How-to Polish -- examples, pictures, tips and tricks...

[Gallows]

I don't know what the finish is. I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow and post them in here.

 

[thorco3]

I'm sure they are stainless. posting up a picture will probably help assess the 'damage' and we can get them looking new again.

 

[Gallows]

Here is my nasty looking catback.

 

[thorco3]

well, judging by the amount of rust the tailpipes are not stainless. I'm sure they are galvanized or aluminized or something. I would still probably sand them some, maybe even just use a wire brush to knock off any loose crap and paint them. The tips look like they are stainless though and some billet metal polish should bring the shine right out of them.

First wash and scrub them off, then take a white cloth and some billet polish and rub a small spot. If your rag turns black then they will polish.

 

[Gallows]

I'll pick up some supplies this week and see what kind of a ride that I'm in for. Thanks for the advice :thumbsup:

 

[Gallows]

I started polishing a section of my catback today and it has some pitting that won't come out and from the look of the rest of the pipe it is going to be an issue. Here are a few pics so far

Thoughts/comments/suggestions?

 

[mygreengt]

looks alot better.

 

[Gallows]

It's shinier but those pits suck

 

[mygreengt]

are you gonna go with a higher grit?

 

[Gallows]

That is just with 120 grit but those pits aren't coming out. I also tried a drill with a wire brush but they are to deep and was looking for suggestions on what I can do to get rid of them

 

[thorco3]

A wire brush really won't do anything for ya. They're really just good for knocking off loose crap on the surface. To get those perfect it's just going to take some more sanding. 120 grit is pretty rough though, I would think that should do it.

Judging by the sanding marks, you have been sanding around the pipe. Swith to sanding lengthwise, then back to horizontal, this will knock down any sanding grooves and your sanding will go a little quicker.

I'm also assuming that these pics are part of the tailpipe... as I mentioned previously this doesn't look stainless so polishing these might be a "lost cause". It's hard to tell from pictures over the internet but these very well could oxidize, pit, and/or rust all over again very quickly.

The tips did look stainless though and I wouldn't even use sandpaper on those, I'd go straight to the billet polish after cleaning them up a little.

 

[FullThrottleStangs]

gonna try this out this weekend. great write-up!

 

[94svtturbo]

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING detail in this how to. Great info that i plan on using in the future. Thanks Thorco!!!!!

 

[NCMystic]

can i polish an eaton supercharger? i also was wondering if any clear rattle can spray would stand up against the head of engine componants. i would like to polish pretty much everything in my engine bay but don't want to spend the weekend cleaning my motor every time it rains. . .

 

[thorco3]

In general I wouldn't recommend clearing a polished piece. The metal will still oxidize/tarnish... maybe at a slower rate, but it will happen and it will need to be maintained. With a clear coat you will not be able to do the routine light buff to keep a nice shine.

That's my experience anyways. The quality of the polished finish you end up with will be the biggest factor in determining how easy the part is to maintain and how often it will need to be 're-polished'. I really can't stress that enough. That's why all the initial sanding stages are so important, and usually/unfortunately time consuming if done correctly.

 

[NCMystic]

do you drive yours through rain and water or does it only see nice days for the most part? i have seen others with polished engines begging people to not do it to theirs due to the maintenance. thoughts?

 

[thorco3]

I have been caught in the rain a couple times, but I don't drive the car very much in general. In my opinion the upkeep is nothing compared to the initial work it takes to polish something. I would imagine the ones that complain the most about keeping something polished paid someone else to do the initial work. I might hit everything with a little metal polish 2 or 3 times a year at most.

Obviously the more harsh the conditions the part goes through the more upkeep it will require.

 

[NCMystic]

thanks for the input, as slick as it looks i might break and just paint it all metal flake silver. . . i do plan on daily driving it and i am a little ocd. i've seen pictures of engines that are polished and everything under the hood has water spots. if that happens how long would you say it takes to "quickly" clean it up? i know once it's polished its easier to clean up but in the real world give you give me a time idea of that sort of a situation?i have the patience but i just don't want to let it get out of hand either. . . have you seen anyone hand polish the 03 04 cobra eatons? i know i can do the valve covers and reservoirs but what about the coolant crossover tube? i really appreciate the advice. i think it might be some of the same questions and apprehensions as other. thanks.

 

[thorco3]

Unfortunately I don't have a great answer for all of that. It depends on the extent of the water spots, how much water has dried on the polished parts and how many times it see's bad weather in between a coat of polish. Cleaner wax can be used for light upkeep as well and will help prevent water spots, just the same as it does on painted surfaces. Most polishing compounds work in the same way though, which is why I hit mine with a little polish from time to time.

For what it's worth... Everytime I wash my car I run it down the road to blow most of the water off. Because I have a cowl hood some of the water gets sucked back into the engine bay where it instantly dries on the warm intake. This leaves water spots, but after the intake has had time to cool I go over it with some mothers billet polish (probably takes me about 30-60seconds) and looks fine. I guess I do this more than I was thinking... but never spend much time on it. Hope that helps.

Not sure on the eaton motors, I don't pay as much attention to the 4-valves. Pretty sure my buddy polished his crossover tube, it is soldererd or something though and has what looks like bronze or copper colored "welds" in it. Hard to explain, but it does look pretty good, not sure on the upkeep required on it though.

Also something to keep in mind (I'm sure I've mentioned this somewhere in here) but not all metals are created equal, some will maintain their finish much better than others. Some (ie. pot-metals) will tarnish/oxidize in no time. For whatever reason a lot of the valve covers out there will not keep a polished finish very well probably due to other metals, cheaper metals mixed in with them to lower their cost. Obviously something like stainless steel or pure billet aluminum will give the best longest lasting results in comparison, these are also more expensive materials. Might have gotten a little off track with all that, but again, hopefully something in there helps ya out.

 

[NCMystic]

hey, my wallet started screaming from the other room when i realized the price of powder coating so polish the blower and reservour tanks. was wondering if you have seen this product, and if so what you think or if there is a better brand. looked like a life saver to me but you're the expert so let us know! thanks

http://www.shineseal.com/