Hats off to you, TypeG!

[JDM_EJ]

Polishing is HARD WORK! But very rewarding. I spent the last 3 hrs. trying to take the dirt off of my exhaust heat shield. I used sandpaper and steel wool. I am nowhere near done. I still have to get some finer sandpaper, sand, polish, and buff the heat shield. I polished and buffed a little, but the scratches from the rough sandpaper are killing the shine. also, there are some black pitted areas on the upper part of it. I'll take care of that tomorrow. For now, enjoy some progress pics.




Also, I was wondering, when I am done, the bolts that hold this in are rusted/dirty. anyone know if I can get some stainless bolts? I could always just paint it black...

[Ralphie]

Yea that is looking good. Coming along nicely. TYPE G Inspired for shizo!
Hmm not sure about the bolts...browse some related websites and see if anyone carries them If not TYPE G might have a solution

[PRIMOCB7]

looks good so far. i say paint the bolts black or try to find them black already to give it some contrast.

[JDM_EJ]

Yeah, if I cant find a solution, I'll probably just spray the bolts black.

[JDM_EJ]

I cant tell if TypeG's bolts are stainless or not...





Also, his heatshield is different from mine...I have a F22A1...the bolt holes are over to the sides more...his are in the middle. anyone know what kind of engine that is? Irrelevant, I know, but I'm curious.

[TypeG]

a4.(EX)

i have the stock bolts, i just polished the heads of them. i'd like to find some stainless bolts though. looks like your comming along with the polishing. a lot of people don't understand how much effort it takes to polish. i think they'd appreciate their car more if they polished something on it. later.

[maroonaccord2.2]

I'll be polishing soon as well....

This is a well deserved hats-off thread imo.

[JDM_EJ]

i think they'd appreciate the their car more if they polished something on it. later.

I think they'd appreciate YOUR car more if they polished something on it. How hard was it to polish the bolt heads?

[rickyduckworth]

lol, i did that shit when i was younger and my dad made fun of me for it.......not that i have better shit to do NOW, but it's still funny to see others do it lol

looks great, but i'd either go with NO hood or get a clear one.....it HAS to be seen

[fliplyricist1]

good start man

about the bolts, there's actually a special tool for polishing small parts like bolts and rivets...it's a tumble polisher machine.

as per your polishing that large piece...realize that since you are handpolishing, no matter how fine a sandpaper you use, there will still be some noticable hairline scratches in the finish...even with compound. It's because no over-the-counter sandpaper has completely uniform grit.

After 30 hours of hand polishing 4 16" rims, I've come to accept this fact. But then again it's like 400 dollars to get em polished by a professional shop, which is way more than I spent for the rims in the first place.

[JDM_EJ]

good start man

realize that since you are handpolishing, no matter how fine a sandpaper you use, there will still be some noticable hairline scratches in the finish

Thanks bro. Yeah I realize that...but this was like 320 grit paper...the whole thing is scuffed up right now...TypeG recommended that I start at 320 and work my way up to 1000. I just have to go get the other grit sandpaper that I need.

[TypeG]

JDM_EJ - the bolts were super easy to polish. i just stuck them on a sander for a second, then straight to a buffing wheel. not a detailed polishing really, but they look chromish. less than 2 min per bolt, but it's a temp fix til i find something better.

fizz- i've gone hoodless before. it's fun, but at the same time i felt like a jackass, haha. i used to want a clear hood, but then though it may attract unwanted attention.

flip- to get rid of those fine scratches takes lots of buffing time. buff with the mag and aluminum polish til you think it's perfect. then switch to the mother's BILLET polish (it's a finer polish) and use a diffferent buffing wheel and buff that til you think it's perfect. even at this point, there will be some marks make by the cotton cloth. for the final polishing, you use blue nitrle gloves and polish with your fingers, then wipe the WET polish away with a microfiber towel. buffing time is the key. later.

[wed3k]

a4.(EX)

i have the stock bolts, i just polished the heads of them. i'd like to find some stainless bolts though. looks like your comming along with the polishing. a lot of people don't understand how much effort it takes to polish. i think they'd appreciate their car more if they polished something on it. later.

yea, i dont have the patience to polish, let alone sand something

[JDM_EJ]

you use blue nitrle gloves and polish with your fingers, then wipe the WET polish away with a microfiber towel.

Where can you find the gloves? Is it a special kind of glove?

[wed3k]

Where can you find the gloves? Is it a special kind of glove?

they have them at autozone/kragen.