New Stainless Steel Sidepipes - Maintenance?

[cobra de capell]

Just had new stainless steel sidepipes installed - are there any tricks to keep them looking good? I know that they turn blue in spots - what's a good way to eliminate that condition or at least reduce it to a minimum?

Should thay be polished with products that are used on other metals?

Any input would be appreciated.

Also, as an aside - I have real Halibrands on my Cobra - the two back wheels were pitted in several spots - I had a very, very thin layer of magnesium taken off - they turned out nice - no more pitting.

[Terry Brown]

You know, I've had mine since Jan '06 and have done little to maintain them. I usually just polish them (by hand) when I polish the car.

I've tried a variety of different metal and paint polishes but I really can't recommend one over another.

Car has been on the track several times at WSCB events and has over 25,000 miles. I've had no bluing. I think that MAY be a chromed pipe issue. I do have a very slight golden hue where the pipes come of the headers.

In mho they really out shine other finishes. Sorry, not a lot of help but I think you will be pleased with the little upkeep they require. Happy Motoring!!!

[cobra de capell]

Well, I ;purchased them to replace my painting white pipes to lower the maintenance time, so your post was good news!

I just see how it goes.

[CJ428CJ]

Like Terry, I have about 25,000 miles on my SS pipes. They turn a soft golden brown color not blue and they do it rather quickly. At first, the brown color kind of bugged me. Now I'm that I'm use to it, I kind of like it. You can remove the golden hue using any stainless/aluminum polish but it doesn't last long. The color comes back quickly.

Chris

[cdnus]

Whenever I polish my Vintage wheels with my powerball & polish I Run it over the SS sidepipes & it removes any discolouration in seconds & they look like new.
Some times I will not buff them, just wipe them down because I kinda like the light honey colour they pick up after time.
Otherwise almost any popular wheel polish will bring the finish right back in no time & very little labour.

Craig

[cobra de capell]

powerball & polish - I just purchased the small one for my wheels - I'll be trying it on the pipes.

I say one thing, having real mag wheels is cool, but a huge hassle as well = but, cool overrides the hassle at this point.

One other thing - I found a center console to put between the seats to rest my arm on - fits pretty good - a little comfort - found it a Wal Mart of all places! It's also got a cup holder for two that can be used. Most posters here probably don't have anything between the seats - perhaps a fire extinguisher. Yes, it gets in the way of shifting, but it can be readily removed - in seconds.

[SJK2]

cdc.
I use this and it works great......

Polishing Stainless Steel, Monel, Hard metals

[cobra de capell]

Originally Posted by SJK2

cdc.
I use this and it works great......

Polishing Stainless Steel, Monel, Hard metals

Thanks for the link - interesting information on polishing stuff in general as well!

Metal polishing can be challenging.