ok i sanded/and finished polishing and it looks like crap, what did i do wrong, do i need to resand with 400 wet or what.

my process:
150 dry
320 wet
400 wet
hard emery
soft emery
hard tripoli
soft white rouge

here are the pictures in that order, ill name them as they go.


^sanded before polish


^ emery hard


^emery soft


^tripoli hard


^white rouge soft


^ another whtei rouge

but this is the strait on finish is.

 

You wont get anything NEAR a 'glassy' finish unless you use a much much higher grit sanding paper. Preferably wet sanding too...

 

Did you have the wheels attached to a drill or a bench grinder?
You may need to press harder with the polihsing wheels and use more compound with a drill or bench grinder. Or use the wheels longer with the compounds until you have a good shine.

 

False

120, 320 wet, 400 wet, then compounds

I would try sanding for longer with each grit until its smooth.

 

go over it with 400 wet again. you really can't do too much of 400 wet...thats the secret step...the more 400 wet u do, the more it will shine. same with tripoli, you really cant do too much.

Mine looked like that when i first finished, but i rushed it. You have to take your time if you want it to look brilliant. Go back over it with 400 wet for another 20 minutes or so then buff again. Also follow 85SportCoupeto89RS's advice.

And yeah...don't go above 400!! It will cloud if you go above 400 cuz it glazes it over and then u wont be able to clean it up.

 

Hmm I've never wet sanded anything before and then polished. But I do use a da sander that leaves a nice surface finish to the part though. Your sanding by hand right?

 

ok well later this week i will go buy some more 400 grit wet sanding this week, and also i was told to barley let the buffing wheel touch the part you are buffing so i barley used any pressure, and i used a good amount of compound though. i guess i was imformed wrong. looks like im gonna have to go back over it again.

 

most of it is by hand, but some that i can i made up a thing to wrap sand paper around the drum for a dremel and using that, works ok. but ya teh brunt of it is by hand.

i guess ill be going back over with block sanding it with 400 wet, then polishing again.

 

I don't know about you guys...but I'm using 1000-1500 grit to get my finish, and I'm wet sanding, and it's coming out like glass.

I just expirimented with my extra tpi plenum, I finished it with 400, wet sanded it too and the finish is absolutely nothing like the finish I got with my other plenum with 1500 wet....

 

Here's a picture of just 800 Wet...note I only did about 1/2 of it, and didn't finish the runners.

 

The passenger side is the partly finished side..heh, I haven't had time to snap a pic of the 1500 wet finish.

 

I just snapped a pic of the 1500 wet finish. Keep in mind this is only 5 minutes, if that...of 1500 wet.

 

On this bike I went up to 2000 grit, and then used tripoli, then white rouge, then red rouge on a soft buffing wheel. Then Eagle One Aluminum polish with a rag.

Needless to say it looks like chrome -




I also did the same on my intake -

 

I guess I'm not the only one using high grit on the intake!

 

Just 400 wet isn't going to mirror like. You have to follow that with polishing compounds. Using the compounds will give you a much deeper shine. Look at this pic, guess which fuel rail I used compounds on and which one sanded with 180, 220, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2000 wet, then Mothers.

 

Here is my process:

Dry Sand:
80
120
180

Wet Sand:
220
320
400
600
1200
1500
(next will be 2000 not yet done)

Used mother aluminum polish with a car buffer. Will be going to Sears to get all of the goodies to finish it after I use 2000 grit..

 

...

 

MetalliCamaroRS: I knew that, someone before said all it takes is 400 wet and it'll polish up good, I didn't believe it because I've gone up to 1000 wet on one side of my intake and it's much shinier.

I haven't used any polishing compounds though. Can't find them...

 

sears has them. you get 4 bars (emery, tripoli, white rouge, and jewelers rouge) for like $6.00.

 

Another good thing to do...whether buffing..or polishing...is to have a bright like over your work. It'll show everything...anything that you have missed, swirls, dull spots...ect...if It looks good under a bright light...it'll look good under anything..

 

Josh: Thanks! Off to Sears I go..

 

So what everyone is saying is just go up to 400 then use the compounds or blue magic or mothers? Im doing my plenum and runners so i want to get the best looking that i can.

 

yep, but i would say don't use any polishing compound. Just use buffing compounds. After you finish up with white rouge, you will be done and have an awesome finish.

-Josh

 

Here is what I did to my rims to get a mirror like finish. 150,220,320,400,600,800,1000,1500,2000 then polished by hand with Mothers mag and aluminum polish and they look GOOD!!! Takes alot of time though.

 

Here, maybe this website will help:

http://www.gmtips.com/3rd-degree/dox.../info/info.htm

 

84CustomZ28......... Do you know where I can buy and inatke like the one you have... The plastic part where the comes in and runs to the TB.. I want to modify one for my ram air intake... The ram air intakes they sell are here are crap.. The filter sits way to high compared to the opening of the nostrals... Thanks...

 

when you guys take off the plenum...other than the runners and throttle body what else do you have to disconnect?

 

a couple vacuum tubes from the left rear (when looking @ plenum), also an electrical plug that plugs right into the bottom of the plenum, right by the egr valve. also the throttle cable bracket. i think thats it besides the TB and top runner bolts.

 

it wont fit under the hood of a bird

 

The way im doing it it will.. and in case youd didn't notice I don't have a regular hood..

 

Didn't some year camaros come with a box kinda like that one.. Maybe I can find one at the junk yard..

 

i'm still pretty sure it wont fit

it has to do with the angle of the hood, not really the height

 

I know but Ive seen it done and it works great.. there really won't be very much of the box left when I get done modifying it.. Do you know where I can get one and also what year camaro came with it stock...Actually im looking at a picture of a formula with it done right now in the new pontiac magazine..

 

85-89 2.8 V6 camaros
85-92 TPI camaros