Lynn
12-21-2012, 01:25 PM
Like many 69 Camaro owners, my instrument cluster was in need of seriouos refurbishing. Like most, there were some broken tabs. Easy fix. Just epoxy new tabs. What about the missing silver or chrome on the trim and lettering.
Found a great product at Hobby Lobby. Called Rub N Buff. It is a wax metallic finish that is used by hobbyists to create a silver leaf look. You can apply multiple coats and it gets a little thicker and smoother and more glossy each coat.
I am fortunate enought that I have an extra old cluster to practice on. With the cluster on the table, this takes maybe 10 minutes. Used Hobby Lobby microbrush in medium. Went through maybe 4 brushes as they wore out doing two clusters.
The best part is that it cleans off with mineral spirits, which do not harm the plastic. So, if you make a small error, just get a Q-Tip dipped in mineral spirits and clean it off. Although it does take some effort to clean it if you don't get it right away.
Below are some before and after pics. The first pic I took after just hitting a few of the letters on my extra cluster. You can see on the before pics of my black cluster, there was almost no silver left.
One other tip: If you have some dull areas on the bare, black plastic that need polished, tooth past (I used Crest) does a great job, and is water soluble, so the residue comes off easily.
Found a great product at Hobby Lobby. Called Rub N Buff. It is a wax metallic finish that is used by hobbyists to create a silver leaf look. You can apply multiple coats and it gets a little thicker and smoother and more glossy each coat.
I am fortunate enought that I have an extra old cluster to practice on. With the cluster on the table, this takes maybe 10 minutes. Used Hobby Lobby microbrush in medium. Went through maybe 4 brushes as they wore out doing two clusters.
The best part is that it cleans off with mineral spirits, which do not harm the plastic. So, if you make a small error, just get a Q-Tip dipped in mineral spirits and clean it off. Although it does take some effort to clean it if you don't get it right away.
Below are some before and after pics. The first pic I took after just hitting a few of the letters on my extra cluster. You can see on the before pics of my black cluster, there was almost no silver left.
One other tip: If you have some dull areas on the bare, black plastic that need polished, tooth past (I used Crest) does a great job, and is water soluble, so the residue comes off easily.