1964 Chevy Chevelle Body Trim Restoration - Factory Fresh

While this still looks pretty rough, the basic shape, width, and body contour are back into our hook trim piece. You can also see that the face is relatively flat.

Using a file, we carefully cut material away to find areas still low on the trim face. The low spots where the file had not scuffed the surface, as seen here, are further worked with hammer and dollies until smooth.

At this point the rough-in work is completed. We used the good piece on the opposite side of the car for comparison of shape and contour. Again, be sure to take your time to get the results you're looking for.

Laborious wet-sanding is necessary to prepare the metal surface for final buffing; this is what's going to get you that show-quality luster. Beginning with 220- or 320-grit sandpaper will cut the file marks and remove the factory anodizing. Using an ample supply of water, we wet-sanded this piece seven times using 220-, 400-, 600-, 800-, 1,000-, 1,500-, and finally 2,000-grit paper.

The sanding is complete, with no visible marks on the hook trim piece. Instead we see a dull metal finish. To give you a better idea of the look we are after, compare it against a trim piece from the opposite side of the car we had already sanded and buffed out.

Like sandpaper, buffing compounds, or rouges, offer various grits to allow you to work at a comfortable pace. We used a two-step process and started with brown, which is a less aggressive grit. Simply load the wheel with rouge prior to starting on any trim piece.

Always wear eye protection, and know that this step doesn't take a lot of pressure. Forcing the trim against the wheel could be disastrous! Simply move the trim slowly, pulling away often to keep from building excessive heat.

Final buffing was accomplished using a white rouge. Always keep the buffing wheels of different rouge compounds separate, using fresh wheels for each.

After being buffed, the finished hook trim piece and repair area are show-quality. Prior to installing it on your project, you can apply clearcoat for protection or leave it as is and polish it from time to time.

On the car our once-mangled hook trim piece looks as good as new, and it only took a few hours from start to finish.