Hi,

I have a few polished parts in my engine bay (UIM, Elbow, Strut Bar, etc.) and was wondering if I should go ahead and get everything else polished or would it be a better idea to get it chromed? The polished parts have definitely been difficult to take car of, but on top of that it seems like the polish is starting to fade.

I'm looking for something that will be relatively permanent with proper maintenance and that will make my engine bay "BLING" . I was looking into either polishing or chroming everything or if there is some other process that fits my requirements a little better please feel free to mention it.

Thanks,

Riz

 

Polishing can be a DIY project, which can save some cash. Chroming on the other hand can be quite expensive.

 

I'm torn between them also. Chrome looks cool, but there is something about an awesome polish job.

 

Either way, I'm going to have a bodyshop do the work for me. I still have some things I need to get done there so I'll have them do one of the options to my engine bay while the car is there. Therefore, price isn't my biggest concern. It's more about maintenance and lasting finish.

 

Polished = no clear-coat type finish to keep dirt and such from getting into the pores of the metal itself.

I sell chrome rims and polished rims all day at my job...

BELIEVE ME....you do NOT want polished.

 

I've actually noticed this problem already with the polished parts I have, especially the UIM and Elbow.

Does that mean your suggesting going with Chrome or some other finish?

 

when you look at polished aluminum wheels that arent taken care of, wut do u notice? they look like crap right? the underhood parts probably wont get nasty so fast but it is inevatable w/ polished parts so propper maintenance is a must. so the question is how lazy are you?

 

I was going to have EVERYTHING under my hood chromed until I found out how much it would cost. My buddy has a powder coating gun and an oven so I might just have him powder coat everything instead with chrome color powder.

 

Use ZoopSeal after your done polishing and it will stay looking good all year round. All I do is wipe down my polished parts with a towel and water. Forget Chrome! It adds weight and cost too much.

 

I was just going to mention the Zoop Seal. The Eastwood Company sells this. They also have a spray on protectant (don't remember if it's by Zoop Seal or not) that will protect for I believe 2 years! Don't quote me on the 2 years 'cause I can't find my catalog right now but 1 year gurantee for sure.

 

Chroming aluminum parts is not a straightforward process and is rarely done correctly. Chroming steel is a no brainer.

 

My personal vote But it is a lot of upkeep.

If I had to do it over again, I may have powder coated some of the parts.

 

i use nvrdull. i suppose its like zoopseal. Looks great so far.

 

I say powdercoat everything black!

but i'm biased....

 

ya id say polish and seal it.

BTW does any one have pics of their black powdercoared engine parts installed? thanx

 

I use neverdull as well, but the parts still seem to eventually start fadding. I'm considering powdercoating, but is it possible to do a powdercoat of a chrome or polished finish? I'm gonna talk to my bodyshop and see what they suggest. I still have a couple months before anything gets done though so I'll continue doing some research. More input is appreciated.