How do you polish the various aluminum pieces on the E type engine?
I have tried various compounds on my buffing wheel and nothing
seems to give very good results.
thanks
Dave Christensen
69 OTS–
davchr
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I use Semichrome or jewelers rouge, but be careful you don’t get the
aluminum to hot. Go slow and easy and you can achieve a mirror finish.
Len W
68 OTS----- Original Message -----
From: “davchr” davchr@yahoo.com
To: e-type@jag-lovers.org
Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2003 6:06 PM
Subject: [E-Type] Aluminum polishing?
How do you polish the various aluminum pieces on the E type engine?
I have tried various compounds on my buffing wheel and nothing
seems to give very good results.thanks
Dave Christensen
69 OTSdavchr
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Hi Dave,
I have been using sand paper of various grits, if the piece is really
rough I’ll start with 150 and go up in steps of about 100 to 1000 grit
to get it smooth, then I use 0000fine steel wool (I worry a bit about
this as it may leave particles that rust-lets see if anyone else has
concerns about it) and then I buff it.
Lynn GOn Sunday, December 14, 2003, at 06:06 PM, davchr wrote:
How do you polish the various aluminum pieces on the E type engine?
I have tried various compounds on my buffing wheel and nothing
seems to give very good results.thanks
Dave Christensen
69 OTSdavchr
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…shop vacuum…
LLoyd
“L. Lynn Gardner” wrote:
…(I worry a bit about
this as it may leave particles that rust-lets see if anyone else has
concerns about it)
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In reply to a message from davchr sent Mon 15 Dec 2003:
I use a fine flle first to dress out any nicks, then scotchbrite and an
aluminum cleaner such as Alumiprep to get out any grey corrosion
marks. Then wet-and-dry sandpaper,gradually reducing the grit up
to 1000 or 1500. Then metal polish by hand. Seems to work fine on
my 3.8 engine, motorcycle crankcases, forks etc.
I use a buffing wheel too and I think results depend on how you apply
the wax stick to the wheel. You’ll probably get a more brilliant shine
from the wheel but you’d still need to do some hand work first to
remove any deep marks or corrosion. And you’d probably need to
supplement the buffing work with a Dremel for places that the wheel
won’t reach.–
The original message included these comments:
How do you polish the various aluminum pieces on the E type engine?
I have tried various compounds on my buffing wheel and nothing
–
Clive Wilkinson, '62 Coupe, 860320
Georgetown, On., Canada
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In reply to a message from Clive Wilkinson sent Mon 15 Dec 2003:
All:
Yes, I’ve used them all: Simichrome, buffing wheel with compounds,
etc. No steel wool though, I’ve read that it can leave bits of
steel behind to rust and discolor. Of course, after buffing my
heart out on various motorcycle bits I find that it doesn’t stay
that way for long if you use the bike. It’s not all that difficult
to get the shine, the tough part is keeping it. I find that it
deteriorates way too quickly-not a good thing for a driver E.
Before I do it again on my heads and intake plenum any thoughts on
preservation coatings? Is there anything that will withstand engine
heat and keep it looking good for more than 5 minutes on the road?
Bob–
'69 2+2 , '69 OTS
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In reply to a message from Robert Moore sent Mon 15 Dec 2003:
Yep…really easy one, Bob!
Powder coating in clear. You can buy a setup from Eastwood or have
it done by a production shop. Works great!–
The original message included these comments:
Before I do it again on my heads and intake plenum any thoughts on
preservation coatings? Is there anything that will withstand engine
heat and keep it looking good for more than 5 minutes on the road?
–
Paul Wigton, 1963 FHC, called Tweety!
Brighton, CO, United States
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In reply to a message from davchr sent Mon 15 Dec 2003:
I think some surfaces are meant to be shined and others are not.
