Always polish away from edges. You can make a pretzel out of a nice piece in about 1/10th of a second. Ask me how I know.
Farming the work out might not be all that expensive if you risk destroying a rare original part.
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Chevelleless after 46 years......but we did find a low mileage, six speed, silver 2005 Corvette. It will just have to do for now.
