I would like to know the best cleaning and polishing process to do on my alu. valve covers

Get a rag buffer wheel about 4" in diameter 1" wide
Put in an old electric drill and mount in the vice..use an old drill cause u will kill the drill bearings for acruate drilling later.
use cheap leather gloves and glasses and old clothes
With a LPG torch heat up the cover till to hot to hold with bear hands.
Rub a bit of polishing rouge on the cover, dampen the buff wheel with kerosene (parrafin)
and start polishing...I use a stainless steel polishing rouge, which I got from a local polishing company...the end of a stick...this will last u yrs.
Polishing Al is diff to other metals....u do small area at a time, to build heat, to 'melt' the top molecular layer into the scratches.
keep buffing wheel damp with kero

Wipe off crap with rag and kero...re polish parts not quite right, and finish with less pressure on the wheel.
Will take about 30 min to and hr.

Clean and polish with a good car polish 3 times
between each car polish leave in the sun for a few hrs.

You can save some time if you wetsand with ultra fine paper first. I did my old M/T's in 4 steps, 400, 1000, 1500, then 2000. Then they'll buff up pretty quick.

Steps, you must have one mean buffing wheel to do a set in 30 to an hour!
Mine took about 4 hours, each.

Steps, you must have one mean buffing wheel to do a set in 30 to an hour!
Going from the pics...it will not take much
Mine...well rats made a nest on them , pretty bad,
Like u used wet and dry sand paper and the orbital sander with 320 grit, which as wore out didnt need a finer sand
The secret is Pre heating them, and then working a very small area at a time to biuld and retain the heat...and dont stop.

This pic...the Al manifold had been laying in a farmers feild for over 40yrs...
That I hit with a 4: grinder/sanding disk, then a wire wheel, then the orbital sander then the drill...That and the little parts to about 4hrs...including the back playe on the generator (didnt include dismantling and reassembling the generator
http://www.kakariki.net/bradford/newengine.jpg

I would like to know the best cleaning and polishing process to do on my alu. valve covers

They weren't polished originally, but you can do as you like. If you want original appearance, Jerry MacNeish can re-skin them for you, and they'll look like this when you get them back. :thumbsup:

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2002-2/13522/2002228134822-0-ZengL2.JPG

:beers:

They weren't polished originally,
Correct..
If u wish to go that route...same goes with carbs and othe Al stuff
Clean ALL dirt off, dry
mix about 1 teaspoon of citric acid (out of the wifes spice cupboard) on 1/2 cup warm water
using one of those el cheapo brass wire brushes that look like a tooth brush, rub the citc acid sol'n onto the surface, and leave, every so often over a few hrs repeat but dont let dry off
Then wash off
The carb ,dizzy, fuel pump and engine block (all Aluminium are over 50 yrs old and had never been cleaned)

If you want full-polished, clean the stains, wetsand, and polish on a buffing wheel until theyre where you want them.

I restore the "dull" finish myself :thumbsup:

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/RamAirDave/GoldZ/100_1646.jpg


http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/RamAirDave/YellowRSZ/100_3456.jpg


http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/RamAirDave/YellowRSZ/100_4037.jpg

Steps, I don't want to take a chance with heating them up. I'm sure I would damage them.
Dave, I really like yours, they look great. How did you do your intake and carb.

Steps, I don't want to take a chance with heating them up.

Ever been out for a long hard run, then pulled the covers? one doesnt exactly hold onto them chatting away non chalontly...u put them down pretty quick if dont have cloves on. And if someone is standng in the way between u and the bench, one doesnt ask too politely for them to move!! lol

you get them hot...to polish Al on big wheels they heat them up with fricton to polish
When using an electric drill it takes ages to get that much heat into such a big lump of Aluminium...

And it s far better to pre heat them over all than concentrate in 1 spot to devalope the heat.
Its the way the pros do it m8.