I'm getting better at this...

Topic: I'm getting better at this... (Read 3545 times) previous topic - next topic

I'm getting better at this...

February 26, 2007, 10:39:23 PM

Hey folks,

Some of you may remember that I like to try new things with my cars. I've experimented with wheels, trim, lighting, headlight/taillight modification, etc.
Since I bought the turbo '86, I've developed a penchant for polishing metal. I've always messed around with my Dremel, but it's gotten more serious with the advent of a bench grinder and a bolt-on polishing wheel. Holy bacon, I've been polishing everything lately.
First was the valve cover for the '86. That turned out well enough, but I rushed the job and sanding marks were still obvious in the metal.
Thanks to a fellow member of this message forum, I was able to obtain two T3 compressor housings.
I put one off to the side and focused my efforts on just one. I started by using a mild-grit wheel on a power drill to smooth the surface of the housing. Now, some detail work will certainly be required for this part. The photos will illustrate my point. I already tried the Dremel, but those sanding discs would practically explode when I used them at an angle. I'll have to figure that part out later.
The next step was to wet-sand the surface using a progressively higher grit paper. This (eventually) gave me a surface worthy of subjecting a polishing wheel to. Again, the photos will illustrate my point. This is pretty exciting stuff, actually.
On the negative side, my hands, wrists and elbows aren't feeling too well. I should slow down.

Here is a comparison of the housings after I had started the grinding/sanding process.

This close shot shows how smooth the surface was after the final stages of grinding and wet-sanding. You will notice that the metal has already taken on its reflective properties.

After about 20 minutes of polishing one small section, the housing takes on a new appearance. This photo does a good job of showing old vs. new.

This is just a close-up shot of the polished surface. This will actually be polished several more times for a more impressive finish. I've actually just started this project. I polished this small part just so I could post pictures. Hey, I'm impatient. :)

Any ideas on how to get into the tight areas? I'm still trying to figure that out...

I'm getting better at this...

Reply #1 – February 26, 2007, 10:49:44 PM

looks bad ass

I'm getting better at this...

Reply #2 – February 26, 2007, 11:00:54 PM

How much to do the giant housing on my SC50?? :D:D

I'm getting better at this...

Reply #3 – February 27, 2007, 12:23:06 AM

Hey, for more teqniques, get aholt of a guy named Joshua he runs http://www.chromeandperformance.com He'll probably tell you some of his secrets. He does amazing work.

I'm getting better at this...

Reply #4 – February 27, 2007, 12:23:33 AM

Oh, and by the way, that's badass, looks good already, love to see the final product.

I'm getting better at this...

Reply #5 – February 27, 2007, 01:27:29 AM

Cool. Wanna do all my aluminium front accesories on my 5.0?

I'm getting better at this...

Reply #6 – February 27, 2007, 07:24:43 AM

I have a question. How do you keep it looking nice when it's mounted on the vehicle? It's not practical to take it off just to polish it again. Could you put a high heat clear coat on it to keep it looking nice?

I'm getting better at this...

Reply #7 – February 27, 2007, 08:14:03 AM

Thanks for the comments, folks.

I'm going to use a product called Zoop Seal (http://www.zoopseal.com/zoopseal.asp) and see what happens. I've heard good things about this stuff.
As you mentioned, something that can withstand high temperatures will be important. I'm hoping that the highly polished surface will keep its shine regardless of temperature, and that this Zoop Seal stuff will keep oxidation from occurring.
If not, it wouldn't take much to get my hand down there and go over it with some Mother's Mag & Aluminum polish once a month. That's what I do in the engine bay of the '96.
I polished the valve cover in this same fashion and I haven't had to polish it ever again - and I didn't even seal it with anything.

It's going to take me several more days just for the wet-sanding. I've learned that the actual polishing is the shorter part of the process. Preparing the metal takes the longest. Any advice or opinions?

I'm getting better at this...

Reply #8 – February 27, 2007, 10:58:53 AM

I did that to the intake on my 5.0 - it looked really nice. But because it was alluminum it oxidized fairly quickly. I had to polish it with the Mother's polish you mention about once a month.

As far as preparing the metal, I found that using a 150 grit 5" sanding disk attached to a drill did a great job for flat surfaces. It seemed when I used even the "fine" rated sanding wheels/drums they made deep scratches in the metal. Also, since the sanding disk is flexible rubber, I could get the edge into some of the crevices. The smaller crevices though I had to do by hand.

Have you thought about black and decker's sanding mouse? It has the pointed end that you are supposed to be able to get hard to reach places. I haven't tried it, just a thought.

I'm getting better at this...

Reply #9 – February 27, 2007, 11:24:44 AM

You have more patience than me.

I bought som 3.5" aluminum tubing to fashion into a cold air intake for my car last year, but it looked pretty rough so I decided to polish it. I sanded it with some fine grit sandpaper, then polished it with some polishing wheels and buffing compound I bought. I spent a lot of time on just those two pieces of pipe, and they came out alright but nowhere near the mirrorlike surface I see on a lot of polished stuff (despite all the sanding I did, i just could not get the surface that smooth).

After finishing those two pieces of pipe, I said "I am never polishing anything ever again." What a pain in the ass. I suppose it might be easier if I had the proper equipment, but when I was polishing the stuff it made a huge mess.

I'm getting better at this...

Reply #10 – February 27, 2007, 05:27:32 PM

That looks great! I'd polish everything in my engine bay but that polished manifold I have is a pain enough to keep up as it is.

I started polishing one of my throttle bodies and the small areas were a royal pain. Since they were too small to work the dremel into, I had to do it all by hand.

I'm getting better at this...

Reply #11 – February 27, 2007, 05:35:28 PM

Very Sweet, nice work :D

You have way more patience than me

Bob Myers

I'm getting better at this...

Reply #12 – February 27, 2007, 09:59:42 PM

Looks good!

I've done some VC's in the past and a bunch of stuff on my motorcycle. I just started polishing an SVO compressor housing. I start with 100 grit and work my way up to 2000 wet sand, then sealer.

How did you not end up sanding the "Air research" lettering off? 100 grit ate that lettering right down. I planned on doing it though.

I'm getting better at this...

Reply #13 – February 28, 2007, 12:03:15 AM

I prefer well-done paint to polish or chrome myself, anyway...

Instead of polishing my valve cover I did this: (coulda swore I had a better picture than this)

I'm getting better at this...

Reply #14 – February 28, 2007, 01:15:33 AM

That's nice Red, except for the PCV breather... it's just too big.