The rough areas of the castings, such as under the intake manifold,
would require lots of work to smooth out enough to make them
shiny. The smooth areas in contrast with the matte cast areas are
actually very attractive when clean. Carb dashpots, smooth cam
covers, engine front brow and oil breather cover looks like they
should be shined.
Other areas such as float chamber lids and throttle/carb bodies are
not intended to be shined. A soft Dremel wire brush with plenty of
carb cleaner works great to loosen the grime and varnish and make
them spanking-clean. Some of these (like fuel filter cover or
wiper motor body) may actually be anodized, have a protective
finish not to be messed with unless really deteriorated or leached,
and if so, should be cleaned and painted.
As for the shiny dashpots and other aluminum highlights, a good
technique is to rub a final rub with flour or cornstarch to remove
the greasy black residue that tends to streak and dull the polish.
Aluminum (when pure) should form an instant molecular coat of
aluminum oxide when really clean and exposed to the oxygen, which
is a very hard substance and enables the metal to maintain a
persistent shine with only occasional wiping and re-polishing.–
andyzak
lakeland florida, United States
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In a message dated 12/15/03 1:22:48 AM Mountain Standard Time,
owner-e-type@jag-lovers.org writes:
From: “Robert Moore” robertmoore@comcast.net
Subject: Re: [E-Type] Aluminum polishing?In reply to a message from Clive Wilkinson sent Mon 15 Dec 2003:
All:
Yes, I’ve used them all: Simichrome, buffing wheel with compounds,
etc. No steel wool though, I’ve read that it can leave bits of
steel behind to rust and discolor. Of course, after buffing my
heart out on various motorcycle bits I find that it doesn’t stay
that way for long if you use the bike. It’s not all that difficult
to get the shine, the tough part is keeping it. I find that it
deteriorates way too quickly-not a good thing for a driver E.
Before I do it again on my heads and intake plenum any thoughts on
preservation coatings? Is there anything that will withstand engine
heat and keep it looking good for more than 5 minutes on the road?Bob
Band instruments are covered in clear lacquer and this will stand up to under
engine heat. Hey it stands up pretty well against seventh graders so it must
be pretty good.
The parts must be thoroughly degreased before applying lacquer.
Don’t apply pressure washing or harsh detergents after lacquer coating
though.
Richard Kuschel
“I canna’ change the Law of Physics” -----------Scotty
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In reply to a message from RickPV8945@AOL.COM sent Mon 15 Dec 2003:
For those who don’t quite like the ‘finality’ of the lacquer or
powder coat options, there is a product that polishes aluminium but
leaves a noticeably ‘waxy’ coat which is invisible but certainly
keeps the alloy free of corrosion for longer than standard
polishes. I used it on my bare polished alloy five-spokes on the
previous X300 and it worked well even when there was salt on the
roads - which is definitely a ‘first’ in my experience.
Downsides are that it takes more effort than Solvol or similar to
apply, and the shine isn’t quite so close to chrome. But then cam
covers and dashpots were never quite that shiny when new anyway, so
it is fine for getting a factory-quality ‘satin’ polish.
The other downside is that the bottle is 3500 miles away, but I’ll
post the name when I get home later this week (’‘Alu-gom’’?). Sure
wish I’d known of it when I was doing big mileages on my Triumphs,
as it would have saved a lot of sweat keeping those engines looking
semi-respectable. It’s advertised in Jaguar World each month and is
always on sale at Stoneleigh. I’d be happy to bring a few bottles
over next time if there was a demand.–
Peter Crespin 94 X300 Daimler / 66 2+2 ‘E’
Buxton, United Kingdom
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In reply to a message from Peter Crespin sent Mon 15 Dec 2003:
For those who aren’t going to laquer or powder paint (tip: unless
the formulation of laquers is significantly different than it used
to be, it WILL yellow under heat, whereas I personally know clear
powder painting doesn’t) when you’re finished getting the shine you
want on your aluminum parts, use corn starch or XXXX flour. This
will act as a final polishing agent, plus remove ALL the aluminum
oxide that is a BUGBEAR to get off otherwise!
