I thought I saw mention of that around the forum, but a search came up with nothing.
What years did the OEM stainless exhaust appear?
Do they polish up relatively easy?
Thank you
Tony
I think 1986 was the first year.
They do shine up like chrome, BUT, it does take some skilled work to get them there.
I polished the stock head pipes on my 91 FJ.
Try it, you'll like it!
Leon
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/1tinindian/Motorcycles/100_5548.jpg)
Ouch, my eyes, my eyes....! Leon, you missed a spot on your front rim, heh, heh.
I just finished mine, what a lot of work.
Stainless is the hardest material I have ever worked with. It makes polishing anodized aluminum seem easy.
Worth it 'thou, they sure are purdy.
Quote from: Pat Conlon on June 30, 2012, 03:37:14 PM
Ouch, my eyes, my eyes....! Leon, you missed a spot on your front rim, heh, heh.
I just finished mine, what a lot of work.
Stainless is the hardest material I have ever worked with. It makes polishing anodized aluminum seem easy.
Worth it 'thou, they sure are purdy.
You changed over to later model stainless pipes??
And polished them?
PICTURES, pleeeease!
Leon
Quote from: 1tinindian on June 30, 2012, 11:54:16 PM
You changed over to later model stainless pipes??
And polished them?
PICTURES, pleeeease!
Leon
+1
Post up some pictures.....I wanna see!
Okay, I'll get them up tomorrow........
Here ya go.... Due to internal cracks, I had to replace 2 of my oem double wall header tubes, so why not go to the '86+ stainless?
Leon's excellent tutorial shows us how to polish them.......
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/3/49_01_07_12_10_11_16.jpeg)
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/3/49_01_07_12_10_13_26.jpeg)
Like I said.... They sure turned out purdy.
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/3/49_01_07_12_10_15_46.jpeg)
OH pretty!
That is just what that bike was needing!
Thanks for posting the pictures. It reminds me how nice they are after the first polishing.
The gold tint will come along soon enough.
Leon
Damn! Pat...........There was a time I actually thought your bike couldn't get any more shiny!
Looks great.........If I didn't already have a ceramic coated header, I would be seriously talking to Leon about how to polish my factory downtubes......
Thanks guys.
Quote from: Pat Conlon on July 01, 2012, 08:53:43 PM
Thanks guys.
F$%$@ polished pipes!!! I really need to find a local shop with some basic tools for polishing. My new to me Super Traps are in the Queue as well...... Nothing like pressure to make you fell alive......
Quote from: FJmonkey on July 01, 2012, 09:01:25 PM
....I really need to find a local shop with some basic tools for polishing........
Why local? Southwest Metal has home delivery.....
https://www.swmetal.com/ (https://www.swmetal.com/)
Mark, I get all I need from Sears.
Not trying to promote or push them, just sayin, thats where I get what I need and they are local and right on my way to work.
Leon
I polished mine, but they didn't come out looking that good. how did you get yours that polished
Quote from: candieandy on July 05, 2012, 04:20:13 PM
I polished mine, but they didn't come out looking that good. how did you get yours that polished
First, explain how you polished yours so I can get an idea as to where to lead you from.
Leon
Thank Leon,
Let me try that again.
First i started my wire wheeling all the powdercoat off my 1990 pipes. then i went to sanding with emery cloth med. and then i wet-sanded with 800 grit, and then with 1500 grit. then i polished with the 3 different colors clay bars and the wolven wheel on a drill. mine aren't that nice at all and they are starting to get some corrosion.
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/3/421_06_07_12_3_16_50.jpeg)
http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=3551 (http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=3551)
here is the link to the picture i just added. you can zoom in if needed too.
let me know what you think
thanks
andrew
Andrew, I think you are on the right track.
I would be careful with the wire wheel as that may cause more damage than good, but it sounds like you are beyond that point with all your sanding.
My guess is that the drill you are using just isn't spinning fast enough to get the deep, luster shine you are looking for.
I use air tools and the die grinder I use spins so fast against the metal I'm polishing that it get so hot it becomes difficult to hang on to.
Speed of the tool is the key to polishing metal.
If you don't have access to air tools, I know that electric die grinders are available that have the needed speed to get what you're looking for.
By the way, I love the black and red on your FJ, she's a beauty!
Leon
Thanks Leon,
I did the paint job all by myself. its hard to see, but i put 6 grams of pearl silver flake into the paint too.
