steve wass Posted July 19, 2000 Share Posted July 19, 2000 Just got my first Caterham 1.6 Vauxhall Classic Aluminium Body with green wings. Any ideas on cleaning/protecting the aluminium (esp. the bonnet) I recently tried some "Mothers" polish but the results have been disapointing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted July 19, 2000 Share Posted July 19, 2000 A friend reckons good old WD 40 keeps it looking smart & protected (once cleaned up he just uses this method; looks great!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Russell Posted July 20, 2000 Share Posted July 20, 2000 My car is polished ali with painted fibre panels and I have received many compliments as to the appearance of the ali. The car is now five years old and so has had the benefit of many week-ends work. I too tried Mothers and wasn't over impressed and have also tried a number of other products. The very best, by far, both in respect of ease of use and of end result, is a polish called 'Belgom Alu' available from specialist polish suppliers and some motorcycle shops. I used to obtain mine from Cetem Supplies in Birmingham by mailorder altho' I heard recently that the may have ceased trading. I have seen Belgom in M & P Motorcycles who are a chain and do mail order, I think. The polish contains a wax as well as the polish and once used the car can be washed as usual and then just leathered off to keep a good shine. No matter what you use by way of polish, there is no answer but prolonged elbow grease and perseverance! It does take time to get the surface to a smooth, polished finish, but once there it is fairly easy to maintain. Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Russell Posted July 20, 2000 Share Posted July 20, 2000 As an addendum to my last posting, I do use WD40 for out of sight areas such as beneath the rear wings and inside the skin for road protection. Just spray on liberally and spread with a cloth. A word of warning though, if you do use it on a previously polished area, the WD40 tends to cut into the polish and you will be back to square one. I found WD40 to be a rather satin type finish when used on the exposed body parts. ( get down, Anna!) All just a matter of taste and time! Andrew (again) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JampJ Posted July 28, 2000 Share Posted July 28, 2000 We've used Alu-Magic. Excellent stuff. It flows really well, especially with a squirt of WD40. Still experimenting. Will update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JampJ Posted July 28, 2000 Share Posted July 28, 2000 Alu-Magic available from ; Auto Cavityseal 5 Bridgewater street, Castlefield, Manchester, M3 4NN Tel 0161 839 2941 Price around £9 for 250 ml but much cheaper the more you buy. WD40 is great for clearing the black residue but Mr Sheen spray polish leaves an excellent finish. A soft cloth is essential. We are experimenting with Stainless steel cleaners for the exhaust. Any ideas ? C7 POW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted July 28, 2000 Share Posted July 28, 2000 Steve, Mothers Mag is only for protection/very final cleaning. It won't help if the alu. is already 'corroding'. Start with something abrasive like 'Solvol Autosol' and having got it to a reasonable level then use Mothers. Info. courtesy of James Whiting. Thanks Jim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Crudders Posted August 4, 2000 Area Representative Share Posted August 4, 2000 Mothers and Belgom Alu both produce a good shine but Alu seems to protect from oxidation for longer. I got mine from a Cetem stand at a classic car show - I hope they're still trading 'cos I've had a lot of gear from them over the years and their prices are pretty good. WD40 is OK for out of sight areas but it's quite thin and tends to wash off (if you're hard and you use your car all year round like me). The tunnel, tank and other concealed areas on my car are coated with Metal Protect, which is a clear semi hardening wax. It stays put but can be removed with White Spirit or similar. Not many places seem to stock it but look for a blue aerosol with a yellow cap in your local accessory shop. The water dispersant properties of WD40 make it handy for spraying in the gaps where the ali panels are fixed to the space frame to prevent electrolytic corrosion, a real problem between steel and ali. Of course this needn't worry you if you run a crossflow motor with built in chassis lubrication system. Happy polishing, Crudders Crudders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Crudders Posted August 4, 2000 Area Representative Share Posted August 4, 2000 I appear to have signed off twice. Silly me. Silly me. Crudders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Rexia Posted August 6, 2000 Share Posted August 6, 2000 New topics for Low Flying - "Blokes Cleaning Corner" or "Agony Ali" column (could incorporate "best dusters" section) - there, it's easy when you put your mind to it isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Crudders Posted August 10, 2000 Area Representative Share Posted August 10, 2000 OK, so I'm a geek. You want to make something of it? In the car park, NOW! Crudders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Rexia Posted August 10, 2000 Share Posted August 10, 2000 I do love it when you're so masterful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JampJ Posted August 10, 2000 Share Posted August 10, 2000 Question! Has anyone tried using a buffer mop for ali body polishing?My wrist hurts.Ok Ok don't get smutty,this is serious stuff! PS.Anyone found a use for lots of very black dusters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve wass Posted August 10, 2000 Author Share Posted August 10, 2000 Yes I have even tried using a buffer - works OK only problem u just end up getting a black buffer instead of lots of black rags Thanks for all the advice guys - I have tried some motorbike spray cleaner & polish as a temporary measure (probably try Alu Magic in the future) However got more to worry about since - 8v Vx Engines developed a nasty miss fire under heavy acceleration & at 65mph (thought perhaps some of the cleaner had got into the K&N filters but after cleaning etc the problem is still there Anyone got any suggestions (I've only got experience of ECU's etc these old Carbs are a bit old tech for me!!) Suppose I could have knocked the Butterfly adjustment but not sure how to set back up agian Anyone suggest a local specialist close to Burgess Hill (nr Brighton) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Wong1697456877 Posted August 11, 2000 Share Posted August 11, 2000 Steve, Check the easy things first. Get the plugs out and check them. See http://www.ngksparkplugs.com/techinfo/spark_plugs/faq/faqread2.asp for info on how to 'read' a spark plug. Also, check the balance of the carbs. This can be guestimated by listening to them at idle or you can get a meter from demon tweeks that measures airflow throught the carbs to balance them. Beyond this, you're into timing and petrol feed checking. Alex Wong alex.wong@lotus7club.co.uk www.alexwong.net Home : 44-(0)121-440 6972 Fax : 44-(0)121-440 4601 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Crudders Posted August 11, 2000 Area Representative Share Posted August 11, 2000 There is an easy way to check your carb balance - not very high tech and probs not the ultimate in accuracy but good enough for what you're trying to achieve I think. On the body of the carb near the manifold you'll find 4 brass plugs about 8-10mm in diameter. Unscrew the two nearest to the centre and you should see the tops of the throttle butterflies through the progression holes. Choose an edge of butterfly/hole for comparison and adjust your linkage balancer to get a good match. S'easy. You could try pulling HT leads as well to identify a dodgy plug or lead (investigate the critter that makes the least change to your engine note) but don't be tempted to do this with the engine running like they sometimes recommend in the Haynes type manuals - electronic ignition systems can put out many tens of thousands of those nasty Volt thingies. Crudders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Stewart Posted August 14, 2000 Share Posted August 14, 2000 Steve Try Paul Harvey at Western Road Garage, Western Road, Shoreham-by-sea. Tel 01273 452800. Paul prepares a lot of racing sevens and I have my Crossflow serviced there. I seem to have to adjust my carbs quite often and have now purchased a synchrometer to check the intake. Very fiddly job though. Good Luck Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve wass Posted August 14, 2000 Author Share Posted August 14, 2000 Thanks for the advice - I'll give him a ring later Tried some new plugs tonight - seems to have semi-sorted the problem but still not right Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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