I'd like to polish the aluminum on the oil pump cover to make it shiny again possible. Does anyone have a good method? I don't mind manual labor, but I'm guessing a buffing wheel on a bench grinder would make this easier. If that's the way to go, any suggestions as to which buffing wheel(s) are best - that I could put on a 6" bench grinder.
Thanks.
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/150_14_04_10_6_07_49.jpeg)
It's not going to be unlike polishing anything else. It's a semi-crappy casting though, so an absolutely perfect shine may be impossible.
Start with a rough grit and a hand sander to get as much of the deep scratches out, and work finer from there. When you get to the polishing stage, you will want a buffing wheel, and it doesn't really matter if you get one on a bench or on a hand tool. A bigger wheel is easier to control though, so keep that in mind.
Do take the cover off and look for cracks though. Because it's a fairly weak casting, they crack pretty easily if they've borne the weight of an unintentional gravity equalization event. They're not terribly expensive either, so you could also consider just replacing it with a new piece.
hey Mark,
my cover looked just like that when i got it, as long as there is no deep gouges or scratches from falling over it can look close to a mirror finish with a couple hours worth of work. it is aluminum so it may not quite look like chrome (but close) i started with something like 220 grit by hand, this was a long process. i slowly worked my way up to 800 grit before i put it to the buffing wheel. if you have a sander it would speed the process up.
i think 1000 grit or 1500 may have worked better cause if you look really close you can still see some faint scratches in the shiny surface from the sandpaper. i ended up liking the white buffing compound the most. i'll try and get a couple pix to show you the final product. (may take a few days though)
Polished my covers last weekend, I used 220, 360 and 600 on a paint stirring paddle (block sanding) to get a uniform surface. Then I polished it by hand with Mothers Aluminum Polish. I managed to get a dull chrome finish.
If you are taking the cover off and willing to repaint the black parts, I think there may be some clear coat on that cover that aircraft paint stripper will take off pretty quickly. may be able to start with 400 or 600 if the clear is already removed. I like mother's AL polish for the final step. It is Paddy approved. :drinks:
Quote from: andyb on April 14, 2010, 07:18:58 PM
Do take the cover off and look for cracks though. Because it's a fairly weak casting, they crack pretty easily if they've borne the weight of an unintentional gravity equalization event. They're not terribly expensive either, so you could also consider just replacing it with a new piece.
I was planning to take it off anyway--good thought, I will look for cracks - You're right,the fairing needed minor repair on that side when I got it--looks like the bike had fallen over at some point.
Quote from: FeralJuggernaut on April 15, 2010, 12:19:55 AM
It is Paddy approved. :drinks:
Credence. Mothers aluminum polish it is.
OK, If it's not cracked---I've got an old D/A sander -- I'll look what I've got for sandpaper and get what I don't have on the real fine stuff. polish from there and repaint the black.
Thanks!
Mark
Hi Mark
I used a D/A worked real well to get it close then hand polished to nice. lot of work, a nice buffing pad would have helped.
Bob
Quote from: weymouth399 on April 15, 2010, 09:42:55 AM
Hi Mark
I used a D/A worked real well to get it close then hand polished to nice. lot of work, a nice buffing pad would have helped.
Bob
I'm glad you said 'pad'---I was thinking buffing 'wheel', and while I think that would work also, I think the pad will come in handy other places. Of course, both would be better, but I'm trying to keep the overhead down.
Mark
My covers were very gray and dull. I used por15 artisian polish and powerball mini. That combo was easy, with no sanding. They came out with a mirror finish. I dont think there is a better metal polish out there. I also used it on my stainless 20 year old vance and hines header, and had excellent results.
I'll check it out, thanks
Hey Mark, what you have is very common. The factory clear coat is toast. Go to Ace/Lowes/Home Depot and get some paint stripper and remove the clear coat. Just put the stripper on the aluminum face, you don't have to strip the entire cover (i.e.the black) unless you want to. If you do remove the black, respray with Satin Black 600*-800* engine paint, and oven bake (cure) the paint prior to addressing the shiny finish.
You do not need to sand. That will cause you alot of work. There is a very nice finish waiting for you beneath the knackered clear coat. Some Simichrome and a buff job will work out great.
If any sanding is needed at all (doubtful) then a 800/1000/1500/2000 grit progression is all you would need. 220/400/600 would IMHO be too course. You will spend alot of your time and effort removing those scratches
.
Be very careful using any mechanical sanding/buffing. That aluminum is soft stuff and it's easy to get a wavy finish if you are not very careful.
