Tunnel polish

[butters]

What's everyone using for product and tools to polish your tunnels? Also what was that product at the sled show. I missed the booth and never got a chance to go back. They had the display of the good and tunnel section showing before and after

 

[Shredder]

Mothers polish, rags, elbow grease, and beer......done.

 

[Staple_STI]

Same as above. No special methods here just some good old fashion arm strength

 

[cobraclone]

Ive had good results with the mothers powerball in the cordless drill with mothers polish. Arm strength used more for curling beers than polishing!!

 

[butters]

That doesn't sound fun at all. Someone wanna demonstrate on my sled while I funnel a few beer?

 

[Shredder]

That doesn't sound fun at all. Someone wanna demonstrate on my sled while I funnel a few beer?

You only need one hand to polish; leaving the other free to rehydrate.

 

[farmerboy]

I have tried Gords polish..pretty good I have also done tunnnels the same way as my Pete..mineral spirits, polish and an electric polisher. You also need a powerball to get in the tight spots

 

[HCR800<3]

Is there alot of upkeep in polishing a tunnel? I've heard some stories that once it's done it always has to be done or else it's gonna look like poo if you don't keep it up?

 

[snoqueen]

Is there alot of upkeep in polishing a tunnel? I've heard some stories that once it's done it always has to be done or else it's gonna look like poo if you don't keep it up?

Nope, it sure doesn't. This is my son's M8...I polished this tunnel when it was my sled three seasons ago and it's still as shiny as when I first polished it. Usually in the spring after a season I will just touch it up with Mother's and microfibre but that's it. Throughout the season I use windex on it, and that's it. No more upkeep than regular cleaning/maintenance...and it looks so SWEET! And no snow/ice build up either.

 

[Lowlife82]

What's everyone using for product and tools to polish your tunnels? Also what was that product at the sled show. I missed the booth and never got a chance to go back. They had the display of the good and tunnel section showing before and after

I use a battery power polisher with autosol metal polish. Napa sells it. Works awesome.

 

[snoqueen]

What's everyone using for product and tools to polish your tunnels? Also what was that product at the sled show. I missed the booth and never got a chance to go back. They had the display of the good and tunnel section showing before and after

Wet sanding is the key with very fine grit sandpaper. I think 2000 is what I used. You have to go over it repeatedly, I used a sanding block and a bucket of water. Make sure you don't wet sand in a circular fashion. This does two things 1. There is no black residue dust that gets in your lungs and all over EVERYTHING in your shop/garage 2. Get way faster results. Trust me. I tried dry polishing with a polishing wheel and it was a fricken messy job to say the least. Once you feel you have got down to a bit of a shine, get your polishing wheel or buffer out after you slather Mother's on. You will have to go over it, and over it, and over it (Mother's & buff)....you get the picture. I used a toothbrush for the running board edges. It's not a fast or easy job but the results are worth it. Oh. And also not a job for someone that likes skin on their fingers! bahahahahaha

 

[Ushkie]

Anything i have thats shiny gets autosol, Mother power ball and some elbow grease. Autosol is wonderful stuff

 

[Riptide]

Wet sanding is the key with very fine grit sandpaper. I think 2000 is what I used. You have to go over it repeatedly, I used a sanding block and a bucket of water. Make sure you don't wet sand in a circular fashion. This does two things 1. There is no black residue dust that gets in your lungs and all over EVERYTHING in your shop/garage 2. Get way faster results. Trust me. I tried dry polishing with a polishing wheel and it was a fricken messy job to say the least. Once you feel you have got down to a bit of a shine, get your polishing wheel or buffer out after you slather Mother's on. You will have to go over it, and over it, and over it (Mother's & buff)....you get the picture. I used a toothbrush for the running board edges. It's not a fast or easy job but the results are worth it. Oh. And also not a job for someone that likes skin on their fingers! bahahahahaha

X2 for wet sanding....at our shop we get 10" buffs from taipai along with various cutting and buffing compounds and put them on 8" makita polishers. I know princess auto sells smaller 4" sewn pads that will give a brillant shine when coupled with a white polish bar (avail from 1st truck center, princess auto i think, taipai and couple other places). The smaller pads would easier to get into tight places and you can mount them on a die grinder.

 

[Riptide]

Forgot to mention...assuming your tunnel dosen't have to much oxidization you can start wet sanding with 800 grit, then move up the grit's 1000grit, 1200, 1500, 2000. DON'T skip stages as you WILL see sanding scratches. A small 4" sewn buff on a die grinder with a white bar(after sanding wet/dry) would be fairly quick. I have some pic's of the pads and bars we use at the shop I just have to figure out how to upload them off my phone.

 

[HCR800<3]

Nope, it sure doesn't. This is my son's M8...I polished this tunnel when it was my sled three seasons ago and it's still as shiny as when I first polished it. Usually in the spring after a season I will just touch it up with Mother's and microfibre but that's it. Throughout the season I use windex on it, and that's it. No more upkeep than regular cleaning/maintenance...and it looks so SWEET! And no snow/ice build up either.

Oh yeah! That looks sick. I will definetely be doing a polish party in my garage after this weekends ride. Thanks!

 

[trhaus]

or for the hassle u could disassemble a few things and take it to a shop that polishes big rigs and they will do it for cheap, the common price i hear is 100 bucks

 

[Riptide]

or for the hassle u could disassemble a few things and take it to a shop that polishes big rigs and they will do it for cheap, the common price i hear is 100 bucks

There are alot of people that say they can polish aluminum, and they can, kind of....and then there's some people that say I'll make it look decent and it comes out looking like a mirror and it's a flawless amazing job. You need to be careful who you take it to, ask to see some of their work in person. A picture in the right light will hide every flaw....Doing something yourself brings on a sense of accomplishment, and sometimes you can't put a price on it.

Joe

 

[snoqueen]

There are alot of people that say they can polish aluminum, and they can, kind of....and then there's some people that say I'll make it look decent and it comes out looking like a mirror and it's a flawless amazing job. You need to be careful who you take it to, ask to see some of their work in person. A picture in the right light will hide every flaw....Doing something yourself brings on a sense of accomplishment, and sometimes you can't put a price on it.

Joe

You are absolutely right. Yeah, I could have taken my sled to get it done....but it wasn't about the cost or the hassle. I enjoy doing things myself, at least trying to see if I could actually make it look like a professional polished it. I've seen some polish jobs that don't really look like much, not mirror enough for my liking, or slightly polished with swirl marks and glazing.... some people are happy with their attempt so I guess that's all that counts. I am a bit of a perfectionist, so I probably went over and above to get that mirror-like, gleaming finish. As for ever polishing another tunnel....I don't think I'd tackle one again. I know the work involved, and how many hours I have into it (I've polished two tunnels)....so I'm actually glad I now have a powdercoated tunnel on my new machine. The sled that I polished sits most of the time looking pretty in the garage so it doesn't need much maintenance.

 

[trhaus]

im not trying to take anything away from doing it yourself actually i do most of my own work on my sled, i have polished my tunnel before and i know what it takes to do a great job, i am simply saying that for the time a average person spends working and bleeding on their sled a quality shop will do in less than a third the time and look just as good.oh yah and no blood.

 

[rx1guy]

Another trick with the mothers mag and aluminum polish is to put some flour on the rag that you will be buffing off the grey/black paste. I don't know why it works but it does. It comes out shinier with the flour than without.