Sidecase Question?

[PaRedneckRiders]

Do the stock sidecases have like a clear coat of them from factory?

If so could i sand blast it (have a small sandblaster) to get it to bare metal then polish it and then clear it again?

Just think it would look so much better with polished side cases and black HONDA letters on the cases then Cleared so it would at least stay like that for a little while.

Im not against polishing the sidecases after every wash, i did that with my CR 250 and CRF450 frames all the time.

Just wondering if i could do it this way or if i would have to do it by hand

[PaRedneckRiders]

same question with the oil tank could i take it down to bare metal, polish it and then clear it.

Like i said i dont care about polishing parts after a wash but really dont want to have to do it to my oil tank because it would sorta be hard to get to every time to polish it

[rubbersdown]

there is no clear on it, it is just plain ol' cast aluminum. It will polish up fine and it is ok to sandblast it to clean it up if you want just be very careful with any bearing surfaces. or gasket surfaces.

[PaRedneckRiders]

Theres no paint or nothing on it? U cant polish a regular sidecase Ive tried, there has to be some kind of clear or paint on it. because its a different color than say regular cast aluminum.?

[rubbersdown]

oh sorry i totally misread your original post lol. Though you were talking about the crank cases. Yah the side cases are pained or something. You can sand blast the outside of them no problem to clean it up but might be easier to do it with a DA sander because polishing after sandblasting isnt always easy because of the rough texture it can leave. Maybe soda blast them or use a media blaster with walnut shell or something.

[PaRedneckRiders]

Originally posted by rubbersdown
oh sorry i totally misread your original post lol. Though you were talking about the crank cases. Yah the side cases are pained or something. You can sand blast the outside of them no problem to clean it up but might be easier to do it with a DA sander because polishing after sandblasting isnt always easy because of the rough texture it can leave. Maybe soda blast them or use a media blaster with walnut shell or something.

O didnt think of the soda blasting etc.
Completely forgot about that.

Might just use some sand paper and work my way down in grit, because i want to polish and clear alot of parts while im putting this thing back together

[nelzar13]

im gonna be doing that same thing this winter!

Im not sure if it will work on the clear coat that is on the side cases, but i know i have used easy off oven cleaner to take off anodizing on aluminum parts to polish them before.. Might be worth a try? its alot more gentle on the surface of the aluminum than blasting of some sort.. let me know if you try it and how it works out for you.. i think my side cases are coming off around Christmas time

[PaRedneckRiders]

Originally posted by nelzar13
im gonna be doing that same thing this winter!

Im not sure if it will work on the clear coat that is on the side cases, but i know i have used easy off oven cleaner to take off anodizing on aluminum parts to polish them before.. Might be worth a try? its alot more gentle on the surface of the aluminum than blasting of some sort.. let me know if you try it and how it works out for you.. i think my side cases are coming off around Christmas time
Well just got the thinking, at my tech we use these little wheels for on the small hand held air grinders, then have lots of little rubber fingers with like an abrasive tip, we use then to take paint and rust off and they work really well i might have to try and find some at the local auto parts store, but i think there like a buck a piece or something so there definitely not cheap but one should do both sidecases i would think.

[Chukkinsod]

The case covers as well as all other items are painted. Easiest way to strip the paint off is to buy auto stripper. Spray it on let it bubble up the scrape with a plastic putty knife. Wash with plenty of water to ensure all residue gone. To get a mirror/chrome like shine, you must wet sand all imperfections out of the Aluminum. After sanding done, follow up with a red rouge and white jewler rouge to get out fine sanding scratches with a buffer, die grinder. This process will take some time and your fingers will ache, but in the long run you will not only have cool parts, but satisfaction of knowing you did them CHEAP@!

[Napalm Nate]

Yeah do what Chukkinsod said you can spray clear over it but that will dull the finish and it will no longer be "mirror-like" a better thing to do is use a aluminum sealer like zoop seal to keep the finish from dulling so quickly