By CopperTop Apr2005

Polishing Stock Cans:

How can I make my stock cans look better without spending lost of $$? Here's how to make them look like the ones below.

Necessary tools/materials:
1. 12mm & 14mm sockets
2. 12mm wrench
3. 4mm hex key
4. Wet or Dry Sandpaper. Recommended grits:
a. 220   b. 400   c. 600   d. 800   e. 1000   f. 1500
5. Water
6. Metal polish. (Any that is designed for polishing aluminum. I used Mothers)
7. 2 soft clean cloths.
8. Thread lock
9. Elbow Grease

Note: Although not necessary I recommend you get your hands on a finishing sander to do the rough sanding as it will potentially save you hours in labor. Any jitterbug type sander will do just be careful with an electric sander as it will get wet.

First remove the chrome end caps so you don’t accidentally sand them. Then remove the cans from the bike. You will need the 12mm socket and wrench remove the bracket bolts and the 14mm socket to remove the nuts that attach the cans to the pipes.

Once off the bike the next step is to remove the coating and smooth out machining lines in the aluminum. Looking at the pic below you can see the machine lines running from top to bottom.

This is the most difficult step and longest step (hence finishing sander) Use 220 grit with water until you have removed all of the and lines. If you are hand sanding make sure you sand the length of the can without changing directions (see Figure 1).

If you do change directions it may create deep scratches that are hard to remove. Be sure to clean the can and paper with water often. If you are using a finishing sander you will need to “roll” the sander around the radius of the can (see Figure 2). Same as hand sanding you will want to use water. Just don’t drop the electric sander in the water and electrocute yourself.

Once you have completely removed the coating and lines, switch from 220 grit to 400 until you have removed all of the 220 scratches. Continue move to finer grits until you reach 1000grit. If you are hand sanding you can move on to 1000 then 1500, if you are using a finishing sander I recommend you switch to hand sanding for the 1000 grit and 1500 grit to remove the light swirls left by the sander. The smother you sand the cans the more of a mirror like finish you will receive. Make sure you also sand the ends where the chrome caps go. I personally did not sand the mounting bracket or the ends that attach to the pipes.

Once you have completed the final sanding with 1500 grit you can then polish. As long as you have done a thorough job sanding polishing should only take a few minutes per can using a soft cloth polish an a little elbow grease. Start with a small area. Apply polish with a soft clean cloth rubbing using medium pressure until the polish turns completely black. Use second cloth to clean off residue and bring up the shine. Continue polishing until the entire can is a mirror finish.

Once you have finished polishing you can install the cans and end caps using a small amount of thread lock so they don’t vibrate loose. Then take the bike out and show off your new cans.

Before:

After: (Pic doesn’t do them justice, they look better in person)

You will need to re-polish every so often but this will only take a few minutes. Alternatively you can use a high temp clear coat but the cans will not be as shiny and it will make it harder to remove any scratches. My bike spent all winter outside and I went for several winter runs. Neither can showed any signs of oxidation.

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