Polishing engine -- Are these caps removeable?

I'm working on polishing my engine and I wanted to make sure the starter cap and alternator cap are removeable? As in, there's no seal that needs to be replaced if I pull them off to polish them?

Heres what I've got so far. Long way to go, bloody fingers and a very patient wife. :roll:



Hopefully once the seasons over I'll pull the engine and get the middle of the engine spruced up for next season.

 

Both are removable. Alternator has a gasket that might be damaged, not sure what's in the starter.

The starter end is attached with screws that run from the other side clear through the starter, so the starter will need to be removed. You might find you can do what you want without disassembling the starter, getting all the guts crammed back in can be challenging.

On the other hand, you could clean up the commutator and put new brushes in while it's apart.

 

Looking good so far!

 

What did you use to polish it as i have a very patient wife

 

-Starter end cap was painted originally; not sure how "polishable" the metal is that it's made of. Even if you get it polished I can't say if it will hold a shine for long.

-The alternator cover is more than just a cover; your alternator brushes are under there, mounted IN the cover. Be very careful of the wires and especially the UNOBTAINABLE case grommet those wires pass through. This cover requires a gasket; the proper replacement gasket is aluminum, believe it or not. (The original may have been paper but the correct replacement is die-cut aluminum.) Before removing the alternator cover, you'll need to remove the sprocket cover (the one the shifter comes through) to gain access to the harness and allow the wires some maneuvering room.

The crankcase end covers require a gasket on the left (ignition pickups under it) but none on the right (just air under that one.)

 

Hey fitz, thanks for the heads up. My paint on the starter isn't too bad. Maybe I'll just clean it up a bit. My alternater is a mess though. You didn't mention the metal on there. Will that shine?? I can probably do that one on the bike.

 

You can-- however:

In order to effectively polish the alloy parts (like that alternator cover) you'll need to remove the original clearcoat first. It's some tough stuff; that corrosion is UNDER it, trust me. Those yellowish stains are the remains of it.

The best thing to remove the clearcoat with is Aircraft Paint Remover (from the auto parts.) If you're using it "on the bike" you'll need to be VERY CAREFUL with the stuff as it will attack gaskets as well as ANY painted surfaces. I held off polishing my alternator cover until I had it off to service the brushes.

 

Thanks again, Fitz! I'll most likely strip it down with a wire brush attachment on the dremel.

ElkHavenSeca my method for the crankcase cover. Then sand 400-600-800-1000-1200-1500 buff to shine. The chain cover I removed and sanded as it was pitted then again did the 400 through 1500 sand.


Fitz -- Did you polish your bottom half of the engine? Where the Crankshaft is? It seems to be painted And to get a solid shine through I would have to remove the engine. (winter project) Was curious if you just cleaned up the paint or stripped and polished.

 

Be careful with the wire brush that you don't introduce deep marks that become a bear to polish out.

The crankcases are painted but only on top; and "natural" (raw) on the bottom case. See close-up pics below. I just cleaned everything up.

 

Good advice and thanks for the pictures!

 

How well do sand/soda blasted engine/parts hold up over time without any type of "topcoat/sealer".
I don't have the patience for mirror polishing, but I might eventually try to get the engine and other aluminum parts blasted for the nice satin look...

 

Once roughened you are probably giving better purchase for the bugs/grime...that said you could experiment with a wax of some kind to make re-cleaning easier?

 

Soda blasting doesn't attenuate or roughen the surface whatsoever; it's like "spraying clean."

The "polished" parts on our bikes weren't all that mirror-polished to begin with. They were rather crudely belt-buffed and then clearcoated. The less than shiny surface under the clearcoat eventually corroded despite the coating. Most of us that get our bikes truly shiny go beyond the factory buffing job and truly polish the covers; once done they're much easier to keep looking nice than the original "authentic" finish.