In last month's "Build-Off" article, I finished the rough motor case grinding with porting tools and grinders in my garage. This month's installment reveals the steps a professional has to take to really bring out the shine. Show-winning polish is not a quick job, and getting a championship polish from old, used cast-aluminum parts takes many man-hours of labor-intensive work.
I visited a local custom and repair shop, Let-It-Ride Custom Cycles in Bellflower, California, to guide me-and my chopped Sportster motor parts-through the polishing process. The crew there hooked me up with their polishers and did a great job. If your bike isn't already in pieces (like mine), they'll disassemble any part off any bike, have it polished, and reassemble it for you.
Greg's Bike |  |  Juan got started on my motor...  Juan got started on my motor by sanding down each component with an electric drill and an aluminum shaft with medium-grit sandpaper wrapped around the end. The shape of the sandpaper on the edge of the shaft gets into the small nooks and crannies of all kinds of parts. |
 A finer-grit sandpaper was...  A finer-grit sandpaper was wrapped around the same type of shaft, slowly grinding away any casting marks. |  Then a custom-made, medium-grit...  Then a custom-made, medium-grit sanding disc was used to get into the larger fin area of the cylinders and heads. |  After three sanding steps,...  After three sanding steps, the polishing finally began. First, a stiff-cloth polishing disc reduced the sanding marks, and the part began to take on a dull shine. |
 Next, a softer, slightly less...  Next, a softer, slightly less abrasive wheel and polishing compound brought the part close to finished, but getting it all the way to show-quality would require another step. |  Finally, a very soft wheel...  Finally, a very soft wheel and very fine polishing compound finished off the polish job. In this case, start to finish took six long steps. A cylinder usually takes about eight hours to polish, while a head takes four to six hours to complete. |  Most components need more...  Most components need more intricate sanding tools, but some parts are composed of mainly flat surfaces that can be lightly sanded using a belt sander. |
 Chopped Sporty case halves,...  Chopped Sporty case halves, before and after. |  Westbury Hot Rods' Hollow...  Westbury Hot Rods' Hollow Point footpegs, before and after. |  Sporty rocker boxes, before...  Sporty rocker boxes, before and after. |
 Here's a closeup of the Sporty...  Here's a closeup of the Sporty rocker covers. Note how the polishing removed the porosity around the bolt holes-they look better than new! |  Sporty heads, before and ...  Sporty heads, before and after. |  Westbury Hot Rods' stainless-steel...  Westbury Hot Rods' stainless-steel Hollow Point shifter/brake pegs, before and after. |
 Chopped Sporty cam cover,...  Chopped Sporty cam cover, before and after. |  |  Westbury Hot Rods' Hollow...  Westbury Hot Rods' Hollow Point grips, before and after. |
 Here are all the components...  Here are all the components after polishing! They're hardly recognizable as the old, dirty, cast parts they started out as-a few hundred dollars can go a long way. Details, such as polishing, make the difference between a nice bike and a show winner. | | |