Cleanliness is next to....

[Guest]

SO i have a couple of questions, i'll try to reduce thread space here.

1) What do you guys use to clean your motors out of the frame?? I tried some engine degreaser...worked ok but not great. It says to have the motor warm, but considering its out of the frame thats near impossible. Simple Green work any better? Got some Dun E Z i thought about trying too...and i have toothbrushes Input anyone??

2) What, if anything, do you ladies and gents use to seal your aluminum case covers and what not after polishing?? Anything out there that's good for it and doesnt cloud? Some clear coat or something??

Thanks for the info all and Merry Christmas!!

TCK

[Nessism]

Engine degreaser is what I use. Takes a while to work, along with some scrubing, for best results.

Engine case sealing is more difficult. Rattle can paint looks like crap (my opinion of course) and regular spray paint doesn't hold up to the heat. I'd like to try clear powder coat, but need to figure out how to rig an oven in the garage first. Maybe a large toster oven?

[Mark M]

Engine case sealing is more difficult. Rattle can paint looks like crap (my opinion of course) and regular spray paint doesn't hold up to the heat. I'd like to try clear powder coat, but need to figure out how to rig an oven in the garage first. Maybe a large toster oven?

If you only want a couple of pieces done, try talking to a couple of local coaters and see what they say for cost if they can throw it in with a batch of something else. I got a pair of crutches I built coated for less than $20 as a lunchtime job because I was willing to take whatever colors they had going regularly and they simply tossed them in with another job that was running anyway.

Mark

[Big T]

10 years ago, when I split my cases, I cleaned with wire brushes
Then I prepped and sprayed with aluminum hot paint, placing the case (one at a time) in the oven to bake, then allow to cool (wife was out of town)

It came out a bit shinier than original, I'd probably look for more of a matte finish to match original. But it came out nice and hard. Minimal touch up needed. You could clear coat while still warm enough to touch.

[FredM]

You can use oven cleaner-- the wife is always wondering where it went here\\/

[Steve]

I cleaned my in-frame before doing the painting that I did. I used Simple Green, degreaser or carb cleaner, whichever was handy. Also used a selection of toothbrushes and other toothbrush-type brushes with nylon, brass or stainless bristles. I had all the polished pieces off the bike, masked off the stuff that did not need to be oversprayed, then sprayed DupliColor High-Heat engine enamel (part # DE1613) and let it dry. After two riding seasons and about 12,000 miles, only minor touch-ups were necessary.


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[TheCafeKid]

Ok so i got the paint part down, any of you who have polished your stator cover and what not use something on it to keep it from oxidizing at all? or is it just a constant polish job?

[bwringer]

I use WD-40 as a parts cleaner to cut grease and grime on filthy engine parts simply because it's reasonably gentle on hands and doesn't smell nasty.

It's about $11 a gallon, and I load up a generic plastic spray bottle with it. I have a large assortment of wire brushes, bottle brushes, and scotch-brite pads for reaching nooks and crannies.

The WD-40 is followed up by Wal-Mart engine degreaser and lots of water. The cheap wally world degreaser is not very aggressive, but it doesn't leave everything smelling like diesel -- it's just a foamy detergent.

I have also been known to visit a local pressure wash with grimy motorcycle parts.

On an assembled engine, I often use Simple Green or a bottle of motorcycle cleaner I got from the local Suzuki shoppe.

As far as the polished aluminum, just keep it waxed and touch up the shine once or twice a year. Clear coat always looks yellow and crappy eventually.

[Steve]

... any of you who have polished your stator cover and what not use something on it to keep it from oxidizing at all? or is it just a constant polish job?

Well, let me just put it this way...you saw my wife's bike in person. When you saw it, the covers had had no attention paid to them, other than wiping off the few streaks of oil from leaking seals. They had been polished over a year before you saw them.

Is that enough of a 'constant polish job' for you?


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[PAULYBOY]

My homemade parts cleaner is 4 parts mineral spirits, 2 parts kerosene, 1 part denatured alcohol, 1 part laquer thinner. Rubber gloves a must! You could also try benzene, MEK, and acetone in the mix. As for polishing the aluminum, I've polished both aluminum and polycarbonate headlights on car using nothing more than cheap generic toothpaste. AFTER the parts are absolutely clean. Otherwise, any bit of grit will just lead to more scratches.

[dardoonk]

How about masking off all the important parts & plugging all the important holes then taking your cases to be bead-blasted? I cleaned my head & block with walnut chips and it worked great, but I only needed it to be ready for painting. If you want to have the bare alum and just clear-coat it, I'd bet a little more agressive blasting media would work.

[renobruce]

Simple Green or Purple Power on the engine. Use toothbrushes and baby bottle brushes and scrub, scrub, scrub.



I didn't bother coating my polished parts. They hold up fine with a few wipe downs every now and then. Here's mine over a year after polishing:



I live in a place with very low humidity, so you might have to maintain your polished parts more often. If you choose to clear coat them, I've heard Eastwood sells some good stuff.

[TheCafeKid]

How about masking off all the important parts & plugging all the important holes then taking your cases to be bead-blasted? I cleaned my head & block with walnut chips and it worked great, but I only needed it to be ready for painting. If you want to have the bare alum and just clear-coat it, I'd bet a little more agressive blasting media would work.

Yeah i will have to look for someone to do media blasting. I just dont want to have to completely disassemble the motor.

[tkent02]

scrub, scrub, scrub.

Come scrub mine, please?
I'll supply the beer?
A thing of beauty.

[TheCafeKid]

Indeed nice Bruce...mine's gettin there...just trouble spots around the head and stuff, and of course my case covers arent as sparkly...soon tho I like how you can see the other zook in his cam covers...hehehe