Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Light on March 26, 2009, 12:19:40 PM
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Hello to you,
Well we've all seen the highly polished aluminum on those P-51's and I always wanted a car to do that. Well I have a new Altima now and I discovered that the hood of the thing is 100% aluminum! So I am thinking shiny P-51 now. All I have to do is strip the paint and BAM I have the shiny look! But I dont know how this will work on the road in real life everyday situations. Will it look bad after a while? Will it tarnish? I live in New England, which means snow/salt/rain. Also what if I get aluminum body panels and polish them all up and replace all the plastic or steel?
My car is silver to begin with. I think and hope this will look good, but I am asking das experten here for what they say.
Danke, Speceeba, Thanks, Gracias.
Me
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Well DeLorean did it with stainless steel.... Didn't work out so well...
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Well DeLorean did it with BRUSHEDstainless steel.... Didn't work out so well...
fixed :aok
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Sand it down, polish it, and give it a clear coat. Aluminium will oxidise and turn into a dull white/grey surface over time, so it needs to be protected or polished a lot.
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Ford used to make stainless steel cars at the end of the production run, the stainless steel would destroy the stamping dies so they only made a couple of each.
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Really depends on the alloy used. Most aluminum automotive body panels are 2000 series aluminum, which really isn't that bad, except it's susceptible to corrosion. It's sometimes "clad", or covered, with a 6000 or 7000 series alloy which greatly increases resistance to corrosion.
Aircraft were manufactured with Alclad, a process where the aluminum alloy was "clad" with a thin coating of pure aluminum. Pure aluminum has very good resistance to corrosion, but it's structurally very weak. Combining the two gave the strength of the core material, with the corrosion resistance of the cladding.
The problem though is that, because the cladding's soft, it's easily damaged. And once it's removed, the underlying aluminum alloy will start to corrode. The same would also be true for automotive panels which are clad with 6000 or 7000 alloy, although these two alloys are way stronger than the pure aluminum that was used in Alclad. ( have no idea how thick the cladding would be on a modern automotive panel though)
So as far as your hood's concerned, I'd find out exactly what aluminum it is before I did anything to it. And I sure as Hell wouldn't sand it before I found out if it was clad, and how thick the cladding is. However, polishing with an orbital, or by hand, shouldn't hurt it provided you don't use too heavy a hand.
FWIW, my personal opinion (it's YOUR car) would be to leave it alone.
Hope this helps. :salute
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Well DeLorean did it with stainless steel.... Didn't work out so well...
The problem with stainless is that people get it into their heads that they can polish it with fine steel wool. This is a huge mistake. Steel wool has so little carbon in it that's it pretty much just plain iron. Polishing stainless with it leaves microscopic pieces of iron imbedded in the stainless. Eventually these little bits of iron rust. (very bad thing :uhoh)
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I don't think it would be a good idea IMHO. If your driving in bright sunlight it would cause a glare from hell. But since you don't live around me you can try it.
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You could strip the hood,polish it and clear coat it.
The polishing part is going to take alot of work and the proper tools.
If you want a new look,try a carbon fiber hood,even lighter than yours. :aok
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You could strip the hood,polish it and clear coat it.
The polishing part is going to take alot of work and the proper tools.
If you want a new look,try a carbon fiber hood,even lighter than yours. :aok
Maybe, maybe not. Most "carbon fiber" hoods are actually just fiberglass hoods covered with a single layer of resin rich graphite epoxy fabric. A lot of these aftermarket hoods are actually heavier than the OEM part.
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Maybe, maybe not. Most "carbon fiber" hoods are actually just fiberglass hoods covered with a single layer of resin rich graphite epoxy fabric. A lot of these aftermarket hoods are actually heavier than the OEM part.
true,but he could get a "real" carbon fiber hood for less than the cost of polishing the stock hood. :devil
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true,but he could get a "real" carbon fiber hood for less than the cost of polishing the stock hood. :devil
That depends on how much he puts into the stripping and polishing work. He could do a really cheap-ass job :lol. Frankly I'd stay away from an aftermarket composite hood for a street car (especially if the OEM party is aluminum and not steel; the weight savings is minimal). As I understand it, most aftermarket composite hoods don't have metallic inserts included for hinges and hood latch fittings. This is where delamination or brooming will invariably start. Especially something that's subjected to impact loading like the hood latch. This is why all the aftermarket manufacturers recommend hood pins, they (or their lawyers) don't trust the attachment points in their hoods.