(From the Adrienne Wigton School of Home Remedies For the Polishing
and Restoration of rough cast Auburn Cylinder Heads!)–
The original message included these comments:
For those who don’t quite like the ‘finality’ of the lacquer or
powder coat options, there is a product that polishes aluminium but
leaves a noticeably ‘waxy’ coat which is invisible but certainly
keeps the alloy free of corrosion for longer than standard
polishes. I used it on my bare polished alloy five-spokes on the
previous X300 and it worked well even when there was salt on the
roads - which is definitely a ‘first’ in my experience.
–
Paul Wigton, 1963 FHC, called Tweety!
Brighton, CO, United States
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In reply to a message from Peter Crespin sent Mon 15 Dec 2003:
Peter,
I’ve used Solvol ever since my first bike and it still seems to work well
for my E Type engine. Maybe these other folks are looking for a more
brilliant shine, but as you say, that wasn’t how these engines were
anyway. Is the stuff you mentioned called 'Auto Glym?
I think that Solvol does leave some sort of protective film and I don’t
have the trouble others mention of the finish going off. Maybe I polish
the engine twice a year. One thing, it doesn’t seem to like any grease
or oil so it’s best to wipe the aluminum over with thinners first.
Re the laquer, you’d have to see the bikes here in Ontario to realize
what a mess that causes to forks and crankcases once the finish gets
damaged. That awful grey corrosion spreads right under it with the
laquer keeping the moisture against the aluminum. First thing I do when
I get an older bike is to get that stuff off with paint stripper. And, to apply
laquer to aluminum requires a very comprehensive and expensive treatment
to the aluminum first. (I’ve helped to design some of the automotive paint
systems here for applying clearcoat to OEM car wheels.) So it’s not something
a guy can sucessfully do at home.
For the non polished aluminum, I use ACF-50 or Corrosion-X or some such
and have found it keeps it looking like new indefiniteley, particularly after
a mild bead blast.–
Clive Wilkinson, '62 Coupe, 860320
Georgetown, On., Canada
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In reply to a message from davchr sent Mon 15 Dec 2003:
Hi Dave,
You can go to www.caswell.com for a downloadable booklet on
aluminum finishing.
For what it’s worth, I’ve tried about every method and can report
what has worked for me. If the aluminum is badly corroded, it will
have microscopic pitting which when buffed will look awful. To
solve that problem, I put 220 or 320 grit paper on a finish sander
and go at it until I have no more of the little black pits on the
surface (they are usually as small a needle point). Then I move up
to 400 grit to get ride of the swirl marks from the coarser grit
paper, and finally I finish it off with a 600 wet sand all in one
direction. From there, I buff the piece on the wheel. I use a
spiral sewn cotton wheel with the white rouge. Some have
recommended the black compound for rough work and finishing with
the reddish-brown tripoli, but the shine you will get from that
will never be as bright as the white rouge. If you do it right,
the surface should be almost mirror-like.
Obviously, if the surface you start with in less pitted or not
pitted at all, you can jump in at any of these step and it should
be fine.
I do not recommend using steel wool for the reasons mentioned, and
also because it just isn’t as effective as a good wet sand prior to
buffing.
Good luck and don’t hesitate to ask further questions if you got em.
Bill Gutierrez
1962 Ots–
The original message included these comments:
How do you polish the various aluminum pieces on the E type engine?
I have tried various compounds on my buffing wheel and nothing
seems to give very good results.
thanks
Dave Christensen
69 OTS
–
Lundabo
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In reply to a message from Robert Moore sent Mon 15 Dec 2003:
A low cost/fuss suggestion.
I just applied some good carnuba car wax on my 240Z domes and it’s
kept them reasonably bright going on 2 years now.–
The original message included these comments:
to get the shine, the tough part is keeping it. I find that it
deteriorates way too quickly-not a good thing for a driver E.
