I have been lucky enough to get my hands on some Illuminated sills.

 

Unfortunately they're not in the greatest of conditions, So I was hoping to try and clean them up a bit. If anybody has done this before, any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

With them been aluminium i'm not expecting them to be as easy as the exhaust. They are quite scuffed So I figured I'm gunna have to be gentle with some fine wet n dry to bring the scratches out as best as I can. It also appears they've got some sort of lacquer on them. So does that mean I'll have to rub that all off, then after I've got all the scratches out and polished them I'll have to re lacquer them?

 

As for the illumination, They didn't work before they were removed, so I figured the inverter or the el strip was ****ed, But I'd want them to glow red anyway. So am I right in thinking I could just get a similar style of El strip I used on the rear center panel, and then hide the inverter somewhere and wire them into the door switch?

 

I'm not too worried about the wiring just yet, I've got to get them looking smooth and shiny first.

 

Anyway here's some pictures.

 

 

I still have a set of brand new chrome sills, still in cellophane ready to fit :thumbup: had em for a few years now lol

I still have a set of brand new chrome sills, still in cellophane ready to fit :thumbup: had em for a few years now lol

 

All you need now is spray in primer and fit them :)

All you need now is spray in primer and fit them :)

 

High five :biggrin:.

Barstewards :lol::lol:

All you need now is spray in primer and fit them :)

 

Nearly pee'd a little a that..:lol::lol:

No. Diy. I would kill for altia :)

 

Sorry, I didn't mean yours lol

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

All you need now is spray in primer and fit them :)

 

Class - have some rep

any joy with these ste

They're getting there. Been busy at work though so haven't been able to sneak off as much as I'd like. I've got my indictors sitting in a switch room with a couple of coats of tint on that need finishing too. All in good time, I'll update as I go though....

Guys Guys

 

Don't you think EL panel is getting a bit old hat now, these days.....

 

How about LED Sheet?

 

http://ledsignlighting.co.uk/led-sheet.htm

Guys Guys

 

Don't you think EL panel is getting a bit old hat now, these days.....

 

How about LED Sheet?

 

http://ledsignlighting.co.uk/led-sheet.htm

 

That looks cool, but what's the difference from EL panel? they're thin enough.

 

 

Anyway I have some photo's of the progress, they're no where near finished yet, but I managed to take off the plastic/lacquer and rub the scratches out. may of got a bit carried away with the flapper wheel though. had to do quite a bit by hand. They did polish up rather nice though. took some time because they're quite fiddly, had a go with a rag and some brasso for the most.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My plan now is to leave them for a week or so and see how much they dull. My previous experience with polishing aluminium is that it dulls quite quickly (I made a scratch plate for a telecaster guitar out of aluminium checkerplate)

 

So if I'm right then i'll have to polish them up again and then I'll give them a light clear coat.

 

Around the edges where the rubber tip was there were parts that had begun to corrode, so I'm guessing that's why they were originally covered. I can imagine there would be some slight water ingress due to there location.

 

Anyway they're getting there slowly but surely, may have to start thinking about the electrics soon...

well done looking very nice, im quite jealous LOL

Thanks jay. Part of me thinks 'why do I bother' they'll look nice for all of a week and then they'll probably look battered again. And the aftermath of rubbing them back has probably resulted in me getting aluminum poisoning, my nails are pitted and there's these horrible black things that keep coming out my nose.

 

So a week of them gleaming better be worth it. Of course all the nice comments help too.

So looking for el panel's now, where's best? I can't seem to find any the right size, I measured that I could get away with 20mm x 125mm. Is it silly of me to think I could cut one down with a Stanley? I know I could obviously just fit a bigger one, but the closest I've found is 30mm x 50mm, and that seems a little bit big.

 

What did you other guys use?

Andy ( phutumsch) found a supplier i believe, give him a PM, there are some sheets that can be cut to size, it depends on where the feed tracks run on the sheet.

