Thought I'd share what I have done to refinish the laminated vinyl aluminum trim common to 79-91 Country Squires.
First off, you need to remove the aluminum trim from the car. Not going to detail that here.
Next up, you need to strip the old vinyl and laminate off. My car was in a state of this already being stripped by natural factors, and also much of it remaining on other parts.
The best method I found was burning it off. Apply moderate heat to the back side of the trim until both the laminate and vinyl stop burning. I worked each piece about one foot at a time: one foot up one side (as in the topor bottom of the trim), then again on the other. By the time you finish both sides, the middle is warm enough to do the job without applying any heat.
I used a small torch with MAP gas, since that's what I had on hand. Propane would likely do the job. Don't stay in one place too long or you'll melt it (personal experience talking here - the wheel arches seem to be thinner and heat up quicker). It should burn off fairly clean on the outer side with very little carbon chunks left behind. Here's one in progress, viewed from the front (still heated on the back side)
Once you burned all the vinyl off, sand with 400 grit. Didn't get a picture but sand it until it's clean and looks like dull aluminum trim.
Next up came a coat of self etching primer. I would recommend self etching to help bite the aluminum. Backside edges first, then front.
Now for some color. I used a tan color, Rustoleum Sand in my case. You can choose literally any color you think would look good. This is your base coat and makes up the majority of the color hue you see in the final product. I let this dry for two days before the next step.
Now for the artist part - faking woodgrain. I struggled with this and by no means am I saying this is the best or only way to do this.
You need a tinted polyurethane. I chose Minwax Polyshades in Pecan. I tried at least five other colors and this is the one I liked the best. I encourage you to experiment and pick whatever you like.
Put a quick coat on, sloppy is fine. You want a thin coat on the whole part before it starts drying. Using a brush with coarse bristles, brush the top and bottom (as viewed installed on the car). I had the best luck with a relatively "dry" brush. You'll see the "grain" start to show from the thick/thin that comes from the brush strokes. Now do the middle. Keep going until you are satisfied with how it looks or it dries up. If it dries before you are happy, use some thinner to clean it off and restart. If it's drying too fast as it did in my case, boiled linseed oil will stretch the drying time some without thinning the mixture so that the brush strokes still "pop". It's helpful to remember that woodgrain is naturally a variable look. This method reproduces those variations with a tone that is consistent when viewed from a distance. If you desire a very consistent look like the original, I suggest spraying the poly and using a toothpick to create your grain pattern.
I let this dry for three days and then applied a matte clear enamel. Two days was not enough, as the bottom layers started lifting. Again - your choice of sheen but it needs a clear to protect it since the polyurethane is not an outdoor stable product.
Looking forward to how much better this is going to look than the old peeling stuff!
First off, you need to remove the aluminum trim from the car. Not going to detail that here.
Next up, you need to strip the old vinyl and laminate off. My car was in a state of this already being stripped by natural factors, and also much of it remaining on other parts.
The best method I found was burning it off. Apply moderate heat to the back side of the trim until both the laminate and vinyl stop burning. I worked each piece about one foot at a time: one foot up one side (as in the topor bottom of the trim), then again on the other. By the time you finish both sides, the middle is warm enough to do the job without applying any heat.
I used a small torch with MAP gas, since that's what I had on hand. Propane would likely do the job. Don't stay in one place too long or you'll melt it (personal experience talking here - the wheel arches seem to be thinner and heat up quicker). It should burn off fairly clean on the outer side with very little carbon chunks left behind. Here's one in progress, viewed from the front (still heated on the back side)
Once you burned all the vinyl off, sand with 400 grit. Didn't get a picture but sand it until it's clean and looks like dull aluminum trim.
Next up came a coat of self etching primer. I would recommend self etching to help bite the aluminum. Backside edges first, then front.
Now for some color. I used a tan color, Rustoleum Sand in my case. You can choose literally any color you think would look good. This is your base coat and makes up the majority of the color hue you see in the final product. I let this dry for two days before the next step.
Now for the artist part - faking woodgrain. I struggled with this and by no means am I saying this is the best or only way to do this.
You need a tinted polyurethane. I chose Minwax Polyshades in Pecan. I tried at least five other colors and this is the one I liked the best. I encourage you to experiment and pick whatever you like.
Put a quick coat on, sloppy is fine. You want a thin coat on the whole part before it starts drying. Using a brush with coarse bristles, brush the top and bottom (as viewed installed on the car). I had the best luck with a relatively "dry" brush. You'll see the "grain" start to show from the thick/thin that comes from the brush strokes. Now do the middle. Keep going until you are satisfied with how it looks or it dries up. If it dries before you are happy, use some thinner to clean it off and restart. If it's drying too fast as it did in my case, boiled linseed oil will stretch the drying time some without thinning the mixture so that the brush strokes still "pop". It's helpful to remember that woodgrain is naturally a variable look. This method reproduces those variations with a tone that is consistent when viewed from a distance. If you desire a very consistent look like the original, I suggest spraying the poly and using a toothpick to create your grain pattern.
I let this dry for three days and then applied a matte clear enamel. Two days was not enough, as the bottom layers started lifting. Again - your choice of sheen but it needs a clear to protect it since the polyurethane is not an outdoor stable product.
Looking forward to how much better this is going to look than the old peeling stuff!
Attached Files