What a mess!! What a pain!! But it was damn worth it!!!!

Just finished the:

Upper Intake Manifold
Efini Y-Pipe
GReddy Pipes/Elbow
Intake pipes
These still need to be hit with finer compound but it looks nice already

Still have to do:

P/S Bracket
Alternator
Water Filler Neck
Frame Bar
and other misc parts

 

That engine looks fantastic! How long did the polishing take you? With all that rubbing, you must be at one with the Budda...

 

The UIM was hell.. lots of trial and error attemps w/ different types of wheels and bits.. and lots of trips to sears and home depot!!!

Everything else was not bad.. it's just getting the rough stuff sanded down to 400 grit.. but it's hours and hours of work... but well worth it with the right tools..

 

That looks amazing!!! What type of sander/grinder did you use....what make?? MakoDHardie, Die For MX and I are looking into polishing our parts also. I have a little dremel thingy for the hard to get places, i just need to find a grinder/ sander that will do the flat and rounded areas.

 

VERY NICE JSpecRZ!!!

K

 

Looks a lil TOOOOOOOO nice....... Waaaaaaaay tooo nice............

 

nice blang blang

hey how do you like the FEED torque brace???

 

yeah, i haven't installed mine yet. It's just sitting at my house...what extra pieces did you need to buy?

 

Thanks guys... It's really not that hard.. just messy and time consuming... but here is some info..



Parts listed:
Craftsman 8" buffer (115V motor, max 1-1/2 hp and 3,450 rpm, 5/8 in. shaft with 3-1/2 cast-iron flange.)
Buff rake
White Rough compound
Tripoli compound
Aluminum polish
Sander and or sand paper 80 - 400 Grit
Dremel w/ sanding/polishing bits
Resipirator
Face Shield
Overalls w/ hood
High Temp Clear

first of.. is taking the rough surface off and get it smooth. This was definitely the hardest part!! What I did was sand down the part w/ 100 grit using a sander and sand as much as I can all the way to 400 Grit... and use either sandpaper or a dremel to get the hard to reach places... BE VERY CAREFULL when using the sanding drum for the dremel!! This set me back some time since it added more pits into the metal which later had to be sanded smooth again...

An alternative is greaseless compound which I had no luck with... basically you run this compound to your buffer, wait 15 mins to dry and whala.. sandpaper.. Also there is something called an expander wheel, which is sandpaper on a wheel for your buffer..

Once you sand everything down to at lease 400 grit you can use the buffer... I used an 8" spiral wheel w/ Tripoli compound to cut all the scratches and worked into the metal... after a couple of passes, you should start to see the metal shine..

After, I used an 8" Loose wheel w/ White rough to shine up the metal.. make a couple of passes and you'll see the nice chrome look shine!!!

You can now hit the part w/ aluminum polish then spray it with a light coat of clear to protect the finish and reduce oxidation for ease of maintanance...

NOTE:
Please use protection... this process is messy and compound is flying everywhere.. if you work in your gargage, keep the windows or garage door open and make sure you work away from where your workbench and valuables are... I used all the protection, but made the mistake of not opening any doors or windows and ended up breathing the compound... I lost my voice for a day.. oops I also worked right near all my shelves and tools.. there is a film of compound everywhere... not to mention how messed up you look if you don't wear the right clothing and eye wear...

If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to email me or repliy...


Place to purchase..
www.sears.com for buffers, protective gear, dremel and accessories
www.eastwoodco.com for buffers, compounds, greaseless compounds, buffer accessories, protective gear, high temp clear coat, dremel and accessories
www.homedepot.com

There are many other techniques on achieving this project.. but these are just my suggestions...

 

I wish I knew.. I'm still in the process of putting my new motor and mods together...

 

Great job Jay! looks awesome.

 

nice write up.....did you wet sand at all? I heard that you had to. Those parts sound like a good investment.
JspecRz, it looks like the torque brace is installed backwards. Or is that how it's supposed to go? I forget haven't looked at a picture in a while.

 

Thanks, I flipped the bracket around so I can get clearance over my ABS Unit.... I don't want that thing to get scratched!!! HEHE

 

Lookin badass bro!

 

Quality work, man..props. If I had the time, and my FD wasn't a daily driver..I'd do the same thing.

 

Looking nice.. Finally someone nice enough to give people a prescription for polishing their own stuff.. (Note* I understand it's alot of work to polish everything that well though)

 

looks pisser....killer job but what about the
alternator it needs love also

 

Nice job dude. I see you followed my how to and did your own
But the work looks excellent.
The pic is top natch also.
Well done indeed!!

-Dave (Fd3BOOST)

here was my version a few months ago..http://www.nopistons.com/forums/inde...ST&f=66&t=8827

I gotta say that I love the tool picture.

But the dremel is for girls, i sanded my finger tips off like a real man..dohhh

 

you just need a polished alernator now jay.

 

Looks damn good

 

Love it. Out of curiousity..... What would you charge to do what you did? I know you're not offering, I'm just trying to get a "gut" feel for the level of effort.

Personally, I think the alternator is an eyesore polished or not. I guess I'm just not used to the alternator being front and center and like the understated look.

--- Should look at getting a polished strut bar like Cusco - cheap and more bling + function.

 

That engine looks great! You gave me a good idea! I need to clear coat my polished stuff too. I hate having to repolish stuff.

 

GOt a friend doing some polishing (reasonably).
So far prices are:
stock y-pipe both pieces $60
thermostat housing $40 lots of tight curves
rear turbo inlet pipe $60
UIM $75 only visable area not under neath
Email me for pictures: cjjack@gru.net

 

THANKS GUYS..

I'm actually going to send my alternator out to get done.. but I still have a bunch to polish while I wait for more parts to complete the FD...

Feel free to email me or ask any questions..

I know there are a lot of people that offer their services to polish with pretty good prices. I myself will not do it...