Polishing an aluminium bull-bar

[wannabee]

Gidday everyone,

I am about to take delivery of a '96 Jeep Cherokee XJ, which has an aluminium bull-bar. Except for the back side of the top (which is painted matt black), it is bare aluminium. It was no doubt nice and shiny when new, but time has taken its toll and the aluminium is now covered in a thin, chalky layer - presumably aluminium oxide.

My first thought was to paint it black, which is what I did to the bull bar on my old Land Cruiser years ago. But I got to thinking that the aluminium looks pretty good.

Now to the question - what would you recommend I use to polish it? What is the best treatment to slow or prevent the return to its current condition?

Thanks.

Mike

[BundyRumandCoke]

From new, polished alloy has a thin coating on it to slow the tarnishing process. This can be a bugger to remove. Once removed, the process speeds up, and you are forever polishing. You could maybe polish, then put a clear lacquer over it. Use extremely fine wet and dry to remove old coating and oxides, then use either a mechanical polisher with mop and increasingly finer grades of rouge, or get some of the available alloy polishes and buff away to your hearts content.

[Vineboy]

I had my alloy bullbar powdercoated hammertone grey. Only cost $90 and no more hours spent trying to polish it

[wannabee]

Thanks for the replies - I was wondering whether to try "Silvo" silver polish. It is a very fine abbrasive plus some chemical action, I think. It's a bonzer on stainless steel. Has anybody used it on aluminium? I might give it a go on a small area underneath.

Mike

[tuff-lux]

yeah mate i used it on the bar on my commodore on it was really hard to buff off. I think autosol is one of the best i have used. but polishing sucks unless ur really and i mean really bored (and ur 4by is off the road )

[vSAHARAx]

Autosol is fantastic, give yourself a couple hours and make sure you got strong fingers

Did the side steps, bull bar and tread plate on mums 80 series over 12 months ago and it still looks Shite hot!

Troy

[Mulisha]

Autosol is so shit it's not funny...

I use "Wicked" kinda hard to get but leaves autosol and all that crap behind if u want a perfect shine and want to make it look good use wicked.

I did use "Reflection" it's good when u haven't polished it in ages and it's got alot of crap in the metal works well like a paste then finish off with wicked lightly over the top and ur got one hell of a shine..

Remeber u can spend 20mins polishing and a full day polishing just depends what finish u want.. time and patience really is the key to everything..


Hope that helps

Rick...

Also try a truck place they sell alot of polishes for there bling 2000L fuel tanks and 45 post bull bars


Rick.

[Tiny]

truck line and other places like that sell stuf called purple polish, it will do chrome, alloy etc, lots of the rodders and bikers use it as well, it is prolly the best polish I have ever used

[Shadow]

wicked is the shit

works better than autosol

[tuff-lux]

i will have to get some of the "wicked" polish but i have given up on polishing it sucks. but for all u people that are still suckers for polishing get yourself a "power ball". they go in your drill and make it alot quicked. and if you do this from the start you probly wont endup jaded like me have FUN .

[Emmes4runner]

Autosole isnt shit, its just not suited to polishing alloy, try 'Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish'

Its is very good for doing alloy bars, i used it on mine it came up great.

Autosole is much better for getting rusty marks of stainless steel etc

[sierrajim]

PURPLE POLISH

Is by far the quickest, easiest and bets alloy polish i have ever used.

So polish your bar, take it off the car, sell it on ebay and buy a steel one. Much better for running in to things with and easier to maintain. (the alloy bar on my GU is bent, scratched and stained with red mud, not a fan of alloy bars)

[roadrunner]

On the truck tanks, bars and guards I use a big wad of steel wool and normal hand soap. Just go with the grain of the metal and after a few goes it comes up like a mirror.

After that I use Mothers, don't rate autosol or Purple but Wicked is good if you can find it. After a couple of coats of polish it'll survive for ages with just a quick hand buff every once in a while.

Steel wool and hand soap is also good for getting marks of paint if you do it gently.

[Hoppy11]

Is this the Wicked stuff
http://www.justwicked.com.au/
Hoppy

[Mulisha]

Is this the Wicked stuff
http://www.justwicked.com.au/
Hoppy

Sure is mate

[turkey]

Is this the Wicked stuff
http://www.justwicked.com.au/
Hoppy

X1000. This gear is the shizzle for polishing anything alloy or stainless . I get it from Repco.

[tys]

I use the Wicked Metal Polish for my car cleaning business. Got it from Queensland Diesel Spares at Rocklea I think.

[Ruggers]

i use the purple polish it has different names but is most the same stuff its what the detailers at my old work use it the bee's knee's for the Aluminum i used some oxidiser first then the polish it came up so good i could use as a mirror, you can get the stuff from most truck joints

[Ruggers]

i use the purple polish it has different names but is most the same stuff its what the detailers at my old work use it the bee's knee's for the Aluminum i used some oxidiser first then the polish it came up so good i could use as a mirror, you can get the stuff from most truck joints

[rixrunner]

I just bought some Wicked and used it on my polished aluminium motorcycle frame and pipes.

I reckon it is great stuff for a shinny lustre with not as much effort as other polishes.

But for scratches and stubborn stuff you still need something coarser.


Ricky

[Skegbudley]

You can get the TJM alloy polish from their dealers. Good stuff. Very easy to use and doesn't leave much residue either.

[krf_bb]

polish it and then rub it with wax and grease remover then paint it with clear laquer