Polishing Aluminum

[Cole Sanger]

I am sure that this has been talked about over and over, but I couldn't find a thread on it.
I want to polish my dual high rise intake manifold. I found someone's website that said to sand it down starting with rough grit and slowly moving down to more fine grit. Then once it is smooth to take it to the polishing wheel.
My question to everyone is what is the correct route to take, step by step please?
A second question is should I just take it somewhere and get it done? What should I expect to pay for the job, and is there somewhere in Phoenix that someone can recommend?
Third would be is there a reason no one jet hot coats their manifolds? I have not had anything jet hot coated before. I was wondering if the jet hot coating would dissapate heat and keep the intake cool, or just the opposite and keep it hot?

[Wet Dream]

As far as the polishing goes, it all starts with sanding down the rough cast. I started my pump with a bead blast to get all the primer off. The it was a series of wire wheels on the drill. Start with a coarse then medium, then fine. Then you begin to hand sand with about a 220. Then 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1600. Then if you have fingers left, you go to the buffing wheel. Start with the orange wheel and the brown bar, then green wheel/ green bar, then white wheel/ white bar. Then finally you get to put the final hand polish on. And you continue to polish for the life of the piece. After all is said and done, you really wonder if all that crap was worth doing it yourself.
From a rough cast to polished intake, CP Performance charges $250 on the tunnels.

[C.Fisher]

Look here
http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Pit/7713/polishin1.htm

[victorfb]

the series of sanding is correct. then polish with a cutting rouge, then a soft wheel with polishing rouge. it very messy and it takes patience (spelling?) what grit sand paper will depend on how rough the finish is to begine with. the cutting rouge will cut the scratches from a 400 grit paper no problem. if your not set up to do the job (tools ect.) i would definatly take it have it done. id say about $225 give or take a few. the tools and and supplies will cost you.
hot coating the intake is starting to be more common. as a matter of fact. i just picked up an intake from a good friend that has allready been hot coated. it looks awsome and will save alot of up keep polishing. i love the idea. dont think it will help keep it cooler or anything, but if so thats just another plus. the only thing i can see about coating it that may be a concern is the fact that my intake was coated inside the ports/runners aswell. im not sure if the coating flakes off at all, but if so, then i would be getting those flakes into the combustion chamber. i would have had them seal off the inside and not coat that area. but hey. i am not complaining. the price was right. (thanks Todd) i would have no problem coating another one. i think its a great idea. exhaust aswell. headers or mainfolds. good luck.

[Cole Sanger]

On the jet hot coat topic, do you first need to polish the intake before the jet hot is done? I know when people get their headers done, they are already smooth. My intake has the rough finish now.

[victorfb]

sanding it first definatly helps. but the coating will cover quite a bit

[wet77]

Just an idea I am cleaning up my rail kit and then putting clear coat over the top.
I like a shiny finish but cleaning every time out gets old so this way I just wipe it down with a rag and some windex:D
Turns an hour job into 5 min:D

[victorfb]

its a great idea, and very common. the only problem with clear coating is that it hates petrolium products and sunlight. but id still do it.:D

[Cs19]

Just take it to a polishing shop..TRUST ME

[Cole Sanger]

Yeah, I am thinking about taking it somewhere too. It is going to take a while. If I get to the point where I need it done I will just take it. Right now the engine is at the shop getting decked, so I am in no big hurry. Any prep that I do to it is less in labor I would have to pay a shop. I was thinking of hiring an illegal to do it for me. Probably take a day for him and come out better than a shop anyway. I have never done that, but I know a lot of people that have had them come and do some really great work. Probably the same thing most shops do anyway. I just can't see paying $250 for it. Atleast not when I have the time. It's a different story when I need it done right away though.

