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Even NOS factory stainless might need some loving at this point in time
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56D500boy
Posted 2023-02-09 9:38 PM (#627481)
Subject: Even NOS factory stainless might need some loving at this point in time



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I recently found a "NOS" 1646 369 left (rear) 1955-56 stone shield for my 56 Dodge. My existing stone shield isn't terrible. It needed new brackets and when I had it off, I must have polished it.
That said, it has blemishes that are noticeable to the picky picky eye.

Existing stone shield, not terrible but not as nice as the eBay NOS seemed to be (so I bought it, the eBay one):



When I picked up the eBay one last week, I did recall the seller's warning: "“Parts are new & unused, but were manufactured decades ago. Some shelf wear or tarnishing is to be expected.”

Yup there were a few minor scratches and a couple of tiny dints (that I would only make worse if I tried to dolly them out (I don't have the finesse )). So I started to clean it up, front and back.
There was a bit of scratch removal with 400, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500 and 2000 wet and dry and then polishing with Autosol. That got rid of the visibility of the worst scratches.
At this point, they can't be seen from more than about 2 ft.

Subsequently this week, I did a little sanding in one or two areas with 400 followed by Autosol. Honestly, skipping the other finer grades of wet and dry wasn't a bad thing.

One thing that I noticed during this process was there is a very subtle hatching going diagonally across the stone shield. I think this is the result of the factory (or subbed-out parts suppliers work).
I had seen this on a hood Vee that I had rechromed but I had put that down to my rechromer's work. Barely noticeable so I didn't say anything. Now I am happy that I didn't say anything.

I think the diagonal marks are "factory". I have attempted to photograph these diagonal marks on the NOS stone shield but I don't know if you can see them in the last photo below. They show up as
a bit of diagonal left to right rippling in the polished areas.

Bottomline: Even NOS stainless might need a bit of loving (polishing) before you put it on the car.

Previous Stone Shield bracket post:

http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=72312&...

Photos of this new (to me) Stone Shield:



Edited by 56D500boy 2023-02-09 9:44 PM




(eBayNOS55-56DodgeStoneShield_BeforeCleaning andPolishing_Front.jpg)



(eBayNOS55-56DodgeStoneShield_BeforeCleaning andPolishing_Back.jpg)



(eBayNOS55-56DodgeStoneShield_AfterCleaning andPolishing_Front.jpg)



(eBayNOS55-56DodgeStoneShield_AfterCleaning andPolishing_Back.jpg)



(eBayNOS55-56DodgeStoneShield_AfterCleaning andPolishing_Front_ShowingDiagonalFactoryMarks.jpg)



Attachments
----------------
Attachments eBayNOS55-56DodgeStoneShield_BeforeCleaning andPolishing_Front.jpg (164KB - 57 downloads)
Attachments eBayNOS55-56DodgeStoneShield_BeforeCleaning andPolishing_Back.jpg (165KB - 64 downloads)
Attachments eBayNOS55-56DodgeStoneShield_AfterCleaning andPolishing_Front.jpg (146KB - 59 downloads)
Attachments eBayNOS55-56DodgeStoneShield_AfterCleaning andPolishing_Back.jpg (148KB - 58 downloads)
Attachments eBayNOS55-56DodgeStoneShield_AfterCleaning andPolishing_Front_ShowingDiagonalFactoryMarks.jpg (146KB - 64 downloads)
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ronbo97
Posted 2023-02-09 10:14 PM (#627482 - in reply to #627481)
Subject: RE: Even NOS factory stainless might need some loving at this point in time


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All the hand sanding/rubbing won't come close to what can be accomplished on a buffing wheel.

Decades ago, I bought the Eastwood kit with multiple buffing wheels and hard compounds. I set up my 3400 rpm bench grinder and learned to correctly buff hard metals, such as stainless as well as soft metals, like brass. Also included was a unique compound called Plastic, for use on lenses and anything else made from plastic. At this point, I can take a chalky piece of used stainless and within a few minutes, make it shine like triple plated chrome.

I only sand the piece if there is noticeable abrasion, such as a used stone guard which usually has road rash due to its mounting location.

