Need help polishing a BBK throttle body

SVT use wet sandpaper it doesnt clog up as fast as the dry. Aluminum is very soft so whatever grit you think your going to finish off with make sure you use plenty of water and not to much pressure. This is the finish you will end up with after polishing. After your finished clean out the t-b with carb cleaner or brake cleaner, and blow out with compressed air. Anyone can make aluminum shiny, having it clear without lines takes perfection. Almost stock should be getting good by now, i've got hundreds of hours sanding and polishing, it never ends.......Good luck!

92notchback347 said:

SVT use wet sandpaper it doesnt clog up as fast as the dry. Aluminum is very soft so whatever grit you think your going to finish off with make sure you use plenty of water and not to much pressure. This is the finish you will end up with after polishing. After your finished clean out the t-b with carb cleaner or brake cleaner, and blow out with compressed air. Anyone can make aluminum shiny, having it clear without lines takes perfection. Almost stock should be getting good by now, i've got hundreds of hours sanding and polishing, it never ends.......Good luck!

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I'm at a loss here and I think you can probably help me out help?

This is the finish you will end up with after polishing.
What finish is that?

After your finished clean out the t-b with carb cleaner or brake cleaner, and blow out with compressed air.
Once you've gone to all the trouble of polishing the outside I can't understand why would would use either brake cleaner or carb cleaner on the inside and possibly dull the outside finish it either product got on the outside.
I could possible understand the use of carb or brake cleaner if you for some reason were sanding on or polishing the inside, but the again it will stain the finish inside?

I'll agree with you that anyone can make aluminum shiny, I've been saying that for past 5 yrs.

You never really get good at sanding or polishing aluminum you just try to find a quicker and easier way to make it look shiny I believe.

If you have any pics of some of your polishing I'd sure like to see them, because I've always been interested in newer and quicker methods of sanding and polishing.
If you don't have a site to host your pics send them to me almoststock@earthlink.net and I'll post them for you if you want.

92notchback347 said:

sanding with 80 grit on aluminum you will be sanding for days when you get higher in the grits, those 80 grit lines are deeper than they look i wouldnt sand any aluminum less than 320 grit im my opinion only! Also make sure you finish all the way up to 2000 grit wet sand, it will be worth it, as Mothers and other high quality polishes are rated at 3500-4000 grit.

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He's right, you should start with a maximum (minimum #) grit of 180 - this will cut your work in half for max # papers, when you get to your 2000 grit, you'll know what i'm talkin about -!

Paul

I don't finish sanding with 2000 grit.

I do my final sanding with 220 or 320 it depends and nothing higher than that. I don't see how I can cut my sanding if half if I've already done less sand than the method you and 92notchback347 are suggesting ?

Usually 320 is more than enough to move to the rouge compounds as Paul (almoststock stated). I will note that as of late I have had some real time saving with scotchbright 2" quick change fine grit discs and good quality finish using a final sanding with 400 grit on a palm sander. I would not bother going beyond the steps paul does..finish product is not going to improve. The least amount of work for the best finish is what Almoststock is offering to you, my working for an industrial distributor allows me to experiment with all the different products available...asside from the scotchbright disks I've found pauls approach to be both the quickest and best.

Yea, DMAN, the only reason I go all the way up to 2000 is because i don't use any power tools, and this super fine grit paper makes it really alotttttt easier for me to buff up to a luster, as opposed ya know? Do whatever it takes buddy!! Get it done!! Shiny is good - i can't wait to post a final product thread man!!! Alot of help from DMAN got me there faster -

Derek,
I think I may have mentioned this before, but if not next time try sanding a piece with 100 grit, then move up to 180 grit and do the final sanding with 220grit, next use a Ventilated flap buffing wheel with either the Emery compound or Tripoli and it will take out every scratch left by any sanding you’ve done prior. Then buff with the Tripoli and polish with the White Rouge.
That's now I did my mini spare.
As I said before I'm just trying to speed up the process of sanding and polishing is all I'm doing.

Paul,

90-95% of all my sanding is done by hand also.
But I do understand what you're saying about using a finer grit sometimes makes it easier sanding.

Paul I'll definately give that the shot for this off season, I'll be pulling the accessories to rebuff soon. Thanks so much for the info!! Quick question Paul...what have you found to do the trick for mirror finish on stainless? I've tried the rouge compounds and done OK..but not mirror. I have some stainless items to go for lazer etching and want the a finish damn near perfect. I've found the white compound does leave more fine scratches than I like even with a 3" cotton buff on a high rpm grinder.

Derek I've never really found a good method for polishing Stainless to a mirror shine yet. Just like yourself I’ve tried the rouge compound and the cotton buffing wheel and there always seemed to be some really fine scratch lines no matter how many times you do the piece.
A few years ago Mansonozz sent me his SS radiator cover to see what I could do with it and as you can see there are still some very fine scratch marks in the cover when I sent it back to him. I just couldn’t get those fine marks no matter what I tried.
You know that might be my winter project this year figuring out how to get those really fine marks out of SS.

Sent
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staining aluminum with carb cleaner are you for real. Never seen and alumninum carb sprayed with carb cleaner get stained??? Anyways i wanted him to thoroughly clean out the sanding dust from the t-body not polish it with brake cleaner! Your aluminum must look like crap Almoststock stopping at 200-320 your one of the shiny guys like i said its shiny not clear. By how much you know i think those pictures of your motor on here is probably done by someone else!