[quiet riot]

I would recommend having it coated since its cast alum. Cast alum dulls much faster than billet or sheet/tubing etc. I've clear coated polished alum with good luck. I just use adhesion promotor (made by house of color.)
Just a tip for you guys polishing stuff, skip all your sanding steps next time. Try using the scotch-brite wheels instead. I use the ones that fit a 4 1/2" angle grinder and drill styles ones on an air drill. They'll take out 80 grit sand marks and make the surface much better prepped for a quicker polish. The scotch brite pads actually smear the surface imperfections out instead of cutting the surface which takes more time to polish and still leaves a lot of porous holes in the surface.
80 grit power sand
scotch brite
rough polish
fine polish
Lots less work and better polish,
jd

[wet77]

I agree with quiet riot I just finished mine yesterday and the sanding sucks:mad:
I found that that the scotch bright pads then a buffing coumpound with a foam pad on a electric drill does the job:D
Wipe em down and clear them;)

[396_WAYS_TO_SPIT]

I have polished alot of my own parts and let me tell you that I am going to pay someone to do it. My hads were rough for a week:eek!:
sanger if your interested in ceramic coating then i can get you a number to a place thats close to you. they are better than jethot in phoenix. the prices are a little cheaper as well. i will call my friend today and get the number today for you.
396

[Cole Sanger]

The sanding is what sucks. I am going to look into the scotchbrite pads. They should be pretty flexible right? I am looking for something that can get into the small spots. What can I do about the small pits on the intake?

[MudPumper]

I had my manifold and bellhousing polished for $120. Guy did a real good job. I forget the name of the place, but I don't think he is still there. His shop cought fire and most everything burned. He still had my bellhousing, but luckily he had sent it to his buddy to finish because he was too busy and I needed it rushed.

[quiet riot]

With good power tools (angle grinders, etc. usually the faster the better for preparing metal for final polishing) these will cover big areas 100x faster than sanding.
Big jobs (http://multimedia.mmm.com/mws/mediawebserver.dyn?ttttttb9lEHtNXut2XutttCvwEwTTTT 6-)
For detailed stuff (still takes some time but faster than all the fine sanding) pick the surface conditioning stuff from this page.
big list (http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/en001/manufacturing_industry/abrasives/node_GL77S2Z56Vbe/root_GST1T4S9TCgv/vroot_GS28JPJ1WVge/gvel_8B4ZHMW2KMgl/theme_us_abrasives_3_0/command_AbcPageHandler/output_html)
Follow this with your standard rough and fine compounding (using tools with the right speed and power with the right compounding wheels and compounds produces a much faster and better shine than paint buffers and drills, but they can get you by if need be.) Read what the pro's use and their tips and tricks. There are a lot of different suppliers, this is just one.
metal polishing (http://www.swmetal.com/)
jd

[Cole Sanger]

I like that last link you put up. It has tips and tricks that are really good.

[e-ticket]

I have been doing my own polishing for a while now. It is not the most fun I have had, but I hate waiting to get things done when I want them. I use a baldor buffer, 3/4 hp, 1800rpm running 10 inch wheels. For sanding I use either electric sander or the expansion wheel from Eastwoo. For tight areas I use a mandrel with various grits and sizes. Here are couple of links where I buy my materials.
http://www.bright-works.com
http://www.eastwood.com

[FlatRat]

Hand sanding sucks,Scotch brite pads is the way to go.For large flat surfaces, like rails and stuff after I Scotch brite pad all the deep stuff down. I then use a palm sander.It will take high spots down evenly.:D

[Cole Sanger]

Well, I wish I could take credit for it, but I can't. Here is a pic of my intake manifold.
Before:
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/643Intake_and_Carbs_before-med.JPG
After:
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/643126-2697_IMG-med.JPG

[Cheap Thrills]

Originally posted by quiet riot
I
Just a tip for you guys polishing stuff, skip all your sanding steps next time. Try using the scotch-brite wheels instead.
jd
"Gasket Blaster" A 2"round 3M scotch bright on a die grinder :D
I am of the belief the if it wasn't for 3M , drywall screws and silicone the world would fall apart :p
C.T. :wink: