Aluminum Rubrail

Im instrested to know if anyone knows where i can find an aluminum rubrail for a 1974 mustang 17. My current one has gone through hell. If i cant find one, does anyone know what i can do to get the knicks, dings, and pitting out of it? Im trying to keep it original so im trying to steer from a rope one.

Thanks!

Hey 74,
I have the same problem with the rail on my 64 American skier. I decided to try to wet sand and buff it. It takes a lot of "elbow grease",but is working great!
It had some pretty nasty gouges and scrapes , not to mention the overall oxidation.
I started wet sanding with 320 grit, concentrating on the worst areas first. I sanded the entire rail with the 320,to keep a consistant finish.
I then used 400,followed by 600 to buff the scratches left by the 320. Make sure you use "wet or dry" paper. Also put a little dishsoap in your water bucket to help lube the paper.
After that I used a liquid rubbing compound with a power buffer. This brought out a pretty nice shine.
I ended with a metal polish call "Nevr-dull" applied by hand. This will clean the residue from buffing.
You might want to start with the rail on the transom first to get a feel for it.
My rail still has some small nicks and scratches, but looks 100% better than it did. Besides, its a user boat not a showboat!

I started sanding/buffing mine last Sunday. I worked about 2 hours and got about six feet done. I was doing them on the boat tho.( quit early..had to hit the river :)

Im to a seam on the side now, so I think Im going to take the side pcs off the boat and work on them on the bench. It'll also save a lot of time cleaning aluminum residue from the fiberglass.

I probably got most of the scratches out this way,and most of the remaining deeper ones dont seem as noticeable.

Now, I need to start experimenting on solid stainless steel rails on my wooden boat...one good thing about stainless is -there arent too many deep gouges.

Let me know how it works for you!