As for the exhaust, it has lost some of its luster, so i will try again. i have access to air tools so that should be easier. any suggestions on what kind of polishing pads to buy or polishing compunds? What did you use on your die grinder?
From Pat: "...Due to internal cracks, I had to replace 2 of my EM double wall header tubes,"... a likely story, me thinks you saw a hair, and looking for an excuse to add more shine said it was a crack and replaced them. What's next Pat, replacing those 'worn' grips? (popcorn)
(http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb37/campsimonette/Grips-Grooved.jpg)
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-7-pc-buffing-pad-and-compound-kit/p-00929807000P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3 (http://www.sears.com/craftsman-7-pc-buffing-pad-and-compound-kit/p-00929807000P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3)
http://www.sears.com/craftsman-buffing-compound-set/p-00902896000P?prdNo=12&blockNo=12&blockType=G12 (http://www.sears.com/craftsman-buffing-compound-set/p-00902896000P?prdNo=12&blockNo=12&blockType=G12)
http://www.sears.com/formax-5oz-red-rouge-buffing-wheel-compound/p-SPM6562039501P?prdNo=7&blockNo=207&blockType=G207 (http://www.sears.com/formax-5oz-red-rouge-buffing-wheel-compound/p-SPM6562039501P?prdNo=7&blockNo=207&blockType=G207)
These are some items I have used.
The red rouge is my favorite. Seems to work very nicely on aluminum as well as the S/S pipes.
I then go back over the pipes with a clean wheel and Simichrome, and then go back over it again by hand with Simichrome.
Hope this helps.
Leon
Quote from: Dads_FJ on July 09, 2012, 03:07:15 PM
From Pat: "...Due to internal cracks, I had to replace 2 of my EM double wall header tubes,"... a likely story, me thinks you saw a hair, and looking for an excuse to add more shine said it was a crack and replaced them.
John, honest, they really really had cracks. Even the guys at the WCR and Gunnison Rallies heard them rattle. It sounded like hell.
Here's a couple of posts I made after I came home: http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=6927.msg61269#msg61269 (http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=6927.msg61269#msg61269)
I don't think I ever want to polish stainless steel again, very hard stuff. However, polishing aluminum is like butter.... :dance2:
A few days ago someone mentioned a die grinder for polishing engine pipes. That's making hard work of it, the size wheels you'd be using are not big enough for a job like that. Too small a contact area and not enough heat. Someone else I think also mentioned wire brushing, sanding and multiple grades of wet rub as prep. That's also making hard work of it. I did this pipe yesterday just as an exercise ( I decided not to fit polished pipes because they're too hard to clean with a belly pan and look bad if they're not clean) In the absence of something that would dissolve the paint, I wet rubbed it bare, I forget what grit, but it wasn't that fine, and went straight to the rag wheel. The pipes are pretty smooth under the paint. I only used 2 grades of polish and took 10 -15 mins max. If I was going to fit it I would use, as Pat and or Leon suggested, the "rouge" and then a quick hand polish to protect it. Hanging behind the pipe is my 80,000k muffler that gets the rag wheel polish a couple of times a year.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7278/7549156726_fe12d04b11_z_d.jpg)(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7549164856_cc38e74b18.jpg%5Bimg%5D)http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8015/7549173838_62f48c5292.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8015/7549173838_62f48c5292.jpg)[/img]
error
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8015/7549173838_62f48c5292.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7549164856_cc38e74b18.jpg)
These should have accompanied the previous post.
I notice I've just outed myself with the pink stripe fairing in the photo, a closet pinky.
looks way nicer than chrome,i hate chrome :wacko3:,, no worries being a pinko, have one of the fancy pink striped tanks hanging in my shed, , mind you its just waiting to be painted to match my black :biggrin: ,, nice work on the pipe
Right on Noel.
What Leon said is very true about avoiding wire brushing or course sanding for paint removal. It causes scratches which involves more work.
Here's some good tips I've bookmarked: https://www.swmetal.com/page/faq (https://www.swmetal.com/page/faq)
For example: Different cloth wheels have different stitching for different applications (cutting vs. polishing)
Cheers and happy polishing!
so i learned that my wire wheel technic and sanding made my next job even harder.. funny how i always seem to do things the hard way. haha.
thanks for the link to the polishing company. looks like i may get these pipes to shine up afterall. i will post pictures after i get it finished.