Clear coat on wheels and engine cases?

[Sam 78 GS750]

Remove old clear coat with paint stripper.

220 grit paper on a palm sized DA to get out the majority of the corrosion. A stainless steel wire wheel on a dremel for the nooks and cranies.

Sisal wheel w/ BLACK cutting compound to bring back the shine.

Done.

Looks like I still did way too much work.

I found the swirls from a dremel and the scratches from less than 320 took too long to work out. Also that black on a sisal looks good, but left noticeable scratches and swirls that were removed by the higher grit compounds.

I have a feeling you have a lot more practice with this than I do though... The method above is what I landed on after much trial and error, but can probably still be refined.

Do you have any pics of the pieces as a work in progress to show what it looked like after the 220 and dremel?

[Steve]

Remove old clear coat with paint stripper.

220 grit paper on a palm sized DA to get out the majority of the corrosion. A stainless steel wire wheel on a dremel for the nooks and cranies.

Sisal wheel w/ BLACK cutting compound to bring back the shine.

Done.

I use a similarly simple process, but just a little bit different.
Aircraft stripper to remove the clear coat.

Harbor Freight FINE fiber sanding discs to remove any corrosion.

White compound on a sewn cotton wheel to polish.

I am pleased with the results.



.

[Nessism]

There are lots of different ways to achieve the results.

The reason I like the sisal wheel and black cutting compound is because it's the most aggressive polishing medium available. It will take the 220 grit scratches right out. I've tried that with a sewn wheel before and it doesn't get it. I'm lazy.

[80GS850GBob]

There are lots of different ways to achieve the results.

The reason I like the sisal wheel and black cutting compound is because it's the most aggressive polishing medium available. It will take the 220 grit scratches right out. I've tried that with a sewn wheel before and it doesn't get it. I'm lazy.

What sisal wheel are you using?...or, I should say who's? I've been using HF sewn and loose wheels...they go quickly but they're cheap enough for multiple grits. I need to invest in my own motor, wheels and a rake {?} for 1st trimming.

[Sam 78 GS750]

I tried the sanding discs, and a couple of other things to eliminate the manual sanding. When I went to the black compound with a sisal wheel (compound and wheels from Caswell), there were always scratches left behind. From the pics you guys posted though, it sounds like it was my polishing technique more than the polish/wheel. I got similar results, just with a lot more work. It was definitely an improvement, as I had previously polished completely by hand with progressively finer sandpaper up to 2000, and then Mothers and a rag...

[Sam 78 GS750]

...and to bring this back around to the OP's question:

I'm restoring a 1978 GS750E and was wondering what most people do regarding clear coating polished parts. I am wondering about the wheels and engine cases. Any issues with then being coated? All of the parts will be polished to a mirror finish. If you have clear coated these parts, what brand of clear coat works best? Thanks in advance for the help!

A lot of people have had great results with Wizards Power Seal instead of clear coating.

I plan on getting clear powder coat on the wheels though.