I started to refurb mine a while back mine are worse than yours lol but yours are looking good now defo worth the wee bit elbow grease

Andy ( phutumsch) found a supplier i believe, give him a PM, there are some sheets that can be cut to size, it depends on where the feed tracks run on the sheet.

 

Yeah I assumed if I cut the edges away from the input then that would be ok. But admittedly the only experience I've had with el panels is when I did my rear panel, and then I think I got it from Andy as he had a spare one and inverter (all though I maybe making that up it was that long ago now)

 

I was hoping he'd see this and lend a helping hand. failing that I'll give him a pm.

 

I started to refurb mine a while back mine are worse than yours lol but yours are looking good now defo worth the wee bit elbow grease

 

Well it's only been a few days since I polished them and they've already dulled a little since, and they've only been wrapped in bubble wrap on my dining room floor. So I think a clear coat is going to be inevitable.

 

Get some photo's up though, it's always good for a little inspiration :thumbup:

Yes I have plenty of sheets and in any colour and as Graham said they can be trimmed away from the foil tracks, usually along the bottom thus reducing the width and then trim to length, I'll be able to sort you 100%.

 

I think you did get a sheet off me for your reverse light panel :biggrin:.

Yes I have plenty of sheets and in any colour and as Graham said they can be trimmed away from the foil tracks, usually along the bottom thus reducing the width and then trim to length, I'll be able to sort you 100%.

 

I think you did get a sheet off me for your reverse light panel :biggrin:.

 

Superb Andy, Red is the colour of choice. And for ease and brightness two inverters would be preferable dependant on price.

 

Your a star :biggrin:

if cut up an el sheet before and it still worked lol

Superb Andy, Red is the colour of choice. And for ease and brightness two inverters would be preferable dependant on price.

 

Your a star :biggrin:

 

I'll pm you :thumbup1:.

 

Just took mine off the car and stripped everything off them as they need a refurb, there are lots of scuffs and some dents so going to get them sorted and then chrome plated :thumbup1:.

 

 

What's interesting on this next pic is that the logo on the right is the one that Smithy used to use on his Altia copies but the one on the left is the original one, these are a bit bashed up and have a sort of mirror incorporated in them so the illumination is more subtle....I am torn between keeping them original and tidying up the plastic logo if that's possible or using the mint others, if I choose the latter I will have to slightly cut out the opening to accommodate them, I'll get them refurbished and then have another think :yes:.

 

Phutumsch if you mis my post they should look like this :)

 

Just took mine off the car and stripped everything off them as they need a refurb, there are lots of scuffs and some dents so going to get them sorted and then chrome plated :thumbup1:.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]76869[/ATTACH]

 

What's interesting on this next pic is that the logo on the right is the one that Smithy used to use on his Altia copies but the one on the left is the original one, these are a bit bashed up and have a sort of mirror incorporated in them so the illumination is more subtle....I am torn between keeping them original and tidying up the plastic logo if that's possible or using the mint others, if I choose the latter I will have to slightly cut out the opening to accommodate them, I'll get them refurbished and then have another think :yes:.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]76870[/ATTACH]

 

Mine have the slight mirror finish too, one does look a little worse than the other. I wouldn't know where to start to refurb them, and I figured I'd have more chance of growing tits on a fish than getting a new pair so was just going to live with it.

 

Mine are basically finished, Wish I'd thought of chrome plating, where would you go to get that done, I opted for rigorous polishing (still not enough to get some marks out, and may have put a couple more in from been a little hasty with the windy gun) and then I lacquered them after to try and protect the metal, but it dulled the shine a little which was quite disappointing.

 

Should hopefully get them fitted while the cars in the body shop. I'll update with some photo's eventually.

Phutumsch if you mis my post they should look like this :)

 

I didn't miss your post chum, I do like to copy you though and I'll have mine looking like that very soon :tongue_smilie:.