Ron

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22mafeja
Posted 2023-02-11 12:07 AM (#627504 - in reply to #627481)
Subject: RE: Even NOS factory stainless might need some loving at this point in time


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That looks very nice Dave , I think you have about the right shine. Why over do things?
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56D500boy
Posted 2023-02-11 2:56 AM (#627505 - in reply to #627504)
Subject: RE: Even NOS factory stainless might need some loving at this point in time



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22mafeja - 2023-02-10 9:07 PM
That looks very nice Dave , I think you have about the right shine. Why over do things?


Thanks Ralf. I might do a bit more polishing but it is already setting the bar a bit too high for the rest of the car.

This post wasn't really about how good I had polished the piece (or not). It was intended to flag two things:

1. Even NOS isn't going to be perfect after sitting on some shelf for 67 years. I keep forgetting that. So a little help (a polish) might be required.

2. I think the factory prep for some of the pot metal to be chromed and bigger stainless pieces like this stone shield included some kind of wire wheel that left subtle striation marks in the piece.
Should not have happened.

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56D500boy
Posted 2023-02-11 3:12 AM (#627506 - in reply to #627504)
Subject: RE: Even NOS factory stainless might need some loving at this point in time



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22mafeja - 2023-02-10 9:07 PM
That looks very nice Dave , I think you have about the right shine. Why over do things?


Thanks Ralf. I might do a bit more polishing but it is already setting the bar a bit too high for the rest of the car.

This post wasn't really about how good I had polished the piece (or not). It was intended to flag two things:

1. Even NOS isn't going to be perfect after sitting on some shelf for 67 years. I keep forgetting that. So a little help (a polish) might be required.

2. I think the factory prep for some of the pot metal to be chromed and bigger stainless pieces like this stone shield (to be factory polished) included some kind of wire wheel that left subtle striation marks in these bigger pieces (pot metal and stainless)

Should not have happened. (In my opinion)



Edited by 56D500boy 2023-02-11 2:50 PM
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StillOutThere
Posted 2023-02-11 11:12 AM (#627510 - in reply to #627481)
Subject: Re: Even NOS factory stainless might need some loving at this point in time



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The parts that we call "NOS" from the factory were by and large what the manufacturer called "service parts" that were deemed unsuitable to go onto a new car on the production. In other words "not good enough" for the showroom or would receive complaints from the new car purchaser. So they bagged up these "rejects" due to their scratches or stamping flaws and they became our "NOS". That said, some things that were needed in great quantity were in fact manufactured to showroom quality and packaged up as well. A stone shield never needed to be perfect. A piece of door or fender trim was going to be reordered several hundreds of times for parking lot and collision repair replacement. Its not just the stainless stuff either. Cast potmetal like headlamp or taillamp doors often had flaws brand new and went into service parts departments.

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60 dart
Posted 2023-02-11 6:45 PM (#627514 - in reply to #627510)
Subject: Re: Even NOS factory stainless might need some loving at this point in time



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StillOutThere - 2023-02-11 11:12 AM

The parts that we call "NOS" from the factory were by and large what the manufacturer called "service parts" that were deemed unsuitable to go onto a new car on the production. In other words "not good enough" for the showroom or would receive complaints from the new car purchaser. So they bagged up these "rejects" due to their scratches or stamping flaws and they became our "NOS". That said, some things that were needed in great quantity were in fact manufactured to showroom quality and packaged up as well. A stone shield never needed to be perfect. A piece of door or fender trim was going to be reordered several hundreds of times for parking lot and collision repair replacement. Its not just the stainless stuff either. Cast potmetal like headlamp or taillamp doors often had flaws brand new and went into service parts departments.




exactly , "nos" doesn't mean flawless in all. ---------------------------later
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ronbo97
Posted 2023-02-11 11:56 PM (#627515 - in reply to #627514)
Subject: Re: Even NOS factory stainless might need some loving at this point in time


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It's probably a mixed bag. A combination of rejects, parts ordered but never put on a car, 'in demand' parts like bodyside moldings that often needed replacement due to parking lot dings (as Wayne said) that were over ordered, etc. Chrysler, AFAIK, never had a 'buy back' program like GM did, resulting in dealerships having to eat the cost. These parts eventually made their way to a dusty corner of their parts room, or on top of their spray booth, which is where I found a perfect NOS 58 Plymouth fender at a dealer back in the 90s.

