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Thread: The Polished Bare Aluminum Rover Tips and Help Thread

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
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    Mass.
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    1,796

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    Quote Originally Posted by o2batsea View Post
    Must be blinding to others on the road.
    Only for the few that dont' have their head down texting.....

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
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    CT
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    It does look good!

    The "yellow cast primer" is zinc chromate etching primer. It is mixed with an acid to etch the aluminum for better adhesion. Chemical stripper will eventually remove it, but unfortunately it is 'sub surface' to some extent, and you need mechanical means to remove it. Great stuff by the way but no longer available (but I have maybe a half gallon kicking around somewhere)...

    Paint the top of the (driver's side) front fender semi-gloss black too... You'll thank me later...
    Owner: James Leach Global Expedition Services.

    1995 110 Regular

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Virginia
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    172

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    You mean when the sun comes up hits the bonnet and blinds him from seeing anything!!

  4. #14

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    Actually, since I've already had the hood paint-free and polished for six years, I've never had a problem of being blinded by the hood...I thought I would have, but I think it has something to do with the angle of the hood surface.

    The topside of driver's side fender...we'll have to see about that! But the first two days I've had it out it had been very sunny and I got no blinding glare off the fender tops.

    Oh...thanks, J!m, for the info about the zinc chromate etcher...not that I'm going to paint it ever now, but it's nice to know what I'm dealing with.


    It also doesn't seem to cause too much glare to other drivers, as I sorta tested that by walking across the street and looking from various angles.
    1970 Series IIA 88".,...the REAL Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

  5. #15
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    Nov 2006
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    CT
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    My fender top was light green (Pastel green) and it blinded me ONCE- that was enough to decide to paint it, and it was never a problem after that.
    Owner: James Leach Global Expedition Services.

    1995 110 Regular

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    SE Georgia
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    66

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    If ya' want a lot of info on polishing aluminum body panels check out the Airstream Trailer websites. Great info and how to.
    1978 MOD 109

  7. #17
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Great Lakes, MI
    Posts
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    I love it. Given the condition of the paint on my truck, I may be using your advice.

  8. #18

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    I've added a video of the polished Series IIA on YouTube, that shows various aspects of the polished Birmabright perhaps better than the original still pictures. I took this video about three weeks ago, after having the Birmabright sit out in the weather for nearly a month in salty coastal air. I guess I'm STILL doing surfacing testing of the aluminum...just to see if it needs continual polishing.

    Now nearly two months out from the initial polishing and being mostly kept outdoors, and little more than just a once a week wipe down with a towel, the alloy still looks very bright and shiny with not much dulling at all. Rain DOES leave slight watermarks, but it does the same thing on paint as well. That's why I wipe it down once a week or so.

    While I AM thinking of seeing how a coat of Maguire's wax would look, so far all it ever seems to need is a periodic wipe-down.

    Here's the link. I've noticed there is also a vid of an extremely highly polished Series rover that Land Rover actually put together for the 50th Anniversery of Land Rover on YouTube as well...but that one is a little TOO highly polished for me!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyeV6A-licM

    And here, BTW, is the link to that other factory-polished Land Rover that I was talking about above:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...YJL4ROV9E&NR=1
    1970 Series IIA 88".,...the REAL Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Scottsdale, Arizona
    Posts
    889

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    As a person who has really gotten into automotive detailing, I would stay away from the wax. the bare aluminum will have a slightly porous texture, and the white wax with leave a reside that will be a pain to remove. try a small test area if you dare.

    If it were me, I would apply a coat of rainx. there is no paint, so you don't have to worry about incompatability, and because it is a clear silicone, it will leave no residue to mar the looks. It ought to bead nicely for about 3 weeks or more.
    Bad gas mileage gets you to some of the greatest places on earth.

  10. #20
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    Apr 2007
    Location
    Scottsdale, Arizona
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    just a thought, but I think it would look awesome if you polished out the rest of the roof, and then had a big Union Jack flag adhered to it!
    Bad gas mileage gets you to some of the greatest places on earth.

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