engine/clutch cases

[bigbore2]

its time to get the peeling clearcoat off the metal and just polish the silver portion of the cases.  how do I get that off and what do I use to polish those areas?

[ribbert]

Non environmentally friendly paint stripper.
Noel

[red]

its time to get the peeling clearcoat off the metal and just polish the silver portion of the cases.  how do I get that off and what do I use to polish those areas?

Bigbore,

I removed peeling GM clearcoat from Camaro rims with lacquer thinner.  I applied it with a soft brush, and waited about 15 minutes.  Then I re-applied the solvent.  I rolled up the softened clearcoat into gummy little balls using a wooden paint stirring stick, wrapped with a shop rag.  The stirring sticks are free, at the paint store selling the lacquer thinner.  I used the stick as you would use a flat file, and moving the cloth for a clean spot now and then.  I never touched the solvent, wore rubber (nitrile) gloves anyway, and worked outside in a gentle breeze.  Not very quick, but not very difficult.  Try it on a small area first, and see what happens.  Yamaha clearcoat may not be like GM clearcoat. 

Good luck!

[fj1289]

I've used good quality wet or dry sand paper to sand through the clear coat on Yamaha fork lowers from that era.  A bit of work, but gets the job done.   And if you're ever going to rob a bank, gets rid of you finger prints for a while!

After you get through the clear coat, just keep going through the grades - removing the scratches from the previous grit before moving to the next.   Work your way up through 1000 or 1500 grit and it won't take much more than semi-chrome and elbow grease to bring up a nice shine.   Obviously power tools and buffs and rouge work well and faster, but aren't the only way to get the job done!

[Pat Conlon]

Non environmentally friendly paint stripper.
Noel

^^^. This

[bigbore2]

I'm trying to preserve the black painted Yamaha on both sides, so I guess the laquer thinner would not do. Otherwise....... yes.
And I want to leave those pieces on the bike, not remove them to polish.  looks like my angle grinder is going to get a go at it first.  Finish by hand.     I'll see what I can accomplish with that. 

[FJmonkey]

Power removal on aluminum parts can go bad quickly. If you want preserve the look then take the time to do it by hand.

[Pat Conlon]

Don't worry about the Yamaha letters, they are recessed and can be filled in with black paint after the chemical strip and final polish. Just mask off the black engine case area around the silver aluminum areas. The paint stripper is a heavy body solution. Just brush it on, let the clear coat bubble then rinse it off with a garden hose.
Easy peesey.

As Timothy Leary once said: "Its all about better living thru chemistry."

Speaking about tripping out....You are kidding about using an angle grinder, right?

Right?

[ribbert]

If you're only talking about the engine covers and you want to preserve the black lettering, just rub through the clear with wet & dry (wet) you'll have it off in a few minutes.

If none of the black is missing, just clean the lettering with dishwashing liquid (cuts grease) and a nail brush or similar, then, when you apply the clear coat it will look like fresh paint.

If you need to redo the black, spray it and don't worry about the overspray on the rest of the cover, it will wet rub off in a flash and define the sunken lettering as you do it. It's the only way to get a clean edge on the lettering.

Don't make the process any more complicated than it needs to be.

Wet rub, wash, clear coat, job done!

This clutch cover is from my original motor and was done start to finish in 30 minutes. That was 8 years and 140,000km ago. It has never been touched up and I took this photo 5 minutes ago. The satin/brushed look is intentional (and a lot trickier than polishing).



This one I did a few weeks back with the same process.



I did not use hight temp clear on either cover, that stuff is prone to yellowing. I used a garden variety non-ferrous metal laquer. Not even a hint of yellowing after all this time and certainly no peeling or flaking or lifting edges.

As always, IMO  

Noel