Cleaning rust off of gauge face on instrument cluster

Discussion in 'Interior City' started by 66electrafied, Jul 18, 2017.

  1. 66electrafied

    66electrafied Just tossing in my nickel's worth

    It's for a 66 Fullsize; the actual speedo dial is plastic, and that's not the problem. Nor was the cruise control indicator lens which had turned white in the sun. I think I can get the rust streaks off the plastic parts, but I'm not entirely sure. The problem is with the mask that goes in between the lens and the speedo face, it's made out of tin and it's painted flat black. It has rusty edges and a few streaks of rust going down it. How do I clean it up without making a mess of it and having to repaint the whole thing?
    The car is a driver, not a show car. That said, I'd like it to be presentable, and not something that attracts my eye every time I look at it.
    Here are a couple of shots;

    IMG_0416.JPG IMG_0417.JPG
     
  2. 66electrafied

    66electrafied Just tossing in my nickel's worth

    Gonna have to see if I can find it...
    Thanks!
     
  3. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    I would be very careful cleaning that. Windex will wipe those white letters off with one swipe. Evaporust will destroy them. The numbers on a clock face of an old gas pump are baked enamel. That paint is tuff stuff. Not so with the gauge face.
     
  4. CJay

    CJay Supercar owner Staff Member

    What you can do is bring that gauge face to a sign shop and have them make a black faced vinyl decal. That way you can sand the gauge face, paint it in satin black and then apply the decal. On the down side, the decal will probably cost you $60 but you'd probably get a sheet of them that you can cut out
     
  5. 66electrafied

    66electrafied Just tossing in my nickel's worth

    That's probably the safest and best option; right now I've spot sanded it with 12,000 grit sandpaper and it doesn't look too bad. Managed to work the bad spots down to the metal without blowing through the paint. Now it's just a matter of matching up the touch ups. The larger areas are not visible through the lens, so they can be easily reduced and sprayed. But there's an area on the shift quadrant that has started to rust underneath the paint. Whereas the other stuff isn't as visible that area will catch every reflection, so a decal might be the best solution. Thanks!
     
  6. Buickboy66

    Buickboy66 Active Member

    Evaporust is available at "Crappy Tire" (and therefore, probably Part Source as well).
     
  7. 66electrafied

    66electrafied Just tossing in my nickel's worth

    Thank you Sir!
     

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