Polishing Things - Shiny Parts Look So Fast

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- Polishing Things -

Shiny Parts Look So Fast

The question - Looking for some tips on polishing the aluminum parts on my Banshee. The cylinder and cases, calipers,etc..... I've already started with a wire brush on the drill, what else should I do to get the finished effect?

The response - The best tip I can give: QUIT NOW!!! :) If you really want a chrome-like shine, get ready to work, a wire brush isn't gonna come close. The cylinders are the hard part(that's why a lot a guys have their low ends only polished) and have to be sanded. Start with a rough grit - somewhere in the 100-220 range. After the pits have been removed and the surface is just a bunch of small scratches, the hard part is done. Now progressively go to the next finer grit and sand away. Do this until you finish up with 1500 grit. (Sandpaper grit I use: 220-320-400-600-1500) It will be pretty shiny after 1500. But, get some metal polish (I use Mother's Aluminum Polish) and polish the surface according to directions on can- very easy - just buff/rub-HARD on till black and buff off with another rag. On the bottom end or calipers where it is not pitted, you can take paint off with remover(good luck to ya!) and then start sanding at about 400. But, make sure to progressively end up at 1500. Don't skip a grit either or you'll work yourself to death. You can use a dremel or drill to help in sanding, but keep in mind that any wavy imperfections(you WILL have them using power tools) show up and you will end up having to get them out by hand. I personally get a lot of the surface down with a drill and then resort to hand from then on. Also, in tight spots, wrap the sandpaper around a small piece of WOOD (not metal) to get to the scratches, pits, etc. I guess if you're gonna be slow & heavy, at least you'll look pretty doing it, huh? HEHE!

Trax310

For those of you who can get the GOOD brake cleaners spray them on painted parts to remove paint with ease - be very careful with it. Wear a mask and eye protection. Gloves help too. Try Berrymans - (I think it's brakeclean <sp>). Also, you know the warnings on brake fluid containers about how if you spill it on painted surfaces it could remove the paint? It might be wise to spill some in the right places. Rubber abrasives are going to save you time smoothing the cylinder once the surface has had most of the sharp edges removed. Turn the tool very fast and use a very light touch (15000 to 20000 RPM) and keep the tool moving - never stop in one place or you'll leave a track. Jewelers rouge is a cutting tool to aid in the removal of metal without leaving too many marks. Some hardware stores have big chunks of the stuff real cheap. Apply it with a cotton wad tool - about 1/3 to 1/2 inch in diameter, and use lots of rouge. Again a light touch and keep the tool moving.

I only did it to one cylinder and head one time, and it was time consuming. Keep in mind that there is no performance gain from this except perhaps that it "looks" faster. Actually I still have that cylinder around here somewhere - I think I hit daylight through the outside of the transfer ports while making the passages more curved - the things you remember...

Rick - Oh yes, I learn everything the hard way.

Yes, a polished motor looks swell, and every time we see one, we think, WOW-what a lot of work!! We can dig the amount of work involved. Just don't understand it. The reason why turbocharger setups are highly polished is to hold the heat IN... why in the world would anyone want to hold heat in an ATV motor???... other than looks I mean. A black coating radiates heat several times better than a polished surface.

Dunerider

That is correct. That's why we don't polish our radiators.

Rick

ALL RIGHT! You guys are something else, lemme tell ya! I cannot believe that you actually think that a polished motor will run noticeably hotter than a painted one. Why do many high horse producing motors have Nikasil or Chrome plated cylinders? Wouldn't that make a motor run much hotter to the point that it ain't worth it? It sure does not affect them... And do you think that having your pipe chromed gives you any more horses - because after all we want heat in the pipe. I've seen it dyno'd - NO difference. Why is it that some of the best manifolds in street and professional auto-racing are polished aluminum? We DON'T want to hold heat there, that's for sure. Talk about a hore-robber! So, I guess that all of these racers have been wrong. Damn, they're gonna be exited to find out that they need to paint their entire manifold & carb black. Also, I guess the reason that a rich motor runs cooler is not so much because the fact that more evaporation is taking place, but instead because of the black deposit given off to the piston and head which radiates heat better. Boy, I'm having fun, now! :) Well, anyway, you guys keep up the VERY INTELLECTUAL writing! ;) And, I'll keep taking my chances on overheating my motor during racing or dune-ing. Boy, we need some real techy stuff to talk about, because beating a polished motor to death is for the birds.

