TR4/4A 4A grille cleaning

[HarryL]

Having gotten back from the dentist; thought I might entertain
the thought of cleaning the 4A grille. It's off the car and handy.
No; the hygenist wasn't interested !
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Harry

 

[TR4eh]

I cleaned my car's grill with fine scotchbrite pads and lacquer thinner. There was quite a bit of overspray to be removed. The combination worked quite well. After wiping with clean rags until the rags showed no grime, I polished with some aluminum polish (Mother's I think). The grill shines but doesn't glare. I suspect if you want a finish that will look like you can eat off it, you will also need to top coat the grill with a clear coat. I don't think I will do this.

 

[glemon]

I believe the grills were anodized aluminum, be careful with abrasives you can take the finish off.

 

[HarryL]

Thanks everyone. Will use some mild stuff.
It'll give the car some "patina" with the imperfections.
Harry

 

[HerronScott]

I was going to recommend soap, water and light wax/polish.

Scott

 

[DanB]

Brasso?

 

[CinneaghTR]

Mother's works great for me.https://www.mothers.com/02_products/05100-05101.html

 

[SteveBones]

I wanted to add my thoughts. Due to finish, I would also be careful of abrasives. They can work, but if they take off the anodized coating, the grill will require repolishing more frequently. What has worked well for me is the Mother's car polish. It is sold in the same section as with regular car wax. Is in intended for use on paint to remove very fine scratches before applying the car wax, and also works well on other finishes. I used it on my TR3A grill that is different from a TR4A grill except that they are both anodized coated aluminum. The grill was 10 years old and using the polish really helped improve the shine. This polish provides a better shine vs regular car wax without removing the finish.

By the way, I also use it on my aluminum rims on my motorcycle that also has a protective coding.

 

[PatGalvin]

Can you guys confirm the TR3A grille is anodized? I thought it was bare aluminum. If anodized, then you can't repair blemishes by pick, file, sand, polish? You wouldn't have the same finish on the grille, due to the anodize coating? Thanks for your thoughts on this.
Pat

 

[MichaelG]

My go to LBC metal polish for the past 30 years.

https://www.simichrome-polish.com

 

[Geo Hahn]

Can you guys confirm the TR3A grille is anodized?...

Mine is an original and sure looks and acts like naked aluminum -- that is, I have worked it and polished it thru the years and never observed anything but bare metal.