For the last week I have been working on polishing up one of my lids for the step plates. I just did one lid to figure out the best method to get the results I was looking for. I am extremely pleased with how it turned out!

Now I'm sure there are easier ways to do this, but I decided to do everything by hand so there was less chance of screwing up a one-of-a-kind piece of hardware.

These billet pieces appear to be from extruded bar, so there are slight grooves from that process that needed to be sanded out. I started out wet-sanding with 220 grit. This may seem too coarse, but it was needed to get the grooves and machining marks out. It takes quite a bit of elbow grease to get ALL the marks out. Be patient and be sure you have everything out before going to the next finer grit. I used a good desk lamp and some reading glasses. Wash everything and start with a new clean work surface before going to the next grit.

I used the eraser end of a pencil and sandpaper to get into the grooves machined into the top. Worked real nice.

Started with 220, then 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, and finally 2000 grit. 3M wet-dry paper is the best I have found and you can get it at most auto parts stores.

The first two pics are of the raw part. The second two pics show what it looked like after the 400 grit.

I did some research to find a really good aluminum polish. What better place to find information on polishing billet aluminum than some biker forums! A lot of guys swore by this stuff called Master Formula Metal Gloss and Sealer Gloss. So I ordered some on-line and it works great. No abrasives and out performed Mothers. They claim the Sealer can last up to a year. I am going to try going a season without a clearcoat and see how it goes.

The finish came out beautiful and matches the Eddie Marine billet handles perfectly!

It will be a while before I get all the other parts done, but I will be sure to post pics of the final install.

I'm gonna say that that is taking it to the NEXT level...WOW, so far looks awesome. Can't wait to see it completed!

Don't forget to lock-tite the set screws back in that hold the door on...Keep us posted!

Dave

installed Step Plates yesterday and love them, also some other pics .........

a few more...........

Thanks!

Yep, Loctite 222 for small screws will make a quick trip from work to my house.

btw, for those disassembling the hinge covers, use a high quality 1/16" allen wrench. I have a nice kit from my RC days. You would hate to booger up that screw..

Looks great!

The dash does too. I upgraded to the Isotta Aria wheel as well and love it!

Where did you get the billet 6X9 speaker grills? Was it an easy install on the factory speakers?

Thanks.

Thanks.....

I got the speaker grills from xtremeaudiocovers.com, really nice people to deal with, they have a few nice styles, and all of about 15 minutes to install, with facrory speakers, very high quality .

Hey Dave,

have not seen you on here , are you taking orders for more step plates as I have 2 guys from Jersey Shore that want to order, maybe you are away, PM me when you get a chance , I also posted pics of mine , love the way they came out , THANKS AGAIN for your great idea........

John

Hey John,

Been pretty busy with work...oh yea, and BOATING!!

I can put together another order pretty quick. Let me know how many. I will also sell my prototype set that are polished. They would need to be sanded and polished again to get all of the machine marks out for the best finish. If someone wasn't too particular, they would work good for them. Don't get me wrong, they look pretty good, but
4mulafastech's looked better...So back to a new set and I've been polishing in my spare time.

Let me know!

Dave