I have been looking for a way to polish and protect my aluminum suspension parts and other parts on my car. I have thought about chroming them but it's gotten so damned expensive to do that and my car really isn't a show-only car...it will be driven.
A customer of mine bright anodized his parts and they look nice. The anodizing changes the mirror polished finish to a more "frosty" look, but it's bright and shiny. Here's an example of it on a C4 batwing, knuckle, and dogbone:
SDC10432.jpg
The bright anodizing looks good but doesn't have a mirror polished finish to it. I believe these parts were all polished to a bright shine prior to anodizing.
I've looked at other aluminum protectants like Zoop sealer but I'm not confident that it lasts very long. I don't want to be re-doing it a year or two from now. Some of the reviews I've read on it say it doesn't work very well or last very long. Even Zoops says 3 years.
So I've been looking at coatings. I know some wheels have a clear-coat on them but I don't know what they use. Powder coating seems pretty thick, and it might cause problems with bushings and other close-tolerance holes. Also I read that it may yellow over time, but there are some UV blockers that can be used with it. Not sure how to remove it if I'd ever want to either although I read that it's removable with paint stripper...any truth to that? The other downside is the cost of powdercoating.
I just found a POR15 product called Glisten PC Clearcoat that sounds interesting. It's a 2-part moisture-curing urethane that can be sprayed or brushed on and it goes on fairly thin. It's not too expensive compared to other coatings. Here's what they say about it:
GLISTEN PC is a High Gloss, Rock Hard, Water-clear topcoat designed for spray or brush application over all metal surfaces, including highly polished aluminum and chrome surfaces. GLISTEN PC will not leave brushmarks, and will dry in less than one hour, but will take 3-4 days to reach maximum hardness.
When GLISTEN PC is first dry to the touch, it will appear to be very soft. Avoid touching it for several days until it becomes hard and tough. Accidental contact could damage the surface before full cure has taken place. Like many other coatings, GLISTEN PC is a MOISTURE-CURED coating, which means it is strengthened by exposure to moisture. It will never crack, chip, peel, or yellow, and is very flexible as well.
Note: When applying over polished metals (aluminum, chrome, brass, copper etc) you must use AP120 metal prep according to instructions.
IDEAL USES: As a protective coating on aluminum wheels, chrome bumpers, marine railings, chrome or aluminum covers, grills, handles, ornaments, lights, etc
The problem is I've found several negative reviews on the Glisten PC, including this one:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f474...oat-84858.html
What about regular urethane clear coat? How is it really different from Glisten PC? Automotive urethanes hold up for years on cars left in the sun and seem durable. I just wonder about adhesion to polished aluminum.