[OptimusPrime]

I removed my Tubi exhaust during a clutch repair and decided to clean it up a little. Thought I would share and get any feedback on what else I could have done for the future:

Picture 1 After washing with soap and water ..stained and ugly looking

Picture 2 After 800 grit wet sandpaper and brake cleaner and rust cleaner not much yet.

Picture 3 after 1000 grit wet sandpaper and brake cleaner. Starting to clear up

Picture 4 after 1000 grit wet sandpaper and Mothers alluminum polish. The longer I work the better it gets.

About 4 hours total. Probably could get it even brighter but takes time and elbow grease.

[Barry]

impressive. A lot of elbow grease required as well no doubt.

[tazandjan]

OP- A cloth polishing wheel on an electric drill with some buffing compound will get it to a mirror polish if you want to take it further. I have refinished many metal parts with buffing wheels and even amateurs like me can get a beautiful finish.

[Neopolitano]

Originally Posted by tazandjan

OP- A cloth polishing wheel on an electric drill with some buffing compound will get it to a mirror polish if you want to take it further. I have refinished many metal parts with buffing wheels and even amateurs like me can get a beautiful finish.

Terry....assuming the exhaust looks like the 1st picture at the beginning do you go through the numerous sanding steps like the OP did? Or can you just take the polishing wheel and compound. I was thinking that a rubbing or buffing compound would not have enough grit to remove the discoloration.

[tazandjan]

Steve- Negative, I just started on the wheel, sometimes a stationary wheel, which is just a small stand with an electric motor with a cloth polishing wheel attached, sometimes an electric drill. The wheel and compound, which comes in cylindrical sticks, cut through all that corrosion in a hurry and you can easily get a mirror finish. You just occasionally have to clean the compound off the joints, which is easy to do. Works for SS or aluminum and there are different types of compound with different polishing rates.

[OptimusPrime]

Taz - Thanks for the tip. I will get a buffing wheel and buff like you suggest. I will post the picture when I'm done maybe this weekend.

[StefVan]

Originally Posted by OptimusPrime

Taz - Thanks for the tip. I will get a buffing wheel and buff like you suggest. I will post the picture when I'm done maybe this weekend.

Very nice thread, keep it going You did already a great work on your muffler. I'm going to apply your tips as well as those from Terry on my muffler too. Thanks for sharing

[OptimusPrime]

Here is photo after buffing with cotton wheel per Taz. Looks a lot better...thanks

[tazandjan]

OP- Looks great.

[philwozza]

There is a "pickling" acid available that takes all the blue and browns off the steel before you go on to polish it. I used some last time I had the exhaust off and it took me about 2 hours from brown to shine

No elbow grease used at all

P

[wintech]

Have been pondering putting the Tubi back on the car of late and was inspired to get the S/S polished after OP's thread started. I came across this polish I have had for some time(before I had a S/S exhaust to use it on)

The after shot was 40 mins work by hand, starting out looking like the other side. The discoloration I believe is caused by moisture/rain/condensation reacting to the hotter inlet surface of the pipe and the various salts and contaminants leave that stain.

I will post the after shot when complete. the name on the bottle has nothing to do with me.

Pete

[tazandjan]

Pete- That looks great. One of our NY Ferrari specialists recommends Fitz polish for US owners in case the one you used is an Oz local product.

[OptimusPrime]

Nice!!!!+1

[wintech]

Finished the other side this morning, used a couple of cotton straps which accessed the tighter areas; worked well. I found that using 2000gr wet and dry got most of the marks out and then finished with the polish.

Pete

[OptimusPrime]

Wow..looks like chrome. jeez! I thought I done, now I need to try the fitz polish.

[StefVan]

Excellent work Pete, this looks stunning! I learned a lot from this thread and this winter days I will go through the same process with my muffler Thanks very much for sharing all the details.

Is there a way to "protect" the S/S so that all this work will last a bit longer?

[wintech]

Stef heh heh! it aint called stainless steel for nothing! once it is polished it is only external contamination bonding to the outside which marrs the finish. The chrome like appearance is no different to a paint surface, minute scratches will break up the light refraction(shine) As most guys on here who do refinishing will agree; to get a mirror finish, you have to get ALL of the scratches out. Unfortunately with S/S it already has the shine, we take it away with abrasives that are too coarse and then polish cannot remove the scratches as it is too fine. S/S is very resistant to abrasion(hard) but carborundum(wet and dry) is much harder.Using too coarse a grade of wet/dry paper puts scratches into the surface which are much deeper than the stain. Using 2000grit(or finer) will remove stains but not produce scratches on the surface too deep for polish to remove.

Because S/S is used in mostly marine applications, and marine chandler will carry a protective coating for S/S fittings, however it would probably not standup to the rigours of exhaust hi temp....causing stains from reaction with the surface.....get the drift.

Taz, Peter G's is an Oz based marine products supplier...I googled it. Frankly I was also gobsmacked by the result!!(in a good way of course)

Pete

[Saint Bastage]

Hmmmm...Polishing your Tubi. I had something else in mind entirely.

Nice job though. It looks great.