Aluminum Windshield Cleaning and dash restoring

[wakeup 19]

Hi all, getting close to that time up north here. I was wondering if anyone has had success restoring the aluminum windshield frame on the older 90's Rays? mine is chalky looking and hoping to get it looking better this season.
Also, dash on my 92' is very faded and wanted to see if that could be cleaned up. I was thinking of using the material that they us to restore faded bumpers on cars. I tried compound last year with no luck. I don't want to paint the whole thing as some of it is smooth and some is rough like non-skid type. It is a dark grey.
thanks and look forward to your replies.

 

[dwna1a]

Have you tried NeverDull on the aluminum?

 

[Gofirstclass]

Neverdull should work. Another thought--all you need is a mild abrasive. Have you thought about toothpaste on a rotary buffer?

For the faded helm, give ArmorAll a try.

 

[SCORPIO]

Take a look at these before and after pics of my dash on my 89 300DA.
Before http://clubsearay.com/album.php?albumid=613&attachmentid=21847
After http://clubsearay.com/album.php?albumid=613&attachmentid=19832
This was done using, commercial grade acrylic floor wax. I got it at Lowes, comes in a gallon for about $30, which would last a lifetime. I cleaned the dash with soap and water and dried, then used a clean cotton cloth to wipe on several coats of the stuff. It dries in minutes and is not slick like Armor All or other silicone based products. Each season I wipe on one or two maint. coats and forget about it for a year. I did this the first time in 2008 and it still looks like the second pic 8 seasons later. You can also remove it with acrylic floor wax remover and water if you ever decide you want to paint the dash.

 

[wakeup 19]

Thanks for the replies I will look for the acrylic wax and try Never dull and toothpaste and let you know. any other thoughts?

 

[tdschafer]

When my windshield frame showed corrosion in several areas I removed it, broke it down to the individual pieces & had it cleaned & powder coated with a nice clear coat. That's a lot of effort though so if yours isn't that bad I'd try the previously mentioned remedies!


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Todd

 

[zielke]

I had my 1990 310 dash repainted. It went from maroon to a hatteras tan. Looks AWSOME!! Pm me and I can send you a picture. Updated the boat!!

 

[wakeup 19]

i will look for acrylic floor wax. looks easier than painting. has it peeled/flaked at all?

 

[SCORPIO]

No, it hasn't peeled and its been on since 2008. If it ever does look like it needs stripped, it can be done easily with commercial floor wax remover, available from Lowes for about 10 bucks a gallon in concentrate form. Its not a big area so it wouldn't take much work to remove it. Much easier than painting, which is what I was going to do if I couldn't revive my old dash. It worked great.

The secret to a long lasting finish is put on a lot of coats when you first do the job and then a few maint. coats annually. I put on about 8-10 coats the first time and usually apply about 3 or so each spring. I know that sounds like a lot of work but its not. I usually do this on a warm day and one coat goes on in few minutes. Some terry cloth towels and a rubber glove and squeeze bottle to dispense the stuff and just wipe it on. It only takes a few minutes to dry, generally by the time you make it across the dash, you can go back and start the next coat. The hardest part on my boat is the area just behind the windshield, its tight down there, and you don't want to get the stuff on the glass or it will make a smear. I found a good 'tool' for this, now don't laugh, I take a yard stick and an old cotton sock and tape it on the yard stick. I slightly moisten one surface of the sock and then just slide it down in that tight space and across the dash and DONE.
Like painting clear coat, just be sure you get the dash nice and clean prior to application because any dirt will be trapped under the coating and you'll see it. Other than that, there isn't any trick to it and you don't have any bad fumes or over spray to worry about like with paint.

 

[Bob & Sue]

i will look for acrylic floor wax. looks easier than painting. has it peeled/flaked at all?

I used the acrylic wax last year it looks near new, I bought it from Amazon had to buy 32oz size.
Be sure to tape off the gauges and gelcoat. Like stated clean well I used paint thinner then rinsed with water worked great

http://www.amazon.com/Lundmark-Wax-...=1460067593&sr=8-2&keywords=acrylic+floor+wax

 

[SCORPIO]

The ones with the highest dissolved solids will have the greatest UV resistance. The commercial stuff Lowes sells is 20% dissolved solids, which is quite high. It's only about $29 a gallon so its cheap and readily available. It will last a long time if you don't let it freeze, just keep the jug in your house over the winter.

 

[wakeup 19]

I used the acrylic wax last year it looks near new, I bought it from Amazon had to buy 32oz size.
Be sure to tape off the gauges and gelcoat. Like stated clean well I used paint thinner then rinsed with water worked great

http://www.amazon.com/Lundmark-Wax-...=1460067593&sr=8-2&keywords=acrylic+floor+wax

thanks for the heads up. I will be buying it and reporting back. Hopefully this will remove the fading as well as protect it. It's been bugging me for years!

 

[wakeup 19]

I used the product that is used to restore plastic bumpers which brought back a lot of the color and when that dried i put the acrylic was on top. only a few weeks but so far so good. I will keep adding wax in layers.

I used never dull on aluminum windshield frame didn't work that good. avg results but it is kind of faded.

 

[hillsideshortleg]

This is the beginning of my dash upgrade. It was a lot of work but we like what it did for the boat.