Another stupid polishing thread. Engine fins this time.

[fat_sac]

I'm polishing my engine on the bike right?..cool. I have everything to do the cases and the small crevices and all that good stuff. The only thing I'm wondering is if anyone has found a decent way to do the fins. I tried just pressing my wheel up against it and that didn't work very well. Not only will it stay steady but it just doesn't do anything. Can anyone help me? I did a search but nothing came up on this particular topic.

[Mike_H]

Sandpaper and a file my friend. Its a bitch

[80GS750]

sounds like fun, im not looking forward to doing mine either.

[bhppy101]

Sandblast it first....than sand with 400....600...1000....1500.

I usually just sandblast by fins....gives it a clean look.


Good luck!

[MissFabulous]

A dremel or at least a decent drill with some nice fine sanding, buffing and polishing bits are also your friend. Still take a lot of time, but less elbow grease. Don't forget the Mother's Aluminum Polish when you get to the buffing stage.

[fat_sac]

Holy poo that doesn't sound fun. I was looking for a way to do it on the bike, but it looks like theres no way out of this nasty business. Thanks for the info.

[bhppy101]

I sandlblast with a cheap portable blaster and I do it directly on the bike.

I use one like this....Its cheap and an easy way to spot clean.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95793

[NitroGS]

Hi there,

Do you have any inlet rubbers, speedo and tacho back covers for the 1979 GS1000 please

[Schweisshund]

can you use baking soda in a sandblaster?

[bhppy101]

can you use baking soda in a sandblaster?

with the right tip...baking soda is used quite often

[QuaiChangKane]

I've polished case covers but never cylinders....


All I do is take some #0000 synthetic wool and scrub between the fins to clean up any oxidation. The wool leaves a nice satin finish, and won't leave scrub marks if you use fine enough wool.

After that, I'll take some fine-grit wetsanding paper and polish the edges of the fins, finishing with polishing rouge using a polishing wheel on my corded drill. Looks great - matte finished engine, polished covers and polished edges around the fins.




-Q!

[fat_sac]

I've polished case covers but never cylinders....


All I do is take some #0000 synthetic wool and scrub between the fins to clean up any oxidation. The wool leaves a nice satin finish, and won't leave scrub marks if you use fine enough wool.

After that, I'll take some fine-grit wetsanding paper and polish the edges of the fins, finishing with polishing rouge using a polishing wheel on my corded drill. Looks great - matte finished engine, polished covers and polished edges around the fins.




-Q!

I think I'll try this. I might try the baking soda idea too just for kicks. It sounds like it might be less painful than the steel wool idea.

[indybob]

Keep us posted

I will be doing some cleaning in the near future. \\/ Let me know how yours turns out.

Bob

[fat_sac]

I'll surely post pix when its done. Keep checking back.

[mark]

I just stripped and re-painted my block and head (off the bike). Used aircraft stripper and 600 grit sandpaper. The prep for that was hard enough, I can't imagine trying to shine up the whole block with the engine in one piece and on the bike!