Polished Fuel Cap

[Anita]

Lenny, I really like the polished chrome look! How did you do that?

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/2/664isuzu8-med.jpg

[lenny]

hi

well i took it out and stripped it down and toot the lock out

then sanded it with 400 sanding paper till all the paint was off

then went to 800 then to 1200 till i could get it as smooth as possible then polished it with metal polish

took me hours and hours


i would take it to some one with a buffer makes for an easier job

[WormGod]

Very nice! :thumbup:

I am actually considering painting mine more of a satin black. Match the cladding when it's all cleaned up. :thumbup:

[SpaceTruck'n]

Even with a buffing wheel it takes a long time. But in the end it SHINES SHINES SHINES! I used jewelers rouge for the final buff and it looks just like it was chromed. Lots of people notice it and many comment on it. Some people think its more interesting than the whole car and ask where I got it. "Whats that from a jet or something"
I also used taperproof stainless hex heads ( the ones with the pins in the center) to fasten it back on, thus adding to the mystique
The hardest part is getting the paint off. I had to use pure toluene, and let it soak for a while.

[Charon_Sin]

Not bad but I think I like the stock look. I would like to get some rims the same color gray.

[Triathlete]

SpaceTruckin...you should join us for our car show get together in April up in Oracle, Az. so we can check out all the work you've done to your VX up close and personal!:yesy: :yesy: :yesy:

[Spy Hunter]

I dig it! Truckin - How hard was the polishing once the paint was off?

[lenny]

hi

it wasnt to bad just time consumeing

but worth it

[RobVX]

Lenny, SpaceTruck'n:

I'm ready to do this mod. My concern is upkeep/oxidation. How long has it been since you did the mod? Have you had any problem with tarnishing or rusting? Did you clear coat the finish after you were done? Would that even work?

Any advice is most appreciated. Rob

[azskyrider]

MOTORCYCLE gas caps look the same as the one on the VX.

I caution people who want to go this route. The look is nice but this is not a shine and forget mod. This is a maintenance mod. Once you get it looking good the finish will start to dull and look cloudy after a month or so. You will constantly have to re buff it with a high polish compound to keep the shine. I used Mothers. In the sport bike scene we usually polish the frame, gas cap and Swingarm. I did this and the look was Great. But after some time from the weather you will have to take out the buffer and polish it again. Of course this time the parts are installed and you have to take special care not to buff any painted areas as this will take some clear coat off or even the paint. Even if you do polish it is still hard to get into those hard to reach corners to complete the shine. If you don't polish in there then it looks like you have dirt in those corners.

The easiest and safest way was to remove parts to allow you room and polish again. After awhile some people tend to get fed up with having to constantly polish it that they just let it go and then it really looks bad as just a cloudy chrome finish.

I think it is a great mod but just a word of caution if you do no want to invest the time each month to polish it again. The polish process is not the same as you polishing your vehicle. In this case you will have to take the fuel cap off and repolish and then reinstall it each time. Another Caution is that each time you polish you are taking some of the finish away. So over time your part will start to look like uneven surfaces so make sure you polish evenly. Of course this is when you have polished so many times for years.

Cheers,

[azskyrider]

Forgot my last statement. You might want to look into a HONDA VFR Fuel cap or any late model sportbike Fuel cap. They come in many colors and looks identical to what is on the VX. If Isuzu and Honda are in cahoots then maybe they took it out of a HONDA MC. For those looking for a different color cap then this might be an option. Or pick one and polish one up so that your original stays original ;) For the Black Matte finish to match the cladding looking into the HONDA Black Bird sportbike.
Cheers

[azskyrider]

Even for those who do want to keep the original then this might be an option. It is an overlay and is cheap. Just peel and apply. They will also do custom designs and orders.

Fuel decals (http://www.planetsuperbike.com/Products/Gascapkits/Flame%20Caps.htm)

[RobVX]

azskyrider:

I thought that maintenance would be a pain. Great idea about sportbike fuel caps...I'm gonna check it out and see if any will fit.
I also saw an Audi TT with a similar chrome aircraft-style fuel cap that looked to be the same size and might fit. Rob

[azskyrider]

Originally posted by RobVX
azskyrider:

I thought that maintenance would be a pain. Great idea about sportbike fuel caps...I'm gonna check it out and see if any will fit. .... Rob

They also sell the Hex bolts in different Idonize colors for a more custom look. you can pick those up at any sportbike shop.

[Joe_Black]

Wonder how it would look glass beaded? Hmmmm...

In any case, here's how to have the chrome look without the constant maintenance: Once polished to mirror smoothness, go get it chromed. Yep, that simple. Better yet, get it triple plated. Deep, deep shine!

Careful with aluminum anodized bolts, you could end up with some nasty galvanic corrosion.

[lenny]

hi

oh yes you have to keep it polished otherwise id does go dull but as i cleen my car every week it aint a problem and its worth it

i thinkso

[VXtreme]

Why not just apply a good clear coat finish to the cap after polishing it. No different then what they do to the polished 16" wheels on my '99. Seems after all that work to get it polished, you would want to minimize the upkeep.

[RobVX]

VXtreme,
I think that's what I'll have to do. I checked today at the Honda/Kawasaki dealer to look to motorcycle fuel caps...not the same size. I've called a bunch of chrome plating places and none of them seem able (or willing?) to chrome plate aluminum. I know absolutely nothing about this area, so I don't know if they're right or not. One guy told me there was a process called "brite dip anodizing" which would leave a shiny chrome like finish to the aluminum... but no one around here seems to do this? Any club members who are knowledgable in the area????? Rob

[lenny]

HI

AS I LIVE IN THE UK WERE THEY LOVE TO PUT SALT ON THE ROADS WHEN ICE APPEARS?

