engine beautification

[mortation]

A lot of these bikes in here look sweet! I wanted to get some tips and tricks on the engines. Some of them looks so shiny they almost look chromed. Do you have to take the engine out and apart to get it that clean? I know side covers and such come off with little trouble (provided the screws arnt rusted shut) but other than that I am not sure how to get the rest of it looking tip top without pulling it.

So does it have to be pulled and disassembled? What do you recomend to clean and polish? What chemicals and methods?

[renobruce]

On my Skunk, I didn't remove my engine, but I did take alot of stuff off to get to everything. I used simple green and toothbrushes and baby bottle brushes to get the engine clean. I removed and polished all the side covers, cam cover, forks, etc. I used S100 Engine Brightener on all the black stuff.... wire looms, plastic rear fender, etc.
Here's a link to my project:

http://s19.photobucket.com/albums/b182/renobruce/GS1000/

Depending on your bike, it takes time and patience to get it to look good. Keep scrubbing!!

[Jethro]

If you don't have strong fingers now, you will in a year!

[mortation]

On my Skunk, I didn't remove my engine, but I did take alot of stuff off to get to everything. I used simple green and toothbrushes and baby bottle brushes to get the engine clean. I removed and polished all the side covers, cam cover, forks, etc. I used S100 Engine Brightener on all the black stuff.... wire looms, plastic rear fender, etc.
Here's a link to my project:

http://s19.photobucket.com/albums/b182/renobruce/GS1000/

Depending on your bike, it takes time and patience to get it to look good. Keep scrubbing!!

WOW! You got your engine that clean with it still in the bike? Thats AWESOME! I can't wait to get started! I will check out the S100 Engine Brightener thanks! Are those new pipes or just cleaned up?

[renobruce]

WOW! You got your engine that clean with it still in the bike? Thats AWESOME! I can't wait to get started! I will check out the S100 Engine Brightener thanks! Are those new pipes or just cleaned up?

The pipes are new. V&H 4 into 1.

You can get the S100 online or at the Harley dealership.

[J_C]

For polishing I used a combination of methods I got from Bruce and Keith. Here is the before and after of my sprocket cover.



The entire process went 400 grit wetsand, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, polish, white rouge. It was very time consuming but worth it I think.

My engine overall isn't as nice as bruce's, but I removed it fromt he frame and powersprayed using a jet stream attachment on an ordinary garden hose. I used engine degreaser to remove the grime and then a mild descaling/degreasing agent and a flexible copper brush to get off most of the tough baked in stuff. Don't have any up to date pictures unfortunately.

[REDDY]

Gun bore brushes work nicely between the fins. I had to use them on my exhaust flanges between the fins on them. I have never used it but "maas" metal polish has a very good rep for cleaning metal of all kinds. I think that is the right spelling.

[Chris Bohane]

Did you polish the carbs by hand? Could you tell me the process involved?
You have done a wonderful job on the bike, you should be very proud.
Are you a professional builder or a keen amateur?
Regards,
Chris

[KGB]

THis has some good polishing info

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/5896/SatinLook.htm

[renobruce]

Did you polish the carbs by hand? Could you tell me the process involved?
You have done a wonderful job on the bike, you should be very proud.
Are you a professional builder or a keen amateur?
Regards,
Chris

Oh, definately an amateur! The carbs were done by hand. Most all the stuff I polished started with wet sanding. 400, 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000 grit. Then followed by polishing. I used Mother's aluminum polish either by hand or with a pad on my hand drill or with a dremel tool.

[tconroy]

I cleaned mine with a mild solvent called blanket wash 533.It's used in printing to clean the ink off of the rubber follers and blankets.Then I wd-40d the engine to get the blanket wash off then mothers chrome and aluminum polish on everthing followed by s-100 engine brightener and wahlaa!!!Took a week to do.Close to 20 hours. I have done nothing to the cases as they still have the original clearcoat on them.The bike has been taken good care of it's whole life.Original paint on the engine also.

[Cassius086]

For polishing I used a combination of methods I got from Bruce and Keith. Here is the before and after of my sprocket cover.



The entire process went 400 grit wetsand, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, polish, white rouge. It was very time consuming but worth it I think.

My engine overall isn't as nice as bruce's, but I removed it fromt he frame and powersprayed using a jet stream attachment on an ordinary garden hose. I used engine degreaser to remove the grime and then a mild descaling/degreasing agent and a flexible copper brush to get off most of the tough baked in stuff. Don't have any up to date pictures unfortunately.

I got the same results with slightly different approach: I used aircraft stripper (aerosol) to strip off the old, fuel stained dingy coating on the sprocket cover, and used 000 steel wool to apply Mother's aluminum polish, and voila! Awesome results! Took about 30 mins...

[RIFLEMAN]

I'm a trucker and drive a 05 Peterbuilt with a Heil drybulk semi trailer.
There is a ton of polished aluminum on this truck and it can be really labor intensive to keep up(when your staring at the prospect of polishing 14 24" aluminum wheels,a 100 gal fuel tank and assorted shiny bits,you look for the easiest way out!). In 20 years of driving the easiest compound I have used is Coopers Aluminum Polish and Coopers Maintain Polish. The Aluminum Polish is green and great for cutting to get down to color. The Maintain Polish is white and great for keeping the polished aluminum up. With the green,wet the polish rag,wring it out,squirt a little compound on it and go to town. The buff rag is kept dry and a small amount of corn starch worked into its surface before buffing. With the white,the polish rag is kept dry. Coopers also makes a combo wash/wax spray thats works real well. These products can be found in most truck stops.
On my 90 1100 Katana all I did to get my fork sliders to gleam was spray them down with aircraft paint remover to get rid of the clear coat then hit it with the green then the white. They looked like chrome afterwards.
For serious pre-polish grinding,www.eastwoods.com has the necessary products to do a professional job.
For cleaning,I have used S100 products and highly recommend them. Pricey,but worth the reduction in labor. I also use Castol Super Clean on the really nasty bits,BUT under NO circumstances allow it to get on polished or anodized aluminum as its high in alkali and with turn them white. An old trick I've used on OEM black engines is to wash the bike,warm the engine slightly,then spray the engine with Armor All,then hose it off. Looks like new.

[renobruce]

An old trick I've used on OEM black engines is to wash the bike,warm the engine slightly,then spray the engine with Armor All,then hose it off. Looks like new.

Try the S100 engine brightner. It works even better than Armor All. It takes the heat much better, and will bring back any faded areas. Awesome stuff.





I've never heard of Coopers... I'll have to give it a try.

[nichols750]

Rifleman,
i can't find anywhere online that sells the Cooper's polish. any suggestions?