Re: [Chrysler300] Restoring '64K Wheel Cover Centers

Hi Rich,

Restoring those medallions in red, white, and blue has always been an unsolved puzzlement for me. I'm lucky that the needs for my C are able to be fulfilled with excellent reproductions.

With respect to the smooth exteriors of them, you can either use one of the kits they sell these days to undo the sun damage on your modern car headlight plastic, or you can use your own made up sequence of things you already have on your shelves.

I always use whatever grade of sandpaper it takes to get down below the scratches and work the gloss back up from there. I'll normally use the wet-or-dry type. I might start with a 400 or 600 paper, then move up to a 1000 paper and maybe even 2000. At that point an aggressive rubbing compound will get you to a satin surface, and you can follow that up with a fine compound and/or "scratch remover" to make it glisten like glass. Pretty much the same as "color sanding" a base/clear paint job.

Keith Boonstra

On Fri, Nov 1, 2013 at 10:45 PM, Rich Barber <c300@xxxxxxx> wrote:

I’m looking for helpful hints on how to restore the painted backs and clear fronts of the plastic centers of the 14” wheel covers on our ‘64K. I don’t think the centers are reproduced, but would welcome any guidance in that direction. It appears the tiny circumferential grooves were filled with red or blue dye or paint, the white center section finely sprayed on and all covered with a coat of silver-gray paint or primer to seal and protect the colors. The edges between colors are in flash chrome or something similar, but in pretty good shape on mine. Red, blue and white paint has flaked off leaving bare spots and there is some minor rash on the top of the clear convex outer surface.

Are there any artists doing this?
What type of red, white and blue paint has been found to work well in this application without dissolving the plastic?

Any ideas on the silver-gray sealer on the back?
What types and grades of sanding and polishing material can be used to polish light grooves on the exterior surface?

Hurray for the Red, White and Blue!

C-300-K’ly,
Rich Barber