Cleaning Up Aluminum Engine Parts

[ctaylor738]

I was in a quandary about what to do with some of the more visible aluminum parts on the 280C engine, in particular the cam cover. I did not want to polish it, because that's not the way it was finished originally. Nor did I want to leave it the way it came out of cleaning, with oxidation and stains.

I ended up trying a little Dupont #7 rubbing compound on a small spot. I worked well enough that I ended up doing the whole cam cover. It removed the stains and most of the oxidation without polishing - basically the effect I was looking for.

Not exactly concours, but inspiring enough to cause me to go buy new acorn nuts to complement the cleaned-up cover.

My $.04.

Chuck