..Load more compound..About 1-2 seconds holding it to the wheel..

2-3 inches more..more compound..It will be very nice!!..Mothers aluminum polish to finish..

I just did the face of the aluminum as shown in the pictures..Inside edge to be painted black..

I think it looks good and I can get this part of this project done..

I just masked the polished face and with satin black, did the inside edge..

Drying right now..

[RockwoodMike]

You can cut a 1/2 wood strip and attach to your trim peice.  That makes a much more stable platform to work with.

I have been shoving the piece into the edge of the table (apiece of the original flooring on saw horses) with one hand and working the RO with the other..

About a 2-3 inch length of trim is sanded at a time then shifted to the next area..

[Eyez Open]

It looks like you got this! It will be fun to watch how you work through it and your final results.

[RockwoodMike]

Still working on things..It will never end!! 

Here is the jacked up center piece..Needs total restoration..We can do it!!

Going to replace the aluminum pieces..Just 3/4 angle aluminum..Get it at Lowe's..

Back side shows plenty of history..

Rivets drilled out and time to clean it all up

[RockwoodMike]

Rings around the headlights..

[LJ-TJ]

WOW! Holy Cow. That looks fantastic. Defiantly worth the effort if you ask me.   I may have to do mine now. Nuts

[Eyez Open]

First Great Work! Now a warning...that trim work could greatly over shadow your body work/paint job. That can become annoying after awhile. Runs in the same vein as watching a lefthanded golfer.   

That center peice, could a honey comb grill insert be substituted.

[Elandan2]

Looking fantastic !! But if he replaces the center piece with a honeycomb grille he will lose points with the concours judges.