trying to salvage windows and trim

[mtaqua]

I started getting my windows ready to put back in (quarter windows, doors, front and rear). The front and rear are not too bad. The sides on the other hand I am not happy with. They have some extreme water spots that I can't get off with Windex. I also tried a drill with some really fine polish and foam head. So problem one is the water spots. The other problem with the trim on the sides is pitted kind of bad in the chrome. Can I try to polish it out with some 3000 or 4000 wet sanding? Maybe even 2K? I polished them with metal polish/sealer and they are shinny, but some good surface pitting. Ideas for problem two?

Andrew

 

[zookeeper]

If you're talking about the stainless trim, then yes, you can polish them quite easily. I would start with 400, then move to 600, 800, 1000, 1500 (wet sand at all times) and so on, then buff with Mother's aluminum polish. Sometimes deeper scars require using a file beforehand, but minor scuffs or even sanding damage are easily polished out with sandpaper, soapy water and elbow grease.

 

[2+2GT]

More likely, though, the pitted trim is white metal. Rechroming, or new frames is the only fix.

 

[zookeeper]

Ah yes, I forgot about the always-pitted vent window chrome. No polishing or sanding those, it's either re-plate or replace.

 

[kylehamilton79]

As far as the water spots go, I've used Lime Away to remove them from vehicles before. When I used to detail cars we used sulfuric acid, but you might research if it is safe for windows. It never caused any damage on clear coat paint jobs. I'd just spray it on and let it sit a few seconds then rinse off. It works wonders on steel wheels too for cleaning and removing spots.