Hot Rods Ketchup,Tin Foil,and Chrome

Anybody remember the story about Norm Grabowski going to Bob's big boy in Downy C.A. for a bite to eat and using ketchup and a piece of aluminum (tin) foil to shine up the chrome on his T bucket? With the cost of chrome so expensive these days i thought it might be intresting to start a thread on how this process works. I found an old thread on the H.A.M.B about someone using this on a set of hubcaps but doesn't go into much detail about how this works.

 

It's got something to do with the vinegar, similar to the way tartar sauce is used to clean a old nasty looking penny. Try it for yourself and see!

 

must be close to getting the BBQ ready for the 4th parties

 

Just guessing... but if cigarette / cigar ashes work on plexi-glass, why not chrome? Anyone try that? I'd rather save the catsup for burgers! Gary

 

Ever put an egg in your radiator to stop a leak???

 

I've read the catsup and foil thing before and it was probably about Norm. I've know several guys who stopped a radiator leak with can of black pepper but never tried it myself or have any idea of how long it held up.
Every time my first step father and his cronies got together one or the other used to tell about some off the wall concoction that they used to bandaid a car together to keep on going.

 

Banana or sawdust in rear end gears.

 

I have wired belts together to spin the water pump...

 

We used to put ground oats in the radiator for stop leak, back on the farm.

 

Ivory soap applied to a pinhole fuel tank leak will stop it ! ( until it rains )

 

My dad swore that the old timers would turn their model A's & T's over on their sides then pull the main caps off and put pieces of bacon rind around the journals to take up the slack so they could squeeze out a few more miles out of the car. Things were tough in Oklahoma during the depression/dust-bowl days.

 

Used twine to replace a fan belt to get home.

 

Corn starch for the final buffing on a paint job removes swirl marks. Bob

 

I've heard pepper too. Startin' to sound like breakfast. I think it's egg whites for radiators, from a technical perspective.

I've heard Marvel's Mystery Oil and 0000 steel wool, or aluminum foil too. And Coca-Cola... Ketchup... Gettin' hungry!

 

We used to use a fuel oil soaked rag to shine up our tractors and cars.

 

And don't leave home without a couple-three feet of baling (sp?)wire! Gary

 

I used my wife's panty hose to get home (25 miles) one night. Wrapped them around the crank, alternator and water pump tied them in a knot and cut off the loose ends. Worked just fine, drove to the auto parts store the next morning to get a new belt.

 

RDE your avatar rocks.

 

Always used Coke and foil on chrome. Lasted about a month.

 

Here's one thread about using Coke and foil on chrome. i know i seen one about hubcaps too but can't find it right now. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...inum-foill-cleans-the-shit-outa-chrome.47951/

 

Found it. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/cleaning-hubcaps.473881/

 

Grandpa always said peanut butter was good to put a shine on chrome.

 

No shit How do you mix it???

 

"No shit How do you mix it???"

After you've buffed the final coat of wax off sprinkle the corn starch on the surface, not too much, and buff that around. It's the shit.

 

On the chrome thing, I use a product called Ospho and a balled up wad of aluminum foil. Any rust converter will work, basically it's a lubricant for the foil.

 

Hi. I never tried it with the Ketchup or anything else but I have wadded up a ball of aluminum foil and polished the slight rust off o chrome and it does good for a month or so. Needing to retouch up now so I will try it with the ketchup and see what happens. .
Jimmie

 

wow

 

I've used balled up tin foil and water in the past.

Just keep un-wadding and re-wadding up the tin foil to expose new magic chrome rejuvenator smoke. Cause unlike your fuses, the trick here is to let the smoke out!

 

MacGyver is on the HAMB?

 

Best done outside in the shade, unless you like the dust bowl effect inside your shop. Bob