It’s quite common to see Bugeye cockpit trim that looks like it has been through a war. Side curtains are the enemy, their hooks can gouge and scratch. Perhaps this car pictured above once lived in an area prone to thunderstorms or flash floods, and time was of the essence when installing the side curtain lest the car would wash away. Hence they were thrown on with reckless abandon, and the door top trim paid the price. (So make sure to apply your side screens with great care, and put them on before the sky opens up)
This is “Mellow,” a nice yellow Bugeye that left this week for its new home in Michigan. Before it left, one of the many services we provided for car and owner was to polish the cockpit trim. I thought folks might enjoy seeing the before and after pictures. Polishing is something you can try at home if you have the equipment.
In the case of this trim set, there were as series of deep gouges on the upper edge of each piece. This meant aggressive air sanding to remove the gouges, with 220 grit paper. Once the profile was right, only then did we move to the polisher. We didn’t try to completely remove the craters, because that would mean removing a ton of material. Instead, we removed most of the canyon and left a few of the deepest scars. In this way, the trim looks nicely restored but not perfect, and thus the pieces fit the overall identity of the car.
The wheel buffer brings the luster up nicely, as long as you are patient. Once finished, the overall look is wonderful, ready for another hundred thousand miles, with a side curtain (or sweaty palm) attached!
New chrome side curtain screws complete the look. We sell those in our catalog, where you can find them by clicking here.
