Yo’re gonna want to clear coat it or the aluminum will tarnish after a while. That reflective powdercoat looks really good.
CONFIRMED Viper, yours were actually done in “Silver-Grey”, not “almost chrome”
Polishing is good, but i still recommend clear coating the aluminum… once it’s polished, maintaining the finish is the key.
zoop seal > clearcoat on aluminium
I agree, but you have to re-apply zoop seal seasonly if i’m correct. That’s not so easy when you’re talking about installed IC piping.
depends on whatr type of enviroment its in, and how you try to clean it
this quote is obviously about a pampered car:
How long does Zoopseal last on my product?
So far on the test car, the “Zoop-Coupe”, it’s been on for 4 years and counting.
http://www.performanceunlimited.com/zoopseal/questionsanswers.html
ive often wondered how zoopseal would preform if it was coated in clear, as obviously the clear would have to get damaged for the zoop to be exposed, would seam that the zoop would protect the finish, and the clear would protect the zoop
you probably won’t get a good chemical adhesion with zoop on before you clear coat… Personally, i wouldn’t recommend it.
Last winter i polished the lips on my rims and cleared the aluminum with clear coat…not a single problem.
on the other hand, clear coats whether paint or powder, will make the aluminum look a little more dull than if it were straight up polished aluminum.
true, which is why im wondering about zoop-ing it first, think that would help w/ the dulling effects that clear would have ?
the “dulling” isn’t the the polished aluminum dulling, but the the result of looking at the polished aluminum through the clearcoat itself.
ah alrighty, i wasnt sure because its been a long time since i last saw polished aluminium that was cleared.
Okay, here’s a Q: When clearing polished aluminum, should you polish, then scuff, then shoot, buff? Or only go to a medium grit, shoot, and then buff.
it has to be thoroughly cleaned and there’s an acid etch available at automotive paint stores… the acid etch disolves contaminantes between the grain structure, providing a bonding surface.
sand, polish, shoot, then wetsand and buff out any peel in the clearcoat
So, polished where you want it, etched, shot, then buffed.
i did one pipe earlier sanding it with 1000 to 2000 to 4000 then i used never-dull one time around and it looks so much better. i am going to do another round of never-dull for more luster