[24oz]

Hi all,

Did a search on this and just need a bit of clarification.

I wanna polish up my engine and have read that a couple of guys here have first used Wet 1500 Sandpaper first to get all the muck off and then used a good Chrome polisher.

Do I really need to use the Wet Sandpaper?? I am a bit worried. Where can I use it, will it cause any harm? A few people have used it on their SU carbs, can you also use it on the Rocker Cover and the injector pipes if you have any?? As we are talking about different types of metals are their different techniques??? (I wanna go for polishing my SU's on my L24 and also the injector pipes on my L28 as well as the rocker covers).


Please can someone explain the correct procedure. And as this technique has never been done before on my engine do I have to seal the polished areas with a sealant to stop them getting tarnished??

Many, many thanks in advance for any help/tips you can offer.

Jules.

 

[Scott83ZX]

I used (lots of) Scotch-Brite pads along with WD-40 for the majority of the polishing under my hood.. Worked really well on all of the aluminum parts - injector plumbing, etc.. Of course, some have argued in the past that you "destroy the patina" by shining up the engine bay.. but I love the way it turned out. As for protection.. I didn't want to spray anything too heavy in there, so I carefully sprayed a light coat of hairspray over the freshly polished areas.. Seems to be holding up pretty well a year later..

Later!
~Scott
Scott'83ZX

 

[andy280]

Jules, Hi ive just finnished my rocker cover about an hour ago "WOW" what a shine!
This is how i done it.
First i got a wire brush attachment for the drill and took off all the oxide, Dont worry about scratches they will polish out. Then i used 240 grit wet and went over the whole cover removing any pitting, then i used 400 grit wet all over, 600 grit wet, 1000 grit wet, then i used fine steel wool, the results are amazing ! . The only advise i can give is be patient, dont expect it to take 3/4 hours cos it wont !. Mine took me approx 12 hours. My girlfriend had to stop me throwing it out the window at least a couple of times!! but it is well worth doing.


As for the fuel lines i dont know but if i done it i would probebly use fine wire wool and see how it works.

The very best of luck
"aching fingers" andy

 

[Madeline Michele]

Look into this neet site gangsters:


<http://www.fortwayneanodizing.com>

Just pick stuff you need at the junkyard and send it out.
Remember this...anodizing is the coolest.

Madeline Michele
Hollywood, FL

 

[24oz]

Thanks for the tips guys.

Andy -

I reckon it would be my girlfirend who'd be chucking the rocker cover out the window. Very brave of you to use the drill attachment, don't know if I'm brave enough to do that yet! Glad to hear it was well worth it and i know what you mean by aching fingers!

Thanks for the grade type, I was just going to use 1200 paper! So you start with a low number and work your way up, got it now.

Scott - I'm also going to try your WD40 trick and see how it looks.


Thanks

 

[24oz]

Thanks Madeline

Sorry, missed your post while replying to the othrs.

Thanks for the link, nice site. I'm on a shoe string budget at the moment so anything that involves a bit of elbow grease and is very cheap is a winner for me.

 

[Madeline Michele]

If you wish a do it yourself try first with Brillo.
But whatever you do, DO NOT mix Brillo with degreaser, the resulting explosion would be cataclysmic.



Naaaaaaaa Just Kidden about the Big Kaboom.


Remember most parts have some sort on protective finish.
If you remove it and don’t recoat it expect this pretty looking motor will become oxidized and or rusted.
Many of us see one of the many coatings under the hood as we degrees our engines and hit it with the high-pressure hose at the car wash. For starters look at the paint pealing from our power steering pumps. Kristines 82 had this God-awful yuck sprayed all under the hood and under the car. We cleaned some of these parts and found a prince under that toad. Seems this car was hit very well with some fugly ogly rust protection. We hit it with a blast of water and we are finding new parts under this muck. The owner of this car was thinking 20 years ahead and not for today.
We decided to let it stand with this timeless goop.

When we look too the junkyards take a good glance at the engines.
Look and absorb what others have done, and failed to do.

So let me close with this:

As I look at my closed circuit front door camera I see an ugly beige car cover but I know what’s under it, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it’s not skin deep.

Madeline & Kristine
Hollywood, FL

 

[Stefan]

Speaking as an aircraft mechanic, who works with a *lot* of aluminum... First we need to analyze the surface -- rough cast, like a manifold, or smooth like the carb. I usually start with Alumiprep (get at your local paint + body supply joint) and some medium scotchbrite to get rid of surface contaminates and corrosion. On a rough surface, get your high-speed air grinder (the only way to save your sanity) and start with a course scotchbrite disc, move on up as fine as you can go. Now that you have a smooth surface, you can wet sand with very fine scotchbrite pads or sandpaper. Then polish with Never-Dull, the best and fastest aluminum polish known to man. Shiny eh?

 

[Madeline Michele]

Like I said…”Where’s the Earth Shattering KaBoooM”?