Can anyone advise me on the best products and /or method of cleaning the alloy head,cam boxes and rocker covers and other engine bits ? I have seen photos of amazing end results - how do they do it ? are there some products which risk damaging the alloy? Chris ( Spider 1982 )

Sanding discs like this. You have to watch out for the small areas. They are hard to get into and if you use the wrong disc you'll mess it up. Don't waste your time with the dremel. Their tips are what I'm referring to because they decintigrate so quickly.
http://www.harborfreight.com/complete-s ... 43029.html

They are usually washed in a parts washer, bead blasted, then painted.
I suppose you could take them to a high pressure car wash to wash the crud off, then paint them. I think aluminum colored paint looks a lot better than bare aluminum.
Don't get water on the cams, or anything ferrous, as they will rust. If you do, wipe them and spray them with WD-40.

I got very good results by using a circular, brass, wire brush on a power drill. It almost polishes it, just don't be to rough on it. You can use engine wax to conserve it.

Tobi wrote:I got very good results by using a circular, brass, wire brush on a power drill. It almost polishes it, just don't be to rough on it. You can use engine wax to conserve it.

Thanks for the tip

vandor wrote:They are usually washed in a parts washer, bead blasted, then painted.
I suppose you could take them to a high pressure car wash to wash the crud off, then paint them. I think aluminum colored paint looks a lot better than bare aluminum.
Don't get water on the cams, or anything ferrous, as they will rust. If you do, wipe them and spray them with WD-40.

Thanks for that - I hadn't thought of painting the parts - good idea!

Damini wrote:Sanding discs like this. You have to watch out for the small areas. They are hard to get into and if you use the wrong disc you'll mess it up. Don't waste your time with the dremel. Their tips are what I'm referring to because they decintigrate so quickly.
http://www.harborfreight.com/complete-s ... 43029.html

Thanks for the tip

If you DO want your aluminum parts shiny and you use the various wheels and brushes to get them almost there, I can recommend Bad Dog Polish to get them to a high shine. (http://baddogpolish.com/) Best metal polish I've ever used.
I've also gotten great results with 3M Micron Polishing Papers, on metal, plastic and on the polyurethane I used when I did my wood dash pieces. Amazing stuff.