J
Jonny H
Guest
Can you polish the r cover yourself or does it have to be done by the pros? :?
J
Jonny H
Guest
cheers Jus. Just out of interest how do you do it? :roll:
JU5TY
Member
Start off with rough sand paper, take out any cast lines, pits etc, then just work your way through the sand paper getting finer, then move onto wet and dry until you hit 1200 grit!
The above should take a good couple of weeks... The longer you spend doing this, the better the end finish will be.
Finally use a polishing kit to get a mirrored finish.
I take it this isn't an R cam cover your doing this to? Make sure you clean the inside out thoroughly when you've finished. (This took me ages as I had to removed the sealed plates etc)
I did a bit of prep work on my cam covers by grinding off the lip on the front before it was painted.
The above should take a good couple of weeks... The longer you spend doing this, the better the end finish will be.
Finally use a polishing kit to get a mirrored finish.
I take it this isn't an R cam cover your doing this to? Make sure you clean the inside out thoroughly when you've finished. (This took me ages as I had to removed the sealed plates etc)
I did a bit of prep work on my cam covers by grinding off the lip on the front before it was painted.
J
Jonny H
Guest
:shock: ok, that'll give me something to do in the summer :roll: 
cheers Jus any news on your motor yet?
Jon
cheers Jus any news on your motor yet?Jon
JU5TY
Member
Got the head bolts this week, was just waiting on them, so now the engine can be fully rebuild. Assuming my gearbox is ok (will ring them today), but sounds promising, then the engine should be ready to go back in within weeks.
Then just things like manifold, downpipe and exhaust to sort out.
So getting there…
Then just things like manifold, downpipe and exhaust to sort out.
So getting there…
J
Jonny H
Guest
good good, glad to hear it mate
1
1000ny
Guest
i was told that if you polish the cover,plenum or owt like that, then you take the protective coating off it and it`ll start goin rusty dead quick.
is that true?
is that true?
A
Anonymous
Guest
The plenum is made of alluminim so it wont rust (not sure about the rocker cover yet) it can corrode slightly but if you keep it clean through the summer and silicon coat it through the winter it should be fine .
I've also polished a few parts in my engine bay myself, and that bumper guard thing polishes up nice to
And when you start doing this it becomes a bug and you just cant stop
I've also polished a few parts in my engine bay myself, and that bumper guard thing polishes up nice to
And when you start doing this it becomes a bug and you just cant stop
J
Jonny H
Guest
thats what im affraid of......which is why im going to wait till the summer before i start doing anything..... :roll:
A
antilag
Guest
it will all corode and look total $hite if u dnt look after it its easy to polish it up off the car but wens its all back on its a pain in the arse
G
GTI-R Kid
Guest
Is there any way to preserve the finish so that it doesn't need constant polishing? What about a light coat of laquer to seal it - or would this just dull the shine when applied?
A
Anonymous
Guest
Tried laquer, and yes it does dull the shine .
I dont think you can chrome aluminuim, and even copper plating it first then chromeing makes it crack easily when it expands .
Its not really hard to look after it all though, the main thing is to keep it dry, so in the winter the silicon sorts that out and in the summer just give it a wipe over after cleaning and if you do get any white build ups brasso works a treat, you can also give it a buff up with a polishing wheel and a light compound if you loose the brightness .
I dont think you can chrome aluminuim, and even copper plating it first then chromeing makes it crack easily when it expands .
Its not really hard to look after it all though, the main thing is to keep it dry, so in the winter the silicon sorts that out and in the summer just give it a wipe over after cleaning and if you do get any white build ups brasso works a treat, you can also give it a buff up with a polishing wheel and a light compound if you loose the brightness .
G
GTI-R Kid
Guest
Thanks for the suggestions Moon & Justy. Chroming isn't really an option as one of the parts i'm thinking of polishing up is the splitter guard. And given the Irish weather keeping that dry is gonna be impossible.
When you say silicon are you suggesting just the barest covering to make the item water and air-tight? Bits under the bonnet should be easier to keep dry alright though, and good to know brasso will work. Still thinking about getting some parts chromed as it would be the perfect shine, but i'm in no rush at the moment so can do more research first.
When you say silicon are you suggesting just the barest covering to make the item water and air-tight? Bits under the bonnet should be easier to keep dry alright though, and good to know brasso will work. Still thinking about getting some parts chromed as it would be the perfect shine, but i'm in no rush at the moment so can do more research first.
T
T11EWL
Guest
One of the guys over on the AlmeraOwnersClub has arranged some work with a company in Kent.
Think it was about
£300 for chrome plating
£250 for gold and nickle (the dipping process is easier)
Think it was about
£300 for chrome plating
£250 for gold and nickle (the dipping process is easier)
A
Anonymous
Guest
The stuff I'm on about you can get in halfords, I cant remember the name but its like a silicon based spray that I think they use after steam cleaning n stuff, just spray loads on and it drys with a very fine coat, it does spoil a fresh polished item but it does stop corrosion .GTI-R Kid said:
If you polish that I'd consider using laquer there, you'l loose the shine so quickly with it picking up so much moisture it probably wont make any difference .GTI-R Kid said:
But it would be a good part to practice on since its very smooth to start with and easy to recover if you make a mess