Trax310

First of all Trax, I love to see those shiny bikes. I have no disrespect for anyone who polishes their ride. In fact quite the opposite. I admire the people who will spend the time to do it right. The heat issue is not why I don't have a shiny bike. The time issue is - besides that I ride in such a variety of terrain that the whole bike gets dinged and dented. I'd hate to see my shiny bike with dings in it.

Nikasil plated bores are better because they allow the use of lighter tension rings therefore inducing less friction. To see the difference for yourself try this with 2 different motors. Get a TRX motor, take off the head but leave the barrel attached. Remove the flywheel. Remove the reed cage too. With the trans in neutral, give the crank a spin with your fingers. Note how far you can move it. Do the same with a CR or similar other motor.

What I think you'll notice is that with a Nikasil bore, just a twist with your fingertips is all that is required to spin the crank several full revolutions. On a iron bore, you'll be lucky to move the crank more than 90 degrees without giving another twist. There is a huge difference. Nikasil receives heat better from the rings and therefore it is transferred to the cylinder wall and the corresponding aluminum which is in direct contact with the coolant. The heat travels more quickly through the aluminum than it does the iron. The piston rings are responsible for removing something like 80 to 90% of the piston heat during each revolution.

Pipe coatings do effect the power output of 2 stroke motors. Everything from painting them to plating and all other coatings. Anything that affects the heat inside the pipe will have some effect on the power output - whether you can measure it or not. This is also true of the thickness of the material which the pipe is made from.

No one wants to spend several hundred dollars on a tunnel RAM high rise manifold on their 440 Dodge and have it's casting marks be seen. Who wants to spend money on that kind of stuff - I want mine shiny! Or that Blower... make mine shiny!!!

The reason rich jetting produce a little more power is because - over time ( a race or a long cruise) - the difference in combustion temperature will have an effect on overall power output. However, for the very short run this is not (as) true.

In fact black parts do radiate heat better than shiny ones. This has been known as long as they have been concerned with such things. Whether its an issue or not depends on how close to the edge you're running your cooling. With even a highly modified TRX or for that matter almost every bike I can think of, polishing the motor will be (probably) a non-issue.

Here's a quick test though - touch a hot pipe that's painted black, then touch a hot chrome one - OUCH!!!