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Just look at an old aluminum canoe for part of your answer.
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Nothing big on polished Aluminum. The largest problem you WILL run into, is not the glare. It will be that it WILL show every imperfection in the metal (more than likely there will be something on each panel).
Chip Foose did it and is not in a rush to paint it (it even has seats out of a B-17.
(http://image.streetrodderweb.com/f/9080258/0805sr_01_z+chip_foose_p32+expanded_for_web.jpg)
There are many other examples.
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I have polished a couple sets of aluminum wheels, and while it was quite labor intensive I really don't think a hood would be all that bad. With a silver car it might actually look ok, but no more than that, if you started doing the fenders and stuff and it would like like crap IMO. Glare could definitely be an issue. Polished aluminum will get dull over time and need to be cleaned up. As long as you stay on top of it it's not that much work though. If it was me I would clearcoat it when done, this will reduce the shine a bit but with glare being a concern that's not so bad, and will keep it from getting dull.
When you say this is a new car, do you mean NEW new, or new to you? If it's an older model I would try and find a good straight used hood to do this too. That way you can take your time and do the job right while still having your car intact. And if you don't like it, or decide you want to put it back to stock to sell you don't have to pay an arm and a leg to get it repainted.
And just because it's sexy....
(http://photos.commongate.com/10/27161_c3t9r9sl3q_l.jpg)
Yes, I know thats painted and not polished.
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Thanks to everyone who responded.
I now know a bit more about this. I think what the best plan is now would be to get another hood. Check the Aluminim type. Polish and clear coat. And if that doesn't work, put old hood back. Its a 2009, but I am sure that somone has wrecked one by now and its down at a scrap yard. The glare concerns me, but then I will put a black strip right on the drivers side....Heh. Have to see. And you know I just remembered that I have an unpainted aluminum canoe out in the garage. I think I will start polishing that and see what happens. Its a Grumman (of course), and It doesnt look so good right now, but I will get out the polish and see how that goes. Its a 17 foot one.
http://www.marathonboat.com/doubleend-17.asp
Once again, Thanks for the info.
ps. I just found this link here were somone polished up there aluminum boat. Looks fantastic.. I really like that look.
http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7241
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I did that on a part of my bike, and on a car. The car ended up being undriveable because even a little bit of sun will intensely reflect on a polish hood. It really is a pain to drive on the freeway with half an eye open, and one closed. You will alos feel the heat on your face and end up massively sunburned :rofl. On a winding road, the reflaction will come and go, blinding you on/off.
If you still want to go with it, here's how you do it for cheap:
1/ Sand off the paint, better yet, use a chemical to "peel" it off so you don't damage ur hood much.
2/ Sand the alluminum in ONE direction using 800ish grit sandpaper.
3/ Sand OTHER direction using higher grit paper.
4/ Repeat till you reach 2000ish grit sandpaper.
5/ Buff using a alu polishing compound.
6/ Clear coat your hood to protect it from tarnishing and weather.
7/ Dip your right arm in cold water for a week, forget about basic needs like masturbation.
That's how I did it, worked and looked ok. :rock Personaly Brushed alluminum looks better than polished, I don't like too much chromes on a car/bike. Chrome is cutiecutie, brushed is rugged. :t
Don't have pictures of the car, here's the bike.
(http://photos-g.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v356/150/40/790661307/n790661307_920222_3329.jpg)
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Ever hear of the word "glare"? At the moment you posted that, Darwin winked.
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Frenchy!
That is who I wanted to hear from. Somone who had attempted this and lived. Hmm... blind? Sunburnt? Intermitant blindness? Not what I wanted in my drive down I-91. I love the bike though. Looks wonderful. I like how you did the sides and painted the top. Maybe the hood is not the best thing to polish.
Here are some Polished aluminum cars I found. They do not seem like drivers. Show only.
Ford Shelby GR1 Concept (2005), Aluminium Body
http://www.fordcartalk.com/2009/ford-shelby-gr1-concept-2005-aluminium-body/
Quick pic
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v306/GregC/PolishedAluminumSupercar.jpg)
Not sure about this one..
