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Q&As since 1989


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Polishing aluminum to chrome finish and protecting it

I have a 2002 Suzuki GSXR that I would like to polish the aluminum frame and swing arm. They have a very nice brush finish with a clear protective coating that is pretty durable. (not sure what it is) It takes some heavy grit paper to sand it off thus scratching the surface underneath and causing even more work to prepare it for buffing.

What will strip the protective coating without damaging the aluminum, and what should I protect it with after I polish it to a mirror finish?

Rob Stewart
Chemical Stripping - Toledo, Ohio
2004

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Sandpaper is the solution your looking for. You can start with a 220 grit and it will eat right through it, or if your worried about then having to buff those scratches out then go with a 320 or 400 and you will be there longer but have a smoother finish when its gone. My advice would be to use 220 or 320 with a air or electric sander, works great!

Darius Marchal
- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
2004

The coating must be some kind of transparent paint, I would submerge it into some thinner liquid for a night in order to get rid of it, then I would use polishing agent (wax) to make it shine, finally, apply a coating on it and make it last.

Daryl Yeung
- Hong Kong
2004

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I have done a lot of polishing and I have had to deal with the stubborn clearcoat many times. I found a product called Aircraft Stripper that will strip off the clear coat quickly. It does come with some careful prep work though. You must cover up any surface yo you do not want stripped. Spray it on the area you will be sanding let it sit till the clear coat is bubbled up(wrinkled and separated from metal). you can wipe it off with rags or hose it off, but it will wipe right off leaving naked metal.

Then use 400 grit sandpaper and hit entire area completely. then wet sand with 1500 paper thoroughly. once you have finished you are ready to buff that to an awesome shine. Use buffing rouge and a high speed buffing wheel and it will amaze you. I have done this to several motorcycle engine cases that were plain aluminum and the results look better than chrome to me

David Willinger
- macclenny, Florida
2007