Refinishing polished aluminum trim

Does anyone have some good ideas to finish polished aluminum parts?

I have a lot of trim pieces for my Ranchero that are a combination of old used, NOS, or polished parts. I like the original finish, but none of mine look that way except the three rear NOS bed trim pieces I have. The lower side pieces(72-74 Gran Torino wide trim with grey painted middle section), those are all used and need refinishing.

Two of those pieces I have to recreate/fabricate from four original 2dr parts, the trim behind the doors and the rear wheel. Those are too short for a Ranchero, but two cut up and welded together can make them long enough.

I have the front three bed trim pieces polished and I love that finish, but preserving it, that's really tough. I just ordered two pairs of the long bed trim pieces, from Mac's Auto. BTW, their shipping is nuts, be sure to call in the order to get the best shipping price. Online it was $600 for those and four armrests, over the phone the trim pairs were $75 shipping, and they changed the cost to $74 total for shipping, I had ordered the other four parts before hand.

I'd like a clear coating on the polished AL, if something could be applied to it. But polished aluminum is not a clean surface to adhere powder coat onto, it's filled with contaminants that stop paint from sticking properly. I'd like a good automotive clear coat to work if it could.

This issue would also apply to things like polished AL valve covers. I have a couple pairs of those from Ford that I might like to leave polished instead of painted.

Any thoughts, please chime in. I'm not close to doing any final finish work, but this might one of the hardest tasks. I wish the man who used to do the AL trim work was still working, he could help a lot I'm sure, especially the thin aluminum welding and metal work.

I use Eastwoods High Gloss 2K clear.Goes on great doesn't yellow over time.

Not cheap $20.00 a car but covers a lot.

Part Number 14148z

I have been using this for 3 years and it works if you follow the directions.

You will have to wear a good mask-not the dust masks you buy at Home depot etc. and be in a well ventilated area.

Greg

Thanks Greg, I like Eastwood products. My favorite is their Rust Dissolver, which is thin like water and weeps into seams. It's excellent to spray onto most car parts and leave it, it doesn't hurt many materials and can be painted directly over.

I have a gallon of the Alsa clear if I decide to experiment with automotive clear. I got it to begin mixing a custom paint for my Lincoln, and it's time to get to that also.

Thanks Greg, that's been my plan for valve covers, to spray them with the same paint as the body, and clear.

The old NOS Ford Motorsports VC's I have for a Cleveland I want to keep the polished appearance on. Those look perfect as they are, the look is what I like for an old Ford etc. The new 73 I just bought has a similar version VC, they just say "351 Cleveland" instead. They look pretty good for what I'd guess is eight years of age on the engine, bare.