engine and drivetrain Steps To Polish A Bmw M10 Valve Cover

[remmib02]

I used the available search tool with "polish valve" to find the directions posted in 2005 by Vintage_Car.  Does anyone have an alternative DIY method to obtain a fully polished valve cover.  Also has anyone ever polished the Tii induction parts?  

 

 

[PaulTWinterton]

I did a walnut shell blast on all my engine aluminum.  Clearcoated with Duplicolor spray.

 

[PaulTWinterton]

Wait...do you mean polish to a mirror finish? I know it can be done, but besides the valve cover, the other parts are very rough and would take a lot of sweat, patience, and product to achieve a mirror finish.

Doing the valve cover could be fun. Heaps of work to get it smooth enough to polish to a mirror finish. A stationary polishing wheel would be nice. Various grades of polish. Might start with a sandblast to smooth out aluminum first.

I have an aluminum polishing guy that got my alloy wheels from matte grey to mirror finish. Gorgeous work. He offered to do my valve cover. So, I know it can be done.

[AceAndrew]

I don't think anyone's deemed it necessary to have a tutorial.  Basically go from a pretty rough sandpaper and go down to a really smooth one.

 

Here's a quick decent generic tutorial courtesy of google.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrFmA2ROSYo

[DaveBMX]

Hi I did it with just wet and dry paper, a kitty litter tray and a good movie!!

 

the tray is for some water!

 

start with maybe 600 grit first, then 800, 1000, 1200 etc and then finally use autosol on it. 

Edited January 6, 2014 by DaveBMX

[pkchopp]

It's Aluminum!  Anything aluminum can be polished, Just takes time and a lot of elbow grease, and access to a lot of neat tools. Or plenty of polishing shops around.

[KFunk]

Yeah, rough to smooth sandpaper, then steel wool from 00 to 0000.  (No need to take every step, just get whats cheap or on your shelf).  You can get a great final finish with a DA air sander w/polishing pad and Mother's metal polish, or an electric buffer will work OK if that's all you got.  You will need to get out the buffer and metal polish out every once in a while in the future if you want to maintain it at a mirror finish, unless you seal it somehow. 

[joysterm]

 

Had these done by a local shop along with the valve and front covers.....btw they are for sale too.

[remmib02]

Thanks for the information.

[Koblenz]

Yeah, rough to smooth sandpaper, then steel wool from 00 to 0000.  (No need to take every step, just get whats cheap or on your shelf).  You can get a great final finish with a DA air sander w/polishing pad and Mother's metal polish, or an electric buffer will work OK if that's all you got.  You will need to get out the buffer and metal polish out every once in a while in the future if you want to maintain it at a mirror finish, unless you seal it somehow. 

That pretty much all I did. It requires follow up polishing.  Which I did not do. I could not locate a sealer.  I think the  POR 15 people have a product now.