restoring alumium parts

[bigbob81]

Hey Guys!
I am cleaning up my 81 and want to know what would work the best on
cleaning up & brightening up the aluminum covers and other parts on the bike.
The valve cover, clutch and alternator covers could use some brightening.
Any suggestions on a good product to use? I have minimal oxidation, very
minimal, but they would look so much better with a good wiping. All of
the website pics have got me needing the shine! And of course, thanks in
advance for any info. Have a great day & ride till ya' butt hurts!
bigbob81

[EMS]

Bob: The problem you are facing is that most of the parts you want to brighten up carry a protective coating. The nicest way to spiff these covers up is remove all clearcoat with a stripper and then polish the aluminum to a mirror-like shine.
If that is too much, repainting is the only other alternative. There is really no way to "clean" the covers to a luster.
The clutch cover on your '81 is supposed to be black. You can try S100 engine brightener for black engines (Harley Davidson)
If you polish the aluminum, my advice is NOT to clearcoat them. Just maintain the shine by a nice waxing and polishing every year.

[bigbob81]

Thanks EMS!
The stripper in question, the liquid kind, not the curvy kind, would it be
something specific to refinishing aluminum, or would lacquer thinner be
effective? Of course, I would mask off the black areas before using the thinner.
And, yeah, the clutch cover is black, and still looks good.
The alum parts aren't that bad. The clear coat is still clear. It just has
some oxidation like discolorations that won't rub off. It seems to be under the clear.
Thanks again for the kind reply.
bob

[steve murdoch icoa #5322]

Bob, i used Mar-Hyde aircraft coating remover.
Even with masking things off you have to be very careful with the over-spray.
It works fast and gloves and glasses are required.

[daves79x]

Buy a heavy-duty stripper for epoxy-based finishes - you can get it at any place like Home Depot. It is a gel that you brush on, wait a bit, then scrub off with steel wool. You will never get the oxidation off what you have now because it's under the clearcoat. That has to come completely off and be polished. Good news is that if there is minor oxidation (relatively), it's an easy clean-up and polish. A buffing wheel on a bench grinder makes the quickest job.

Dave

Oops - sorry Steve, we were typing at the same time.

[bigbob81]

Thanks for all of the suggestions guys!!
Like I said, my "corrosion" isn't very bad(minimal) and the
clear coat is not yellowed. The bike has been very well taken
care of, even before I became the owner. I may just leave it for now
and wait till it really needs it.
She now has her own "garage" , an 8 x 12 shed I built as my
Christmas present, so I could work on her. She'll be out of the
weather even better than it was on the breezeway.
Thanks again guys and I hope that I'll be able to make the
rally in June. It is by far the closest event to me, and I would love
to ride the Dragon. See ya'!
bigbob81

[daves79x]

Please try to make the rally - it would great to expose some new guys to these events and hopefully lead to some of your folks hosting a rally in your areas!

Dave

[cross]

I put my valve cover in the garbage bag and added paint thinner, closed the bag, moved things around a bit and let it sit a while, maybe30-60 minutes.
All clear coat wrinkles up and all you need is a brush of some kind to rub it all off and you can polish it after that.
You can do the same with all aluminum parts.

[daves79x]

You must have tough garbage bags! Anything strong enough to eat clear coat would burn right through any garbage bags I know of. Anyway - you have it down pretty good. Even the repainted black in the HONDA logo. Nice job.

Dave

[EMS]

It is always nice to restore. It gives you that feeling of accomplishment. And also get's you closer to your bike.
However, sometimes I go the easy way, because it takes too much time to redo things.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-honda-cbx-1 ... 2d&vxp=mtr

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-CBX-CBX10 ... 13&vxp=mtr

[daves79x]

Yes, Mike, I'm with you on that. Those covers are still available and I can't restore them for that.

Dave

[cross]

I just used regular white garbage bag that use at home and it worked great..
I only used it for my valve cover, side covers i just dipped in small dish with paint thinner in it.