Removing-Straightening Thin Stainless Trim From '37 LaSalle Hood Sides

[carlhungness]

      In an effort to assemble a perfect hood for my '37 coupe I was faced with one and a half hoods, no center strips and rusty side panels that contained good and bad stainless strips.
       Getting the side panels out of the hoods presented the first problem as they are held in with 7-32 screws, nuts and lock washers. The screw heads are tucked under the vanes of the panels so you can't get a blade in to hold them while trying to turn the rusty nuts. I used a carbide cutting wheel and lopped off the nuts.
       The stainless strips are .010" thick, probably the thinnest automotive parts I have ever encountered. They were literally welded to the panels with decades of rust and corrosion. I soaked them with a mixture of 50% acetone, 50% transmission fluid after watching a YouTube video on the best rust removers. This solution beats anything on the market, although liquid wrench does great job. PB blaster was not nearly effective as I had previously thought.
         The best way to soak the panels is to build a long skinny pan out of tin foil, back it with 1' x 1" lumber and pour in about an inch of liquid and let it seep into the
the strip/channels.
         I ground a bottle opener's round end to a taper, then build a wooden wedge I could use to lever the strips upward and it worked, after a fashion. I also used a piece of thick rectangular stock to use as a lever. However once I got a couple of the strips removed, finally, I discovered I could give the non-ronded end a whack with a hammer and piece of wood aimed at the end of the strip and I could move it upwards an eighth of an inch or so. That's all you need, once you break the strip loose from the non-tapered end you can ever-so-slowly work your way toward the other end, levering every quarter inch or so. Do not start at the tapered end, it has to move outward and upward and is prone to bending immediately.
      On the first couple of strips I was so elated I had them rising upwards, I grabbed them with my fingers and pulled as I levered. Big mistake.
       Although they came off as I pulled and levered, I managed to put a slight bow
in them which will be real hell to get back to straight. The pieces are so thin and have so much spring-back that you want to keep them as straight as possible during the removal process.
      One thing that holds the strips on is a little prong at the tapered end that interferes with the taper, thus creating some holding pressure.
        The opposite end of the strips are a nightmare because one section of the channel has been cut away, and therefore a flap is left that folds over the back of the channel. I'd say you could bend this flap back and forth twice..and then it would snap off. Your only option then would be to cut a tiny flap out of other material and glue it in place.
         As noted, I am going to wind up with some channels that have a slight bow in them, and others that have a significant curve. I cut a piece of hardwood that just fits in the channel in hopes I could use it as a dolly to flatten some of the dents, but then you are faced with the latest challenge. The 'channels' are not totally channels. If you look closely you'll see one side is flat and the other side has a tiny radius at the bottom. Evidently the tiny radius does make for an interference fit when the piece is pushed down over the side panel channel, but it also prevents you from using a piece of wood or metal to use as a buck. Thus, you'd have to  make two bucks, one for each side of the channel.
     Then, since the pieces are so thin the spring-back prevents you from achieving the flatness you desire.
     Overall, the pieces are a real challenge and I don't know if any of the craftsmen I see advertised in Hemmings who specialize in straightening stainless trim can do much with these strips.
      The interference fit I mentioned may just have enough grab to hold down a slightly sway-back channel, but I'm not going to count on it. I'll probably have to use some GOOP, a thin, clear extremely tough removable adhesive I've used for years. A little dot here and there along with judicious clamping will ensure my strips are flat.
Applying GOOP is somewhat akin to bottling smoke. It is stringy, thick and a pain to work with. But it holds beautifully and with a couple of pounds of pull pressure will actually peel right back off. I have used it in many applications and will continue.
   Meanwhile I'll try to burnish out some of the dings and looking for suggestions.
   Here's a couple photos of the tools I used for removal. The parallel jaw pliers are great for twisting the tabs necessary to remove the side panel vanes. You can barely see the 'tabs' on this rusty vane but they must be straightened to lift the vane out and their attendant slots just allow the tab to pass through. Thus I suggest you hit them with an oscillating sander after dis-assembly to thin them up just a tad as even a layer of paint is going to make re-installation a problem.
     I did manage to splice two center strips to make one good one and now nearing completion on the whole front end assembly.