How do I clean aluminum metal inner body panels ?

[keb1]

Before I give up and just spray some kind of silver paint on my
expensive aluminum inner body panels
(wheelhouse inners, door panel inners, trans tunnel etc.)
Does anyone know how to clean them?
I've tried wet/dry 600 grit paper.
I've tried "Mothers" aluminum polish - way too time consuming / dirty job.
I don't expect or want a "show" car shine.
But looking at sanding scratches makes the car look "back yard type"
Can anyone help me on this one ? :(

[knova70]

very fine steelwool,It makes it nice and shiny like being polished.

[bjuice]

Man there is NO WAY around it but "Good ole fashion hard work elbow grease"..i have been there and done that..the fine steel wool is a good step right before the mothers..but from there on its a time consuming dirty job but the results is well worth the effort once your are done..

ALSO WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED..make sure you seal the job with 'METAL MAJIC" or any other kind of Teflon Type sealer.....this will stop the metal from turning back DULL SO FAST...re-apply the sealer about every few months or when a touch up is needed...it will leave a very slick,slippery finish.

but there is NO WAY around the DIRTY,PHYISCAL DEMANDS IS PLACES ON YOU...

I polish all my aluminum in all my stuff...but when you see my stuff at the track sitting beside the guys car that was too lazy to do his..i put them to shame....its the stuff like this that spererates a good looking car from a great looking car...

Brian

[mcracecars]

tear it all out and install carbon fiber... :shock:
seriously, Brian is right, good ol fashioned elbow grease..... but yes dirty job,

[INXS2]

Alumi-prep is what we use in the aviation business to remove corrosion from aluminum. It's an acid base etch, wash it off with water after etching, then seal with some sort of wax or polish. Lots of elbow grease goes into preping the area.

[xsystem]

Get yourself some purple polish and try it out, 10 times easyer than mothers polish. We use this stuff on our dumptrucks wheels and tanks and I can do everything on one truck in an 8 hour day. You can find this stuff at Kenworth dealerships and probably other big rig dealerships or online here.

http://www.californiacustom.com/

Once the parts are shiny to your liking you can apply zoopseal to them and they will stay shiney for a couple years. I did a set of wheels and ran them through Michigans winters and they stayed shiney until I sold the car. This stuff is a little expensive but it does work.

http://www.zoops.com/zoopseal.asp

[Bubstr]

The best way I've found is rubbing compound and wool buffer then get your wheel ball out and anything that don't reach, it's by hand. This followed by a micro finishing glaze will give you a chrome like shine. Then a good carnuba wax will keep it that way. Mask off anything you don't want polished. This is the way the old shinny aluminum airplanes was cleaned and should take those 600 scratches right out.

[bigdaddy2607]

hi. try a product called [heavy metal] its the best ive ever used. comes in 3 grades, fine, med, and course. just google heavy metal products for website. good luck......ken

[oldtimer]

I have a racecar that needs all the aluminum interior cleaned. I can deal with that. Lots of good ideas here. What can I put on the aluminum to keep it from reoxidizing right away. I would galdly wax everything or spray it with clear if I knew what worked.
Any suggestions?

[sg1586]

I wipe mine down with WD40 a couple times a year..........Spray some on a rag and go at it :D

[dalerace]

You can get a coil cleaner for aircond. coils at a heating and cooling supplier. You mix it 50/50 with water and spray it on with a yard sprayer or a spray bottle and then just rinse it off with water and it will take alll the dirt and discolor off and make it look new again. I use it on all my alum. parts and wheels. But you want to mix it weak for anything that has a polished finish on it or it will take the shine off.

[SST4530]

The heck with all that, after I get my aluminum panels fitted, I'm sending to plating shop. Red anodized with carbon fiber tubs and trans tunnel. Mmmmm Ummmm good! :lol: