Straightening Stainless Rocker Molding....

[LuckyDevil]

I had an thought today. ( Scary ain't it). I thought to myself, "Self, if you worked on your car as much as you did looking online at cars, you would probably be done by now." No hurt feelings intended for my fellow peers but I decided it was time to get something done.

I started with the upgrade on the oil bath filter element. That took about five minutes.

So then I decided to fix that ugly rocker molding on my drivers side that the previous owner ran down the side of a curb. It was completely flat from the door back. I figured me messing with it couldn't hurt it any worse than it already is. Well, it paid off, needless to say. I was so glad that I was able to fix it with regular old hand tools and a little time.

A few tricks I learned along the way.

Mark a piece of wood with two marks 2 and a half inches apart. That way you can see how wide the stainless is and where you need to bend it back. Then, when you find a wide spot all you do is use a pair of rib joint pliers to bend that spot back into shape. When you compress it, the metal will bend back to its natural arc. Then after you get the entire length to the correct width, use a hammer and a phone book to work the dents and imperfections out of it. I used a phone book because it would be pretty solid to work against but still give way when you hammer on it. You could probably also use a sand bag or something like that.

If you never have attempted to do this before, TRY IT ANYWAYS. All else fails, the piece is still bent and you still have to buy a new one.

[Jim Yergin]

Very, very nice. Congratulations.

Jim Yergin

[adam_knox]

Impressive! I've shared the same thoughts about how much time I spent thinking about what I'm going to do rather than actually doing. The ratio of time thinking vs doing is like 1,000,000,000:1

[thrashingcows]

We all put off doing stuff to chat, so to speak, on-line. I know when I actually buckle down and do what needs to be done I'm amazed at how quickly I got it done.

Nice work on the rocker moldings! I've been tinkering for years straightening and polishing stainless and aluminum. I had never thought to use a old phone book...you could also bend a phone book to take the basic shape of the molding you are working on.....Hmmmm.

[BobT-47P15]

Looks good. Do you have a bench grinder to use to buff/polish the

stainless? Grinders can be had pretty cheap at Harbor Freight, among

other places.

You can buy the rouge sticks that clean and polish, and eventually

when you get the hang of it, that stainless will shine up just like

new. As Ripley said --believe it or not.

[LuckyDevil]

I don't have a buffer or polishing wheel but my brother does. He likes making stuff shiny. Only problem is that he is always busy at work (he is a tattoo artist). We took my dad's chrome over there and it sat for about a year before he touched it.

Plus, if I polished that piece it would make the rest of my trim look bad, so then I would have to polish all the rest, then the car would look bad with shiny trim and bad paint, so then I would have to paint it.... etc, etc. It is like the worlds best ending domino effect. Anyways, the scratches add character. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

[BobT-47P15]

I understand what you're saying.

Just leave it as is, and will blend with the overall character of the

car. Cool........

[Plymouthy Adams]

some cars of this era had stainless trim unbuffed, flat in appearance..actually looks good and hides light scuffs and stuff real well while yet looking good..any buffing of a hammered trim piece will show badly unless filed, sanded and then buffed...

[claybill]

you cant beat a sand bag for straightening small stuff. i have had mine for 25 years..i took half of an old dungaree jean pantleg and sewed up the ends after filling with fine sand (white silica sand really is better)

bill

[Niel Hoback]

Didja ever try a bag full of lead shot?

[thrashingcows]

you cant beat a sand bag for straightening small stuff. i have had mine for 25 years..i took half of an old dungaree jean pantleg and sewed up the ends after filling with fine sand (white silica sand really is better)

bill

Another tidbit of info I will definitely use...Thanks!!

[Plymouthy Adams]

Harbor Freight had a give-away almost on the sand filled leather beater bags..will double for a door stop...

[bobjob55]

i've used phone books ,,, and rubber from old tires ,, but i never thought about a sandbag .. sounds like it should work out better ... guess i need one ...