[Kevin Kuehn]

Lots of folks seem to desire an even shinny chassis, but that uneven dull finish that develops over time on a chassis is actually a protective oxide that's formed on the surface of the cadmium or whatever plating was applied over the bare steel, in fact it was meant to do that very early in it's service life. It's actually the plating's less invasive oxidation that protects the underlying steel from rusting. Of course using anything corrosive to clean a plated surface will also remove part or all of that remaining finish. Once the plating is gone, then the remaining bare steel absolutely will flash rust unless it's thoroughly flushed of contaminants, force dried, and immediately treated with a new protective coating. So if it's a perfect looking finish you desire, you're better off cleaning with a degreaser, and then painting the plated metal surface.