Every girl needs some shiny stuff

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Steve81GL1100
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Every girl needs some shiny stuff

#1

Post by Steve81GL1100 »

Before and..... during....

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That's after buffing on the wheel to get the old lacquer (or whatever it was) off and give it a base polish. Still need to go to work by hand with the Mothers to get rid of swirls and get into the nooks and crannies, then repaint the black around the lettering. Then I need to find some clear that will withstand the heat. And then of course do the other cam cover and the front covers and..... crossy.gif
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Neil
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Re: Every girl needs some shiny stuff

#2

Post by Neil »

Big difference and when you're done they will look better than new.
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Placerville
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Re: Every girl needs some shiny stuff

#3

Post by Placerville »

Nice job. Next time, don't try to polish off a factory applied clear coat. You're just wasting compound and energy as it's very tough stuff to remove. First, strip the part with a good quality paint remover. Wash the part with soap and water, then go over it with some fine grain wet/dry sandpaper to remove any surface abrasions etc. Then, have at it with your buffer. After that, you can hand polish if you wish but, that shouldn't make it any shinier. If you have swirls from polishing, use a finer grit compound on a new wheel.

Regarding the application of a clear coat.....please don't do it. Nothing you buy in a rattle can will match the quality and durability of the original commercial factory coating. Aftermarket clear coat will not stand up to the elements and, in time, will degrade. You'll then be looking at doing this all over again. Simply polish them by hand with e.g., Mothers once a year and you'll be a happy guy.
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Steve81GL1100
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Re: Every girl needs some shiny stuff

#4

Post by Steve81GL1100 »

Actually, the factory-applied clear is flaking off of both cam covers -- not so much so on the front covers though. I was thinking about tossing them all into the bead blaster, but after running them through the dishwasher (boy, was she PO'd! :shock: ) they seem like I'll be able to work with them. This first one I went after with a little 0000 steel wool and Mothers on the spots where the clearcoat was thickest, and the rest cleaned up really fast on the buffer. I'm thinking about trying stripper on the other bits, or maybe just more 0000 wool. I used Scotchbrite to get the anodizing off the brake and clutch levers when I polished those, but it scratched the surface a lot and made for a lot more buffing work.
Thanks for the tip on applying fresh clear, though. I've been kind of going back and forth on that. I haven't used it in the past, and the only real hassle is where there's aluminum trim against painted surfaces where I need to mask first. I've heard good things about ZoopSeal, but it's pretty pricey and I'm pretty poor so probably not. Most likely just polish it out and then keep after it...
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1981 GL 1100 Standard, 81 Interstate bags, 84 GL1200 pegs, sometime National Cycle PlexiStar windshield
1996 BMW R1100R
2007 Piaggio X9 Evo500, wife's ride so she can keep up with the GL
1980 Vespa P200 (also wife's), restored, with custom paint, custom trim
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Re: Every girl needs some shiny stuff

#5

Post by Fred Camper »

No big deal just to clean with Mothers once a year, maybe twice if you love to caress your girl. Way better than the issues with clear coat.
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Hal
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Re: Every girl needs some shiny stuff

#6

Post by Hal »

The trouble with clearcoating these is that the clear needs to be heat resistant and also have built-in etchcoat properties or it'll be off before you know it.

There used to be a Standox product which fits the spec....might be worth talking to a pro paint shop?
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oldwings 78
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Re: Every girl needs some shiny stuff

#7

Post by oldwings 78 »

For my money I would buy a bottle of Wizards Power Seal for about $13. It's not a permanent solution but the stuff works well without much hassle.
Terry
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Re: Every girl needs some shiny stuff

#8

Post by jdvorchak »

Once you get the clear off and polished up it will stay bright and shiny for a very long time. You will be amazed at how easy it is to maintain. No one I know has had good luck with spray on clear. Trust us when we tell you just polish them and forget the clear coat.
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Re: Every girl needs some shiny stuff

#9

Post by sunnbobb »

oldwings 78 wrote:For my money I would buy a bottle of Wizards Power Seal for about $13. It's not a permanent solution but the stuff works well without much hassle.
Terry
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Steve81GL1100
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Re: Every girl needs some shiny stuff

#10

Post by Steve81GL1100 »

Sounds like Wizards is the stuff! Found it on eBay, just need to click the button and send it on its way :orange
Got the other cam cover buffed out yesterday, and after getting them both clean I think the OEM black color around the lettering looks like a keeper. It doesn't appear to be paint, and it certainly wasn't fazed by all the buffing, steel-wooling, etc. If it can withstand all that, I probably can't improve it with the addition of more paint...
The front covers are a different story -- still pretty well-covered with the factory coating, but lots of corrosion and spider-tracking. It seems like an exercise in futility to try and steel-wool all that off, so I'm going to try stripper. I think I have an old jug of Safest Stripper around here somewhere.....
Steve
Steve
1981 GL 1100 Standard, 81 Interstate bags, 84 GL1200 pegs, sometime National Cycle PlexiStar windshield
1996 BMW R1100R
2007 Piaggio X9 Evo500, wife's ride so she can keep up with the GL
1980 Vespa P200 (also wife's), restored, with custom paint, custom trim
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Re: Every girl needs some shiny stuff

#11

Post by tlbranth »

Many years ago (in the 70's) I had to redo the fork lowers on my CB750. The clear that came from the factory was looking nasty. After trying lots of removers, an automotive paint store sold me some stuff called "Aircraft Paint Remover". That stuff works.
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Re: Every girl needs some shiny stuff

#12

Post by Fred Camper »

Aircraft Paint Remover is the stuff I used, and it rocks. Not sure others will touch that stuff but this stuff takes it off.
Proud member of the NGW Cartel (Rochester MI)
1977 GL1000 BADDOG (April 2012 BOTM)
1976 LTD - '993 LTD...and so it begins'

You should remember that it's peace of mind you're after and not just fixing the machine. R.Pirsig
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