92notchback347 said:

staining aluminum with carb cleaner are you for real. Never seen and alumninum carb sprayed with carb cleaner get stained??? Anyways i wanted him to thoroughly clean out the sanding dust from the t-body not polish it with brake cleaner! Your aluminum must look like crap Almoststock stopping at 200-320 your one of the shiny guys like i said its shiny not clear. By how much you know i think those pictures of your motor on here is probably done by someone else!

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You don't need the finer grits for aluminum..once done with 320 the cotton wheel and compounds will bring a true mirror finish, thinking Almoststock didn't do his own work??? Not only did he, but the finish product shows what a PRO can do when he puts his mind to it. I'm pretty good at polishing...have all the products (sell em in house so it doesn't cost me a dime from grinders to compound), and I could not hold a candle to the finished product Paul comes in with...just perfect..like his car.

92notchback347 said:

staining aluminum with carb cleaner are you for real. Never seen and alumninum carb sprayed with carb cleaner get stained??? Anyways i wanted him to thoroughly clean out the sanding dust from the t-body not polish it with brake cleaner! Your aluminum must look like crap Almoststock stopping at 200-320 your one of the shiny guys like i said its shiny not clear. By how much you know i think those pictures of your motor on here is probably done by someone else!

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92notchback347 I have on idea where all this hostility came from but it’s really nice that you finally replied and you were able to tell me what you thought of me with all your bashing about what it is that you thought I didn’t do in your opinion. We all know opinions are like a$$hole and everyone has one but in your case you’re a$$hole has overrode your mouth and that’s why I believe you had that shi..ty taste in your mouth when I didn’t agree with you on how you did your so-called polishing method of things.

In your latest reply to this thread you said

Anyways i wanted him to thoroughly clean out the sanding dust from the t-body not polish it with brake cleaner!

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Where did I ever say to polish your TB with brake cleaner WHERE?
WHAT I said smart A$$ was ; Once you've gone to all the trouble of polishing the outside I can't understand why would use either brake cleaner or carb cleaner on the inside and possibly dull the outside finish it either product got on the outside.
I could possible understand the use of carb or brake cleaner if you for some reason were sanding on or polishing the inside, but then again it will stain the finish inside?
Don’t let your pea brain over you’re a$$ when your making a statement about what someone has said especially when you don’t have a clue what your talking about, or misquoting someone like you have.

Now if you’re nearly as smart as you say you are (and at this point I doubt that from what I’ve read so far) then you know that any harsh chemicals will stain metal, especially aluminum which is more susceptible to stain than most metals.
My point being you don’t really think that if you sprayed carb cleaner on your polished aluminum wheels or other aluminum parts) that it wouldn’t stain or dull the finish on your polished aluminum wheel?
Being realistic now, how many people do you think you can really convince that of?

So lets try this one more time..
If you have any pics of some of your polishing I'd sure like to see them, because I've always been interested in newer and quicker methods of sanding and polishing.
If you don't have a site to host your pics send them to me almoststock@earthlink.net and I'll post them for you if you want.

Remember I never said what I did was the right way to do things or the only way to do things I just gave my $.02.

BUT I’m sure waiting to see the right way to do things since you seem to have all the answers.

Now if you’re the man that you think you are (Spouting off) you’ll either send me those pics and I’ll post them for you, which I said I would in an earlier post, or I say to all of those who read this that I think your users name of 92notchback347 is another one of your wild dreams.


Remember I didn’t start war you did, but I’ll sure as hell end it for you!!

All you need to do is simply
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I'm sorry for the rant guys but this cum sucker for some reason just seemed to pissed me off for some reason.

DMAN302 said:

You don't need the finer grits for aluminum..once done with 320 the cotton wheel and compounds will bring a true mirror finish, thinking Almoststock didn't do his own work??? Not only did he, but the finish product shows what a PRO can do when he puts his mind to it. I'm pretty good at polishing...have all the products (sell em in house so it doesn't cost me a dime from grinders to compound), and I could not hold a candle to the finished product Paul comes in with...just perfect..like his car.

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Derek,
We all have different methods of polishing you know that , and we all learn from one another’s methods and that's what it's all about I think.
To date if someone asks for my advice in polishing I’ll give my $.02 of what l know about polishing, but inreturn I’ll ask that same person for there input about there method that they may have been using because I'm willing to learn an easier method ( aren't we all), where some people only think that there method is the only way.
Ask and you can learn!!

Nothing is perfect but thanks my man !!!

is there a local store where I can get Tripoli and polish with the White Rouge? Or is it something that I would have to order thanks

You can pick it up at Sears, they sell sole bars or a package of 4 different ones + a shank.

92notchback347 , ALMOST STOCK knows a thing or two about polishing, but maybe my sunglasses are too dark:

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Those are done by him, don't worry. He's done parts for me that I couldn't do well enough and I will vouch.

this cumsucker

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unreal i wish i was unemployed to have that much time to type! I sent some pics Almoststock so you can what your Aluminums missing, see what finished aluminum looks like.............Thank you!

92notchback347 said:

unreal i wish i was unemployed to have that much time to type! I sent some pics Almoststock so you can what your Aluminums missing, see what finished aluminum looks like.............Thank you!

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Don't be shy, I want to see those pics also. Unemployed? Who are you talking about? Open mouth, insert foot.

Finished aluminum should look like chrome, just like AMOST STOCK's engine does. I finally found a use for this sign...

:Teh-Win:

Tim

more comin