How to restore a dirty, worn chassis plate to like-new condition

Update by Tim Suddard to the Elva Mk VI project car
Dec 3, 2024 | Elva, Restoration, Elva Mk VI

One bit of good news that came with our beat and battered Elva Mk VI sports racer: The chassis plate, while hard to read, still sat attached on the dash.

Sadly, though, it was in deplorable condition.

We started to restore it ourselves. When we saw that we were making it worse, we called in an expert: Tim McNair of Grand Prix Concours, a longtime detailer to some of the world’s finest classics.

[How to Professionally Detail a Car at Home]

He suggested that we send the plate to him so he could restore it. It would just take him a few days, he said.

Step 1: Straighten the brass plate with a small anvil and small brass hammer.

Step 2: Place the plate in a magnetic tumbler. This step cleaned the plate quite well and knocked off the glue or gunk that had found its way onto the plate over the years.

Step 3: Using a hard sanding block, he polished the flat surfaces and used Nevr-Dull to remove oxidation. 

Step 4: He sanded the plate again with 2000- then 5000-grit papers. He then used lacquer thinner to remove the polish residue.

Step 5: He then painted the place with semi-gloss black lacquer that he slightly over thinned. He built coats lightly and slowly as to not fill too much of the plate’s detail. No primer, either, he adds.

Step 6: He then sanded off the highlights with 2500-grit paper on a hard Kovax sanding block.

Step 7: He then–carefully, he notes–sharpened the edges and removed any excess paint with bamboo sticks.

Step 8: The final step was to apply two coats of satin clear topped with a coat of gloss clear.

Step 9: Allow to dry in his drying cabinet.

What we got in return looked new. 

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