Polishing Finned Valve Covers

I looked and couldn't find anything about this. Can anyone explain to me how to get a real nice finish on some M/T finned valve covers??

 

patience and a buffing wheel narrow enough to get between the fins and just keep at it

 

Is there any sandpaper or polishes that should be used?

 

It depends how bad they are. If they are really scratched and corroded you need to start with sandpaper and a sanding block then work your way down finer and finer, ie if you start with 240 go 400 then 800 then 1500 or even 2000. Then buff with a buffing wheel. Again, starting with the coarser compound and working down to the finer. Change buffing wheels each time, do not use 2 compounds on 1 wheel.

 

Are you only looking to polish the raised area on them or strip the black?

 

Rusty told ya right. And you'll be amazed how shiny they'll get with the 1500 - 2000 grit sandpaper...also with how black your fingers get...lol. Btw...wet sand 'em...not dry.

 

Send em to the guy in the clasifides...Cheap and good

 

They don't look bad, have you tried polishing with Flitz, Simichrome, Solvol Autosol or your favorite polish and an old T shirt? You may not need the Neutron Buff.

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97179&highlight=polishing+valve+covers HERE! In the Tech Archives. The valve covers he polished out are even M/T's.

 

I want to strip the black

 

thanks!!!!!!!!

 

Simichrome is the most versatile cleaning agent I use.
<CENTER></CENTER>This stuff cuts through grease, grime, tarnish, oxidation, ink, even that gunmetal gray crud that seems baked onto parts. Simichrome and a piece of 100% cotton flannel did this to it:
<TABLE class="full ctr" cellPadding=4><TBODY><TR><TD>Before&#8230;</TD><TD>After!</TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Simichrome is abrasive, but not terribly so, and you can use it very successfully on metal parts. 1.78-ounce tube (50 grams).
Price: About $8.00

 

These were black wrinkle paint when I started, stripped them with paint remover then wet sanded as mentioned. I then buffed by hand with an old t-shirt and some Wenol polish, things you do when it's winter.

 

i can polish them for $65

if they are black wrinkle,add $15 for stripping

is your time worth $80??

 

Another trick is to try an un-stitched cloth buffing wheel rather than a stitched wheel. They look the same but without the concentric circles of threads holding the buffing wheel layers together.

This allows the wheel to "split" deeper into the grooves of the fins. A 4" wheel should be good for something like the M/T valve covers.

 

Look for my valve cover polishing tech thread. I did a set of M/T covers, including the low areas between the fins:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97179

 

^I saw it and read it. Thank you.

I also downloaded the PDF book from the "Polisher" from English Custom Polish. That's also a good read. The videos at his website are helpful too.

I'm sorry but I did not see any mention in your thread of trying an unsewn 4" cloth disk so the layers of cloth split into the grooves of the fins. Maybe I missed that part. My eyes and brain tend to jump around a little when I try to read.

I bought Wenol today to try to get the accumulated water spots off the buffed aluminum of my valve covers, etc. -- still having some problems with that. I haven't found any short cuts yet. When I finally get the spots buffed out, I'm going to try Eastwoods high temperature Diamond Clear Gloss finish for bare metal.