Cheers
After all the sanding steps are done, use Simichrome.
It's the best, and I have tried just about all the popular polishes on the market, and Simichrome makes Mothers look like crap in a side by side test.
Look in my gallery of my Suzuki and you can see the results on the engine on that bike, that should speak for itself!
Leon
Wavy surface? Sounds like someone has spent too much time sniffing SimiChrome :good2:
Quote from: simi_ed on April 17, 2010, 01:09:27 AM
Wavy surface? Sounds like someone has spent too much time sniffing SimiChrome :good2:
When you polish a flat surface of aluminum, you want it to end up looking like a mirror, and not the type of mirror you would see in a fun house.
I happen to agree with Leon, Simichrome is the best. Also, a very good toothpaste and skin cream......
this looked as bad if not worse than yours when i started, a little out of focus but you can see jack stand in the reflection. kind of stands out a little because the stock covers aren't this polished.
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/medium_486_17_04_10_7_29_23.jpeg)
this cover was all corroded and scratched up pretty good, Bob put this on his belt sander with a scotchbrite pad, and in literally 20 seconds had nearly all the scratches gouges and corrosion out of it.
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/486_17_04_10_7_34_44.jpeg)
Quote from: Pat Conlon on April 16, 2010, 11:54:25 AM
If you do remove the black, respray with Satin Black 600*-800* engine paint, and oven bake (cure) the paint prior to addressing the shiny finish.
I picked up some paint stripper and will pick up some semi -chrome polish this week. The black needs to be painted as well. I wouldn't have thought of baking the finish before working around the fresh paint and handling the piece.
Travis, thanks for the pics.
Nice to see that it's possible to get a good finish and people do this. I didn't know if I'd be wasting my time until I gave up and bought a new cover.
I'll post the results when I do it. The pressure's on now!
Thanks to everyone for the input. :drinks:
Mark
Quote from: Pat Conlon on April 17, 2010, 01:57:05 AM
When you polish a flat surface of aluminum, you want it to end up looking like a mirror, and not the type of mirror you would see in a fun house.
Or the original Hubble mirrors, as it turns out...
Dan
Easier to make a brushed finish, which is faster to clean up and harder to make look bad....
Quote from: andyb on April 17, 2010, 06:00:48 PM
Easier to make a brushed finish, which is faster to clean up and harder to make look bad....
yes it is a lot quicker, when i said 20 seconds for the brushed look about half of that was talking about which direction to brush it.
Does the small cover on the right side of the engine (end of crankshaft) have oil behind it? I want to polish - do I have to wait until an oil change.
Stuart
Quote from: mz_rider on April 22, 2010, 02:47:29 PM
Does the small cover on the right side of the engine (end of crankshaft) have oil behind it? I want to polish - do I have to wait until an oil change.
Stuart
no, you can take it off. there is a seal behind the cover. it is a quick and easy one to polish too.
No, it's ok to remove. There is a oil seal behind it. Cheers!
I painted mine black.
Mark, any progress with the covers yet? :unknown:
One of the bottom screw holes on the cover was cracked when I took it off--I was able to break it off with my fingers--so I ordered a new cover. (Damn P.O.'s) :biggrin: I did refinish the smaller cover on the other side. (pic) Took it off, applied paint stripper, and buffed it with a random orbital sander with a red and then grey scrungi pads then buffed it with 3M aluminum and Magnesium polish and repainted the black with high temp semi-gloss black spray paint. I like the sheen that I got on the aluminum--there are brush marks similar to the OEM finish and not a mirror finish. Looks alot better than it did before as it was pitted also.
I'm going to do the large cover on the right side this winter when I have more time. I see on the parts schematic that this large aluminum cover comes out or appears to come apart from the rest of that cover and is sealed in with a gasket of some sort. I'm assuming the oil must be drained also. have you done this one also? Anything I need to know that might not be obvious?
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/150_06_05_10_5_48_53_0.jpeg)
QuoteI see on the parts schematic that this large aluminum cover comes out or appears to come apart from the rest of that cover and is sealed in with a gasket of some sort. I'm assuming the oil must be drained also. have you done this one also?
yes it does come apart pretty easy, just a rubber gasket to deal with, i took one apart just a couple of weeks ago. you will need to drain the oil.
As long as the bikes on the side stand you dont need to drain the oil to remove the clutch cover. HTH
Eric M
Check out the por-15 website you will find some polish that works amazing. I think the name is Artisian metal somthing, works great with a power ball and a good drill.