Faded Paint, Hazy Carbon... Headlight Restore Kit!

[3kgt2nv]

thanks problem with polishing is you can always do more. you just have to decide when to call it a day. i tried to do everything to an even shine but due to casting differences in the materials its not always possible.

the manifold came out ok wasnt really happy since it was the middle of winter when i did it i couldnt bead blast it first to remove all the black junk first.

[4g63tc]

Originally Posted by 3kgt2nv

this almost made me spit my cpt crunch all over the laptop

some people might not get the joke.

[InfiniteGSX]

Wow!!! I want my stuff to look like that. It just bugs to sand by hand. I use these discs that gets the grit feeling to smooth. But they always leave little scratches. And doesn't get that shiny.

What you think about heating up in oven?

[3kgt2nv]

problem with the oven is the alum will cool to fast to give the benefit for polishing. even with the torch you apply heat for 10-15 sec and it pulls the moisture out and then you polish for a bit. it cools off very quick

plus the oven makes the piece hot to handle where the torch is more focused

[InfiniteGSX]

Hmm... I might have to get me a small can and try that out. NEver thought of that.

[3kgt2nv]

For the final steps i use a 21,000 rpm die grinder with the harbor freight 7.99 polishing kit with the 2 inch fiber discs and use 3 different compounds.

grey cutting to smooth all the edges and rough spots, its what giver the curves the butter smooth radius's left buy the sanding

red rough polishing compound very low grit count i think around 4-5k vs wet sanding at 2500grit

white polishing compound. no cutting just polish and also helps seal the aluminum but be careful not to over work it.

for the polishing kit, the cutting compound and the die grinder it was like 35 bucks from harbor freight
Aluminum Polishing Tool Kit - 14 Piece

the thing with any polishing aluminum is amount of work that is applied so you want high speed machines. If i could get a higher speed die grinder i would get it. using a drill will work but results are alot slower and less lustrous as they only have a 1500-3000 rpm rate. most die grinders start at like 15,000

[jmkhet]

Lots of bling in this thread!Definitaly trying these pads wow!

[InfiniteGSX]

Originally Posted by 3kgt2nv

For the final steps i use a 21,000 rpm die grinder with the harbor freight 7.99 polishing kit with the 2 inch fiber discs and use 3 different compounds.

grey cutting to smooth all the edges and rough spots, its what giver the curves the butter smooth radius's left buy the sanding

red rough polishing compound very low grit count i think around 4-5k vs wet sanding at 2500grit

white polishing compound. no cutting just polish and also helps seal the aluminum but be careful not to over work it.

for the polishing kit, the cutting compound and the die grinder it was like 35 bucks from harbor freight
Aluminum Polishing Tool Kit - 14 Piece

the thing with any polishing aluminum is amount of work that is applied so you want high speed machines. If i could get a higher speed die grinder i would get it. using a drill will work but results are alot slower and less lustrous as they only have a 1500-3000 rpm rate. most die grinders start at like 15,000

Those are what I've been using. I started with the dark one to get the grit down to a soft, then the red to start taking off the lines and the off white one to get it ready for polish. Then I used the harbor freight polishing discs with my drill using the black Harbor Freight metal compound. And it only left the haze look. Still shiny. I've used it on the lips of wheels and it brought them out to a decent shine. But nothing like what you did.

Originally Posted by jmkhet

Lots of bling in this thread!Definitaly trying these pads wow!

Yeah I know I hijacked my own thread. But if I can get definite tips on this I'll take the chance. Anything to make the job easier.

[urbansmoker1]

woumd mcguites heavy cut cleaner on a buffing wheel and then fine cut cleaner on a buffer then wax get rid of water spots? my paint is pretty good and i dont wanna mess it up but i want it to shine. with no sanding

[InfiniteGSX]

Not sure but I know that the Trizacts pad and 3M or Meg Polishing compound would not only get rid of the water spots but would improve shine. When I wash my car and have water spots, I just wax it, and buff it and they are gone.

[3kgt2nv]

yes heavy cutting compound will get rid of water spots. it will also remove a small layer of the finish to remove swirls, scratches, etching from bird crap or acid rain, you can use it on headlights to restore them, it will work on plastic or metal.

use it with a decent buffer as compounding a car by hand is pointless.

and then you get into the question of what pads to use and if you want to try a rotatory polisher or a da buffer.

some how tos and info on buffers and what you should know
Circular / Rotary Polishing Guide: remove swirls, scratches, & oxidation with a rotary polisher. foam pads, backing plate, lake country, professional,

Circular / Rotary Polishing Guide: remove swirls, scratches, & oxidation with a rotary polisher. foam pads, backing plate, lake country, professional,

this site has a basic free how to on every aspect of car cleaning and detailing. check it out and you will be surprised the amount of stuff you can do with a good buffer and products other than what autozone sells.

i have a rotatory polisher but actually use the porta cable 9424 alot more as it is a lot gentler on the car and when helping to teach someone how to use it there is less chance of them screwing up there car and burning the paint.