Polishing Exhaust Pipes?

[Scooterbob]

First - Not sure if this is the correct area to post this, so mods please move and flame me accordingly.   

I did a quick search and didn't find anything that helped.  Is it possible to polish the stock exhaust pipes on the FJ?  Or is it better to scuff and paint them with high temp paint?  Any recommendations?  Mine look like crap and I'm tired of it.

[Yamifj1200]

Lots of folks have removed the head pipes stripped them and given them a good polishing. Some FJ headpipes are made from stainless steel and can look quite nice polished up and reinstalled. Your 89 should have stainless steel headpipes....

Eric M

[Scooterbob]

Pretty sure mine are stainless too. I will check. Now I'm interested in the procedure of how people have done the polishing. Recommendations?

[Yamifj1200]

Pretty sure mine are stainless too. I will check. Now I'm interested in the procedure of how people have done the polishing. Recommendations?

The first thing to do its remove the factory finish from the pipes. Many use and scotch brite style pad you can attatch to a drill motor to remove the factory finish then polish the stainless pipes with a buffing wheel and jewlers rouge or some other metal polish. The results look good..

Eric M

[Scooterbob]

Sounds like a good weekend plan. Thanks for the info. I will take some before and after photos too.

[Marsh White]

I used a Dremel and a scotchbrite pad on my 86.  Here is a pic: http://www.fjowners.com/index.php?topic=1531.msg11878#msg11878

[Scooterbob]

Well, I'm all done.  I ended up using a medium grit scotch pad made for a dremel tool with some mothers gold polish.  Turned out pretty decent.


Before

After

[Mike 86 in San Dimas]

Looks good. If you have access to a heavy duty polishing wheel, a grinder on steroids, you get them look almost like chrome. A machine shop at my work has one, after spending hoooours using a hand drill, this three phae machine made short work of finishong them off. Shiny 

Mike

[Scooterbob]

Is the collector stainless too?  I would like to shine that too.

[mikeholzer]

Is the collector stainless too?  I would like to shine that too.

I don't think it is, but you can get one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170487739987&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWAX:IT#ht_1985wt_1165

[Yamifj1200]

The collector is not stainless unless you buy the fancy one listed...

Eric M

[FJ Flyer]

So that's what you're calling it now.....polishing your pipe?  You guys have to get out more.   

[Scooterbob]

polishing your pipe?  You guys have to get out more.   

I got no other choice. I'm married. 

[mijohnso]

Looks like I am already catching the modits...I have aftermarket (supertrapp 4 into 1) exhaust, and it is very rusty. Can I use the same methods described in this (and other) threads to remove the rust and get them pretty again? Or would the best way to get shiny exhaust be to buy a new system (if that is the case, I will live with the rust). Has anyone successfully polished rusty pipes?

This sounds like an punishingly fun winter project...

[andyb]

If it's rusty, it's not stainless.  So you could possibly get rid of the rust, but without some form of coating it'll come right back.

I don't know about supertrapps, i know that the V&H headers (the plated types) can rust totally through.  If your pipes are just a bit spotted, it could be worth trying to sand through it and paint it with grill paint or the like.  The better option would be asking a place that does ceramic coatings what they could do, using electrolysis to remove it and then coat it.