Engine Covers

[Larry in Arkansas]

My left side cover and clutch cover on my 2001 Voyager both have wear and corrosion. Has anyone stripped the paint and clear coat and polished? I can easily strip the clear coat and paint, but would be interested in how you polished or refinished afterward.

[Nails]

For the crankshaft end covers, I finished peeling off the foil, filled in "Kawasaki" with Bondo, and painted them with truckbed-protector stuff. All I can tell you is that he foil is pretty stout and would probably tolerate a lot of polishing. I didn't see much evidence of clear coat.

[GrandpaDenny]

For the crankshaft end covers, I finished peeling off the foil, filled in "Kawasaki" with Bondo, and painted them with truckbed-protector stuff. All I can tell you is that he foil is pretty stout and would probably tolerate a lot of polishing. I didn't see much evidence of clear coat.

Nails, I think he's talking about the left side crankcase cover, the big aluminum piece, and the clutch cover on the right side. Both are clear-coated aluminum. Mine are the same (as are my forks) - long ago lost their shinynewness.

From what I've read (but haven't had the time/money/inclination to try yet) aircraft paint remover will take the clear coat off. Then you could use any metal polish - neverdull, brasso, whatever, to polish up the aluminum. I reckon steel wool would help too. I suppose you could sand off the clear coat, or use a mechanical stripper or wire brush, but I don't know how much that would mar up the aluminum covers. The more you scratch them up, the harder you'll have to work to get them scratch-free and shiny again. I've never had much luck with spray-on clear coats after painting, either, but the last time I did that was 40 years ago and paint technology has improved soooooooo much since then.

[Larry in Arkansas]

I discovered it wasn't basecoat/clearcoat. Only clearcoat. Dry blasted with 70-100 glass media and then wet blasted. Really looks good. You'll have to take my word for it because I can't figure out how to post pictures.

[GrandpaDenny]

I discovered it wasn't basecoat/clearcoat. Only clearcoat. Dry blasted with 70-100 glass media and then wet blasted. Really looks good. You'll have to take my word for it because I can't figure out how to post pictures.

Oh, we're never gonna believe you without pix. Nope. Uh-uh, didn't happen. Don't believe you. No way.

To post pictures, under the window you type your message in, you'll see a big green box with two tabs: Options and Attachments. Click on Attachments. Then click on Add Files and select the files on your computer you want to send.

[Larry in Arkansas]

[GrandpaDenny]

Definitely look cleaner, that's for sure. Any plans to polish and protect them?

[triton28]

As Grandpa said they certainly do look clean and uniform but for those of us who like that highly polished look I am posting 2 photos of a bevel gear cover I am working on. After the clear coat was removed I started with decreasing grits of sandpaper to remove the nicks and deep scratches. First was 400 and then ending with 7000 grit. This was followed by using the polish shown in the photos. It is available at Grainger's and most motorcycle dealers.
Note the remaining clear coat by the chrome air box cover mounting bolt location as this cover is not finished yet.
One can see the railing balustrades of my upstairs deck in one of the photos and a rare image of me in the other: hidden of course by the camera.
It is a lot of hand work but short of chroming the cover this is the best I could come up with.
This job is not for the weak or faint of heart but when one is retired one has lots of time to get surplus inventory ready for storage in the great hidden treasure vault of shiny spares, radiators and Markland items.
Dave

[GrandpaDenny]

Ooooh, shiny!

[Larry in Arkansas]

Definitely look cleaner, that's for sure. Any plans to polish and protect them?

I probably won't polish them. They somewhat blend in with the chrome covers and painted engine. The vapor blasting actually seals the aluminum somewhat. I have some older restorations that I vapor blasted 6 years ago, forks, engines, etc, and they still look good with no discoloration or corrosion.