Ron

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Chrome58
Posted 2023-02-12 1:15 PM (#627542 - in reply to #627510)
Subject: Re: Even NOS factory stainless might need some loving at this point in time



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StillOutThere - 2023-02-11 5:12 PM

The parts that we call "NOS" from the factory were by and large what the manufacturer called "service parts" that were deemed unsuitable to go onto a new car on the production. In other words "not good enough" for the showroom or would receive complaints from the new car purchaser. So they bagged up these "rejects" due to their scratches or stamping flaws and they became our "NOS". That said, some things that were needed in great quantity were in fact manufactured to showroom quality and packaged up as well. A stone shield never needed to be perfect. A piece of door or fender trim was going to be reordered several hundreds of times for parking lot and collision repair replacement. Its not just the stainless stuff either. Cast potmetal like headlamp or taillamp doors often had flaws brand new and went into service parts departments.

I don't believe that for a minute.

The service parts were parts manufactured by the same supplier, with the same machines, and the same process that the parts going on the cars. It was just a matter of packaging and shipment being different than the ones going to the plants. There is no sane reason to take "rejects" and send them as service parts, unless the car manufacturer wanted to ruin its reputation and loose sales in the end.

The truth is elsewhere: the quality of parts produced at the time was variable, because quality in the industry was not yet something that was took as seriously as now. Therefore, there was good parts and bad parts. But it was a result of the process, not a willfull decision.
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NicksGarage
Posted 2023-02-13 1:42 PM (#627567 - in reply to #627481)
Subject: Re: Even NOS factory stainless might need some loving at this point in time



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Beware of NOS parts that are actually take offs put into boxes at dealers. If someone complained about a flaw in their trim and the dealer replaced it, but deemed the original part was not that bad, they would put them in the box the new part came in and put it on the shelf. I worked at a mopar wrecking yard in the 1980s and we had a deal with a Chrysler-Plymouth dealer where we would buy a lot of this stuff after it sat on the shelves for a few years. You could see that parts had been mounted before and the minor flaws they had. I've also bought "NOS" parts over the years in OEM boxes that were like that. The last one was a grille screen for my 1960 New Yorker. The bars were a bit wavy and you could tell it had been mounted. But it was in the correct factory box for it. Fortunately the seller refunded my money.
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hemidenis
Posted 2023-02-13 7:39 PM (#627575 - in reply to #627481)
Subject: Re: Even NOS factory stainless might need some loving at this point in time



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true many parts are re-packed including unscrupulous owners that use the nos piece, but reuse the box and repacked a excellent used...

Few years ago I purchased a set of "NOS" in the sealed box tailenses for my 61 Chrysler, i didn't want to open them and they went to my storage. Later that year i decided to install them and found a set of reproductions...My lost, too late for a claim...

I also purchased a set of restored stone shields for my 57 Imperial, honestly you couldn't tell if they were NOS or restored...I'm so happy with them...For some reason they spent weeks listed on ebay and nobody want it them...
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22mafeja
Posted 2023-02-14 1:37 AM (#627590 - in reply to #627567)
Subject: Re: Even NOS factory stainless might need some loving at this point in time


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This I believe is the truth. Be ashamed you re user of NOS boxes!

Edited by 22mafeja 2023-02-14 1:39 AM
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56D500boy
Posted 2023-02-14 8:43 PM (#627614 - in reply to #627575)
Subject: Re: Even NOS factory stainless might need some loving at this point in time



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hemidenis - 2023-02-13 4:39 PM
true many parts are re-packed including unscrupulous owners that use the nos piece, but reuse the box and repacked a excellent used...


I won't agree with the unscrupulous bit but I am pretty sure that old parts were taken off cars during warranty servicing and somebody put them back on the shelf. Many years later the dealership shuts down and somebody comes in and buys all their old stock to resell. Which they do, assuming that parts inside a factory box are NOS, never been on a car.

Maybe, but maybe not.

I have been burned on a NOS part that clearly was used - but is was in a factory box.

Like this current eBay auction:

"Nos Genuine Mopar Part# 1253003 some say it fits 1935-1956 ? Compare to yours .Box was sealed untill I opened for picture. Brass terminals turned a little green Must be common."

Nah, it's most likely used.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/374513250548?hash=item5732bab0f4:g:ApUAAOSw...





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