polishing aluminum swingarm

Hi all, it has been awhile since I have had the time to work on my bike and now I am ready to jump back into it. My project right now is polishing the swingarm. Anyone out there have an idea as to what to use or better yet which is the best product or process. I have looked through this forum and really haven't had any luck locating anything pertaining to this.

Thanks in advance,

tkaser

1983 ZX 750 GPz

Have you read this one?

www.caswellplating.com/buffs/buffman.htm

I don't know specifics about your swingarm. But, I've had really good results from "Mother's Alminum Polish"


The two covers were really yucky before. They look better in person than in this picture. The clutch cover is reflective enough to see myself in. But, it doesn't show on this picture. I wish I had a better pic. But, they didn't look like they had been cleaned EVER when I started and it didn't take long to get them to look really good.

That's my $0.02
Good Luck

Peace Out All!!!
PS. That's a case of old road rash on the point cover. I'm keeping my eye out for one without the rash. But, they are hard to come by. 78 point covers commonly develop rash somewhere along the way.

Post edited by: Six9GS, at: 2006/11/01 01:32

I second the Mother's, pic below is 79 KZ650 that was very neglected, but no road rash, Repeated applications of Mothers resulted in this....

i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/medic24baker/000126.jpg

1983 KZ550 after the first crash

i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/medic24baker/000164.jpg

After a little bit of filing, then sanding, wet sanding, then polishing with a basic polishing kit from Caswell

i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/medic24baker/000166.jpg

i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/medic24baker/000167.jpg

i96.photobucket.com/albums/l192/medic24baker/000168.jpg

Just some basic supplies, elbow grease/time and beer!

I'm planning on doing the same to a swingarm from a 85 600 Ninja, when done I;ll post some pics.

lots and and lots of block sanding followed by lots of mothers polish and lots of rubbing!

wireman wrote:

lots and and lots of block sanding followed by lots of mothers polish and lots of rubbing!

Block sanding followed by 20-30 minutes with buffing compound with a buffing wheel mounted on a 7" grinder, I'm lazy

It does make a huge mess though

yeah its ok to be lazy,not that i am or anything:whistle: but you need to be carefull using a buffing wheel on grinder though its really easy to put lots of waves back in that aluminum you just spent all that time blocksanding nice and flat!:sick: goodluck,happy wrenching!

I'm to lazy to hold the grinder, I clamp it in a vise and hold the part I'm polishing.

I have an arbor and electric motor that I was going to mount on a pedestal to use as a buffer, that was until I discovered how much of a mess I made the first time I polished inside, I decided to mount it on a wheeled table so I can open the door and point it outside instead

I have polished all the engine covers (including cam cover), and the fork lowers on a couple of 750 twins, they had a mirror shine when I was done, and it wasn't real hard (compared to the first time I did it by hand anyway).