WHICH MESSES UP WHEELS THAT HAVE ALLOY THATS BEEN LAQUERED

SO I DECIDED I WOULD JUST KEEP ON TOP BY POLISHING IT EVERY WEEK

[SpaceTruck'n]

I did the same type of polishing job on the valve cover of 1971 Datsun truck that my dad and I cherryed out.
Also on the the valve cover of a '73 Toyota Celica. It was kind of shiny but when I got done with it... Well it was better.
Aluminum is easy to shine and buff. I really dont like if its painted, and I cant understand why anyone would paint over it.
Me like shinny things!
So If I get the chance I strip and buff it. Sometimes, even if it’s not my car.
Ok, If its anodized thats cool also.
But, NO PAINT!
Anyway, after a month trip up the coast to Seattle and back through Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada, it was tarnished to the max. Along with all the other exposed aluminum. Some of the aluminum trim was even pitted from the salt air.
So if you live on the coast, or where they use salt on the roads, or in an area of high air pollution, heck yea, your wasting your time buffing your fuel door. It wont last a week without clear coat, or possibly buffing it every time you put gas in.
I live in Tucson Arizona. I buffed it back on 05/16/03 and I can sill see myself in it with no special attention.
Before I decided to buff it I had considered making a repeating swirly pattern on it with a small cupped wire brush ( Like the nose of “The Sprit Of ST. Louis” ) but I figured I would try shinny first.
Mmmmm, shinny...D’oh!
I was also thinking it would look cool if I etched in a few extra letters so instead of saying “LOCK” it would say “LOCKHEED” But frankly I lost interest in sutch a tiny and esoteric mod. Also if I messed it up I would have to buy a new one, or possibly mill it totally flat in that area and then inlay a piece of clear acrylic plastic that had a NASA or Isuzu logo under it.
But if all you guys start buffing yours I’ll have to do something to make it different!


PS.
On second thought dont buff it every time you put gas in. With our fuel consunption there wont be anything left of the thing after a year.
PPS.
I know that date for a fact, because I etched my name and the date on the inside of the cover when I finished with a Dremel tool.
Why? Because I’m insane, also so I could show people it wasn’t manufactured that way.

:)

[Joe_Black]

Yes, you can indeed chrome plate aluminum. Just ask any Harley owner! One of my Kawasaki buddies chromed all the covers on his Z-1 engine, which are aluminum. Think I'll keep mine original!;Do;

[SpaceTruck'n]

;)

Actually, you can Chrome plate anything that is electrically conductive. Including a layer of special primer that has tiny tiny nickel particles in it. The primer conducts the juice:
ZAP!
Chromed...Anything.
Plastic, Rubber, Wood, Plaster, Ceramic, Carbon Fiber, Casio digital watches, Dog poop. Anything you can spray the primer on thick enough.
Ok, maybe not Dog poop. But Plastic dog poop for sure.
And yes, its really real chromium not aluminum that has been vaporized on.
The thing is: Chrome IS very very hard but isnt very flexable no matter how thin it is. So it tends to flake off things that are flexable. Like, when you bend your dads car bumper the chrome plating will peel off where its kinked, and cut your finger open when you run your finger by it, not healing for a week to ten days.
Also due to environmental concerns there are less and less places to get things plated with Chrome.

But there are alternatives to the “Old School” That are they say are ”as durable as OEM Automotive Finishes”

See:

http://www.alsacorp.com/products/chromefx/chromefx.htm
http://www.alsacorp.com/products/mirrachrome/mirra_prodinfo.htm
http://www.alsacorp.com/products/sheetingfx/sheetingfx.htm


and finally for indoor use:

http://www.chrometechusa.com/autoplate.html

I’m particularly interested in the flexable sheeting they made the bikini from.
Heh, heh.

Now, don’t bother me anymore. I have to finish my cup holding console/shifter console/dash with 7” widescreen display. I told you all I was “just about finished with mine”. “Just about” means that there are car guts all over, all the switches and buttons are hanging out holes in the dash by the wires. The inside of my house smells like a boat factory. My dog is mad at me because I haven’t taken her for a ride in weeks and refuses to speak with me until I do. Now I have to be done for the “Arizona VX Spring Show and Shine” On the 17th or I’ll look like a putz! I haven’t shown a car in like...eighteen years and its stressing me out. I want a T shirt and Goody bag dammit! Plus the voices in my head keep telling me they’ll make me do “Terrible things” to the neighbor who’s wall my girlfriend drove my Montero through a while back if my work isn’t a masterpiece.
SpaceTruck'n has "left the building"

[mrtew]

Originally posted by RobVX
I thought that maintenance would be a pain. Great idea about sportbike fuel caps...I'm gonna check it out and see if any will fit.
I also saw an Audi TT with a similar chrome aircraft-style fuel cap that looked to be the same size and might fit.

You guys are all crazy! You go out an spend big bucks for the freakiest truck made with the coolest gas cap on the road and you want to change it for something else?!?!? I think that's the last thing than needs modding! And in the picture posted above I think polishing it makes it look all plasticy and wavy and fake compared to the precision machined titanium look that it comes with. imho

[lenny]

hi

everybody to there own i suppose

but in standard form they look dull, bland, borring

so little mod goes along way

oh yes