polishing the valve cover

[BDD]

Say there:
What's the best way to polish the Aluminum valve cover (and between the cooling fins on the top) to a bright shine?
The one that's on my car now is polished bright but the "OPEL" logo has been ground off. I want to polish another cover that I've got to correct this.

BDD

[Mike Preble]

Many people will use a handheld grinder with small polishing wheels. You can get them pointed on the ends to get in small places but not tiny spots. That was probably why the OPEL words were ground off to make it shinny as the other person wasn't able to get in the tight spots. You get to decide how much you will be satisfied with as far as what you can't reach. I my self have taken covers and degreased them and painted down in the fins with blue (or whatever color you want) and then polished the rest of the cover. Polishing would shine up everything else except between the fins which would stay blue because I couldn't reach that area. Gave a nice highlite. The great thing about it all was that was what I wanted as my custom touch. Subtle, but there.
LOL with it.
Mike

[houserc]

You can take it to a place to have it glass beaded. That will clean up all the hard to reach places prior to polishing and buffing.

Check out EastWoodCo.com for buffing and polishing kits. They have some good kits that work well in a drill. Also, those kits come with a good clear coat paint that has good heat resistant qualities.

Dremel tool has a good pointed polishing bit that will reach into the small areas of the "OPEL" letters.

[BDD]

Are there certain polishing compounds and degrees of grit or abrasiveness that should be used? Is wet/ dry sandpaper used? If so what grit to remove some oxidation and which grit to polish?

Thanks,
BDD

[houserc]

I would tell you to first go to EastwoodCo.com and check out their kits. They have a lot included, even instructions.

I glass beaded mine first. Then Wet sanded with 320, 400, 600. I also used the grinding and smoothing kit from Eastwood to get the really rough spots out.

Then Tripoli compound followed by White rouge on the buffing and polishing wheels.

To get down into the fins, a little, I used a loose wheel to buff.

Clean with Acetone and then clear coat with a high temp clear paint.

While I was at it, I replaced the inner oil mist collectors with Chore Boy spun copper scouring pads.

You can check out early results in my member photo album.

[Rodney]

Could it be power coted??

[houserc]

I don't see why it couldn't be powder coated.

Plus, once it's polished and buffed, it's only a step away from chromed.

[Rodney]

Thanks