|
How do I polish the aluminum gills?
I just got them from Finish Line and would like to shine them up. Any ideas? I can't really use "the wheel". Can this be done by hand? If so, how?
Thanks! |
Rob, my friend...
It's called a soft cloth and good 'ol fashioned elbow grease. All that 'Vette stuff you did must have made you soft. :D I've got some Mothers' polish and some Zaino at home if you want to try using some of that. Steve |
When it comes to polishing aluminum and making your life easier, use 200MPH polish. The stuff works.:D Check out their web site: http://www.premiumcarcareproducts.com/200mph/list.nhtml
I've been using 200MPH polish for years and have broken the "elbow grease" habit from using Mother's and Neverdull a long time ago. And the stuff seals against corrosion.;) |
Tom,
Didn't you write about this stuff before. I remember that it keeps the shine much longer on propellers and things, right? Does the shine hold up well on things that get hot, like rocker covers? Paul |
Hi Paul,
I use the polish on my stainless steel side pipes, so even though they get plently hot, stainless doesn't have the corrosion problems of aluminum. Therefore, I can't say for sure if it will survive the heat a valve cover sees. I would tend to think so though. One thing I should have said is the surfaces I use 200MPH polish on have already been brought to a high polish with jeweler's rouge and a buffing wheel or NeverDull. The 200 stuff just keeps polished items looking better longer and with less effort than anything I've ever used. Hope that helps. |
WENOL,WENOL WENOL !!!
http://www.wenol.com/id21.htm Being an "oldtime hotrodder" I had used Simichrome for all my polishing needs. While at a car show I decided to try Wenol on my '23 T bushburners to take off the blueing. WHAT A GREAT PRODUCT!!! I use it on ANY metal and have never been disappointed. Try it you'll like it. When I go to the car shows and I see the "doubting Thomas" faces in the crowd of the "Wenol" demo, I step up and tell the people how great this product is. A lot of the time they think I'm a shill for the seller. :) :) |
Any relation between your logon ...220mph and the company 200mph??
|
No relationship. The 220 mph is the top speed I reached at Bonneville, but I didn't ask where they got the 200MPH name for the polish. Guess it sounds better than 100MPH. :rolleyes:
|
What's jeweler's rouge?
Anyone ever tried using rubbing alcohol to clean the chrome? I remember seeing once on one of those decorating shows my wife watches that they were using it to clean chrome and metal faucets, etc... Rob, it may also not be a bad idea to go to the Harley Davidson dealer in Oaks. If there is anyone who knows about shining chrome, it's a Harley biker. I've seen some of those that I needed sunglasses to look at. Really cool. See what they use. Steve |
Well, the gills are aluminum, not chrome. . .
How much upkeep does it take? Should I polish it and then clear coat it? What do people usually do? Hey Steve, my motor should arrive at Tony's on Monday! |
Rsimoes,
I like it painted the same color as the body. Paul |
Rob,
I know they're aluminum. But I'm not sure if aluminum and chrome shine up in similar fashions. I would guess that they do. Be sure to say hi to my poor MR2 down at Tony's if you're there Monday. He came and towed it from my driveway yesterday. Electrical gremlin. Steve |
Klayfish,
Jeweler's rouge is a polishing compound. You can get it in different compounds depending on the material you're polishing and the level of polish desired. Check out Eastwood's web site for further explanation on these and related supplies: http://www.eastwoodco.com/ |
Man! I polished one fin that had a light scratch on it and it's shiny, but the scratch did not come off. Man, it's hard to find good quality aluminum parts for these Cobras!
I found an awesome turkey pan from Cobra Restorers! The previous three went back, they were so bad. I hope I don't have to go through the same for good fins. Here is a question. What did the originals look like? Painted silver? Polished aluminum or brushed aluminum? |
Hey rsimoes
I know it's fun to polish stuff and I do it too, but the "louvers" are supposed to be body color. Just an opinion, but frankly, when I see polished louvers, the first thing that comes to mind is replica. I don't even have to walk up to the car to find out. Yes, I know most guys have replicas including me, but for my part, I like to keep 'em guessing. If you're bound and determined to shine them up, you will have to use abrasive compounds and motorized (die grinder with buff wheels) polishing equipment to get out the scratches. Start with coarser compounds like Tripoli and work down to jewler's rouge while examining each stage to see that no scratches coarser than the given compound remain. That way, when you finish with rouge, there won't be any ripples. Once you are finished polishing, use lacquer thinner or get the proper surface prep solution for aluminum, clean thoroughly and clear coat, unless you want to be polishing them every few weeks. Al |
| All times are GMT -7. The time now is 02:18 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0
The representations expressed are the representations and opinions of the clubcobra.com forum members and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and viewpoints of the site owners, moderators, Shelby American, any other replica manufacturer, Ford Motor Company. This website has been planned and developed by clubcobra.com and its forum members and should not be construed as being endorsed by Ford Motor Company, or Shelby American or any other manufacturer unless expressly noted by that entity. "Cobra" and the Cobra logo are registered trademarks for Ford Motor Co., Inc. clubcobra.com forum members agree not to post any copyrighted material unless the copyrighted material is owned by you. Although we do not and cannot review the messages posted and are not responsible for the content of any of these messages, we reserve the right to delete any message for any reason whatsoever. You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agree to indemnify and hold us harmless with respect to any claim based upon transmission of your message(s). Thank you for visiting clubcobra.com. For full policy documentation refer to the following link: