cDgRazoray

iTrader: (-1)

Sup doods,

I recently purchase an Injen Cold Air Intake from a member here and it came in the condition he stated - used. Here are pics of it:





The aluminum was dull, scratched, oxidized and pitted. It was clearly showing signs of neglect and abuse. This isn't a bash on the seller, I expected this condition and got the intake for a great price.

I decided to restore the aluminum back to its former glory. I looked in my detailing bags and found a metal polish I thought would work along with my G110v2 Dual Action Polisher and my closet of foam pads.



I sectioned off a 2x2 square to clearly show results:



I was impressed. This was my first time using Optimum Metal Polish, but the product lived up to its companies reputation. Just like polishing paint, I started with the least aggressive method to dial in my process. I used a Yellow Eurofoam Pad by hand and got these great results, I didn't even used my DA polisher yet! I knew I would be able to bring this intake to a mirror like gloss.

After a couple applications, I was able to make it look like this >

You can compare the original condition of the metal by the heat shield in the upper right of this picture.




The larger intake tube was in worse condition >







So I pulled out a Yellow CCS pad and powered up my G110v2.



Sorry about the poor lighting, but I wanted to show you guys the result of one pass with the polisher:

BEFORE


AFTER


After awhile, these were my final results:









Is it perfect?........No

Did I prioritize on areas that would be visible?................Yes

If I really wanted a perfect finish, I would wet sand the metal first, but I'm really happy with how it came out. Looks 'like new' now, and it was very easy to do. It was very messy as expected. Metal polishes are messy in general. The black residue that comes off the metal goes everywhere and I went through 5 16x16 Microfiber towels and 4 pads. I'm considering getting some finer show polish to further enhance the finish. In any case, I will be applying a metal sealant to prevent this from happening again.

Thanks for checking out my resto.

p.s. Royal Purple is the ****.

#haterzmad

AznRyan

iTrader: (1)

Wow, that's a nice improvement!

I got an Injen intake too, and you might wanna try converting it to a short ram to see how you like it that way. The full CAI Injen puts the filter directly behind the radiator, where it directly soaks up the ambient heat coming off the radiator.

cDgRazoray

iTrader: (-1)

Thanks! Ya I'm thinking about it. In Florida we get a lot of random showers too and I'm sort of worried about it being so low to the ground. I ordered a 3" HKS Super Power filter to replace the old Injen one too and its a bit wider. We'll see...

AznRyan

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, I know what you mean. I lived in Pensacola the last 10 years, and recently moved to Orange Beach. We get approximately 1.5 metric ****-tons of rain a year -.-