(http://www.irinfo.com/polish/assets/images/polished-ghost.jpg)
Bugatti
http://autoreview.belproject.com/item/478
Merc
(http://www.electricsupercharger.com/images/gallery/sema/DSCN0137.jpg)
Brushed aluminmum? Unpolished maybe....
(http://www.californiaclassix.com/images3/Paso7-remote.jpg)
Jay Leno's Silver Bullet. Powered by a huge V-12 engine straight out of a Sherman tank.
(http://www.californiaclassix.com/images2/Leno3-remote.jpg)
(http://www.californiaclassix.com/images2/Leno4-remote.jpg)
(http://www.californiaclassix.com/images2/Leno1-remote.jpg)
(http://www.californiaclassix.com/images2/Leno2-remote.jpg)
(http://www.californiaclassix.com/images2/Leno6-remote.jpg)
I think Jay had a good idea.
Shelby Cobra... Shiney!
http://www.kobrabytes.com/pictures.html
OK look at this amazing job of polishing a B-25 up. Stunning. I want one of those.
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31060
Ok thats it.
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I have polished a couple sets of aluminum wheels, and while it was quite labor intensive I really don't think a hood would be all that bad. With a silver car it might actually look ok, but no more than that, if you started doing the fenders and stuff and it would like like crap IMO. Glare could definitely be an issue. Polished aluminum will get dull over time and need to be cleaned up. As long as you stay on top of it it's not that much work though. If it was me I would clearcoat it when done, this will reduce the shine a bit but with glare being a concern that's not so bad, and will keep it from getting dull.
When you say this is a new car, do you mean NEW new, or new to you? If it's an older model I would try and find a good straight used hood to do this too. That way you can take your time and do the job right while still having your car intact. And if you don't like it, or decide you want to put it back to stock to sell you don't have to pay an arm and a leg to get it repainted.
And just because it's sexy....
(http://photos.commongate.com/10/27161_c3t9r9sl3q_l.jpg)
Yes, I know thats painted and not polished.
Nope thats smurfy
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On a plane it is fine because it is airborne. A cars hood gets hit with lots of small debris from highspeed dust to sand and rocks. A highly polished surface can't stand any type of hits at all without showing scratches. One scratch on a highly polished surface looks like the grand canyon.
If the hood is made of 2000 series aluminum then it is also extremely soft and susceptible to damage anyway.
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I don't think it would be a good idea IMHO. If your driving in bright sunlight it would cause a glare from hell. But since you don't live around me you can try it.
Exactly why on many WW2 fighters and bombers, they painted the nose cowl flat black when the rest of the aircraft was bare aluminum.
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Somebody mentioned Delorean?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nQxs4RESms&feature=channel
-C+
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Exactly why on many WW2 fighters and bombers, they painted the nose cowl flat black when the rest of the aircraft was bare aluminum.
I'm sure you meant olive drab.
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I'm sure you meant olive drab.
I believe both flat black & OD were used for anti-glare sluggish.
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The problem with stainless is that people get it into their heads that they can polish it with fine steel wool. This is a huge mistake. Steel wool has so little carbon in it that's it pretty much just plain iron. Polishing stainless with it leaves microscopic pieces of iron imbedded in the stainless. Eventually these little bits of iron rust. (very bad thing :uhoh)
I come across this with customers who buy stainless steel balastraude components from me, they believe stainless can be left alone and it will look as good as the day they got it. Tea staining is the main and first sign of trouble
http://www.plant-maintenance.com/articles/Tea_Staining.pdf
before you do any thing to this car also check that the paint isn't separating any dissimilar metals
http://www.engineersedge.com/galvanic_capatability.htm
hope this helps
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ok so I'm driving on the street next thing I know there's a polished chrome or whatever in front of me and next thing I know I slammed into a tree. the point is BAD IDEA it's an insurance nightmare, but ur welcome to do what u want
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there have been a few that have done polished aluminum, they stopped doing brushed stainless after the Delorian, it was found to be WAY too hard to keep shiny and would cause strange issues at 88mph.
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there have been a few that have done polished aluminum, they stopped doing brushed stainless after the Delorian, it was found to be WAY too hard to keep shiny and would cause strange issues at 88mph.
Hah, you funny ;)