Rick

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Shiny Parts Look So Fast
The question - Looking for some tips on polishing the aluminum parts on my Banshee. The cylinder and cases, calipers,etc..... I've already started with a wire brush on the drill, what else should I do to get the finished effect?
The response - The best tip I can give: QUIT NOW!!! :) If you really want a chrome-like shine, get ready to work, a wire brush isn't gonna come close. The cylinders are the hard part(that's why a lot a guys have their low ends only polished) and have to be sanded. Start with a rough grit - somewhere in the 100-220 range. After the pits have been removed and the surface is just a bunch of small scratches, the hard part is done. Now progressively go to the next finer grit and sand away. Do this until you finish up with 1500 grit. (Sandpaper grit I use: 220-320-400-600-1500) It will be pretty shiny after 1500. But, get some metal polish (I use Mother's Aluminum Polish) and polish the surface according to directions on can- very easy - just buff/rub-HARD on till black and buff off with another rag. On the bottom end or calipers where it is not pitted, you can take paint off with remover(good luck to ya!) and then start sanding at about 400. But, make sure to progressively end up at 1500. Don't skip a grit either or you'll work yourself to death. You can use a dremel or drill to help in sanding, but keep in mind that any wavy imperfections(you WILL have them using power tools) show up and you will end up having to get them out by hand. I personally get a lot of the surface down with a drill and then resort to hand from then on. Also, in tight spots, wrap the sandpaper around a small piece of WOOD (not metal) to get to the scratches, pits, etc. I guess if you're gonna be slow & heavy, at least you'll look pretty doing it, huh? HEHE! Trax310 For those of you who can get the GOOD brake cleaners spray them on painted parts to remove paint with ease - be very careful with it. Wear a mask and eye protection. Gloves help too. Try Berrymans - (I think it's brakeclean <sp>). Also, you know the warnings on brake fluid containers about how if you spill it on painted surfaces it could remove the paint? It might be wise to spill some in the right places. Rubber abrasives are going to save you time smoothing the cylinder once the surface has had most of the sharp edges removed. Turn the tool very fast and use a very light touch (15000 to 20000 RPM) and keep the tool moving - never stop in one place or you'll leave a track. Jewelers rouge is a cutting tool to aid in the removal of metal without leaving too many marks. Some hardware stores have big chunks of the stuff real cheap. Apply it with a cotton wad tool - about 1/3 to 1/2 inch in diameter, and use lots of rouge. Again a light touch and keep the tool moving. I only did it to one cylinder and head one time, and it was time consuming. Keep in mind that there is no performance gain from this except perhaps that it "looks" faster. Actually I still have that cylinder around here somewhere - I think I hit daylight through the outside of the transfer ports while making the passages more curved - the things you remember... Rick - Oh yes, I learn everything the hard way. Yes, a polished motor looks swell, and every time we see one, we think, WOW-what a lot of work!! We can dig the amount of work involved. Just don't understand it. The reason why turbocharger setups are highly polished is to hold the heat IN... why in the world would anyone want to hold heat in an ATV motor???... other than looks I mean. A black coating radiates heat several times better than a polished surface. Dunerider That is correct. That's why we don't polish our radiators. Rick ALL RIGHT! You guys are something else, lemme tell ya! I cannot believe that you actually think that a polished motor will run noticeably hotter than a painted one. Why do many high horse producing motors have Nikasil or Chrome plated cylinders? Wouldn't that make a motor run much hotter to the point that it ain't worth it? It sure does not affect them... And do you think that having your pipe chromed gives you any more horses - because after all we want heat in the pipe. I've seen it dyno'd - NO difference. Why is it that some of the best manifolds in street and professional auto-racing are polished aluminum? We DON'T want to hold heat there, that's for sure. Talk about a hore-robber! So, I guess that all of these racers have been wrong. Damn, they're gonna be exited to find out that they need to paint their entire manifold & carb black. Also, I guess the reason that a rich motor runs cooler is not so much because the fact that more evaporation is taking place, but instead because of the black deposit given off to the piston and head which radiates heat better. Boy, I'm having fun, now! :) Well, anyway, you guys keep up the VERY INTELLECTUAL writing! ;) And, I'll keep taking my chances on overheating my motor during racing or dune-ing. Boy, we need some real techy stuff to talk about, because beating a polished motor to death is for the birds. Trax310 First of all Trax, I love to see those shiny bikes. I have no disrespect for anyone who polishes their ride. In fact quite the opposite. I admire the people who will spend the time to do it right. The heat issue is not why I don't have a shiny bike. The time issue is - besides that I ride in such a variety of terrain that the whole bike gets dinged and dented. I'd hate to see my shiny bike with dings in it. Nikasil plated bores are better because they allow the use of lighter tension rings therefore inducing less friction. To see the difference for yourself try this with 2 different motors. Get a TRX motor, take off the head but leave the barrel attached. Remove the flywheel. Remove the reed cage too. With the trans in neutral, give the crank a spin with your fingers. Note how far you can move it. Do the same with a CR or similar other motor. What I think you'll notice is that with a Nikasil bore, just a twist with your fingertips is all that is required to spin the crank several full revolutions. On a iron bore, you'll be lucky to move the crank more than 90 degrees without giving another twist. There is a huge difference. Nikasil receives heat better from the rings and therefore it is transferred to the cylinder wall and the corresponding aluminum which is in direct contact with the coolant. The heat travels more quickly through the aluminum than it does the iron. The piston rings are responsible for removing something like 80 to 90% of the piston heat during each revolution. Pipe coatings do effect the power output of 2 stroke motors. Everything from painting them to plating and all other coatings. Anything that affects the heat inside the pipe will have some effect on the power output - whether you can measure it or not. This is also true of the thickness of the material which the pipe is made from. No one wants to spend several hundred dollars on a tunnel RAM high rise manifold on their 440 Dodge and have it's casting marks be seen. Who wants to spend money on that kind of stuff - I want mine shiny! Or that Blower... make mine shiny!!! The reason rich jetting produce a little more power is because - over time ( a race or a long cruise) - the difference in combustion temperature will have an effect on overall power output. However, for the very short run this is not (as) true. In fact black parts do radiate heat better than shiny ones. This has been known as long as they have been concerned with such things. Whether its an issue or not depends on how close to the edge you're running your cooling. With even a highly modified TRX or for that matter almost every bike I can think of, polishing the motor will be (probably) a non-issue. Here's a quick test though - touch a hot pipe that's painted black, then touch a hot chrome one - OUCH!!! Rick