Before I do it again on my heads and intake plenum any thoughts on
preservation coatings? Is there anything that will withstand engine
heat and keep it looking good for more than 5 minutes on the road?
–
Guitarstar 68-OTS
Washington State, United States
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You can go to www.caswell.com for a downloadable booklet on
aluminum finishing.
No such host in their DNS.–
–chuck goolsbee
65ots, 1E10715
arlington, wa, usa
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In reply to a message from Clive Wilkinson sent Mon 15 Dec 2003:
‘‘I’ve used Solvol ever since my first bike and it still seems to
work well for my E Type engine.’’
You and me both Clive. Mine was a non-running 61 Tiger Cub bought
in 1969 for 7 UK pounds when I was a spotty 14 year-old. In those
days that was Christmas AND birthday present combined. When did
you ‘get the bug’?
'‘Is the stuff you mentioned called ‘Auto Glym?’’
Nope. Google ‘Belgom’ car care products and you’ll find it. Alu-gom
is the variant for aluminium alloys. Works on ‘aluminum’ too,
allegedly, if you can find a Periodic Table showing it near
potassum, sodum, magnesum, uranum etc 
The difference between this and EVERY other metal polish I’ve tried
in 35 years is the corrosion-protective waxy layer it leaves
behind. Solvol protection lasts a day or two in harsh environments.
This stuff lasts several weeks (nothing like any other product I’ve
tried) although it doesn’t look special in the bottle. It’s a bit
of a struggle to polish up (because of the waxy drag I think) and
doesn’t quite sparkle to the Nth degree - not by hand application
anyway, although maybe I give up too soon. But worth the effort for
foul-weather users. Anything will stay nice with a wipe over twice
a year if conditions are favourable, but we’re talking salted roads
here, like you say with the bike lacquer situation.–
Peter Crespin 94 X300 Daimler / 66 2+2 ‘E’
Buxton, United Kingdom
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In reply to a message from chuck goolsbee sent Mon 15 Dec 2003:
Sorry Chuck, I should perhaps check before I send.
The site is www.caswellplating.com.
Cheers.
Bill–
The original message included these comments:
You can go to www.caswell.com for a downloadable booklet on
aluminum finishing.
No such host in their DNS.
–chuck goolsbee
–
Lundabo
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In reply to a message from Lundabo sent Mon 15 Dec 2003:
There is a wonderful product that I use in my acoustic guitar
finishing process called Micro-Mesh. It comes in cloth-backed
sheets that start at 180 grit and go up to 12,000! You can use it
wet or dry. I can bring a nitro lacquer finish to a perfect mirror
shine with this product, all by hand. Micro-Mesh comes in
formulations for wood working applications and also for metal
working. I’ve never tried it on aluminum but I have used it on
micro-scratched stainless steel and I was able to completely
eliminate the scratches and bring the metal to a high mirror
shine. Go here:
http://www.sisweb.com/micromesh/
I intend to use it on my cam covers soon.
Randy–
Randall Harris
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Wow, 12000? That’s crazy. I would have though that silk would be
courser than that. The site says that they actually have a formulation
for aluminum. What they don’t mention is whether you can use the
product wet. I think that with aluminum that is the major challenge
since it has such a tendency to clog.
Eric
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In reply to a message from Eric MaLossi sent Mon 15 Dec 2003:
Yes, the 12,000 is a bit nuts. It also isn’t really 12,000. Micro-
Mesh designations aren’t quite the same as traditional abrasive
grits. The 12,000 is roughly equivalent to 9,000 grit. 6,000 will
take out microscopic scrathes, impossible to see without a
magnifyer. I use 6,000 in my guitar work when I don’t want to go to
the buffer. For purposes of polishing aluminum bits, I would think
a run up the grits starting at 300 and finishing off at 1,200 would
do the trick nicely. Perhaps a trip to the buffer after 1,500 if
you’re really picky.
Randy–
Randall Harris
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