Polishing Aluminum

Ive been working on the wheels. I was going to paint them but decided that it was probably not a good idea since this bike will see only offroad use. I chose to polish them instead. I dont think I will take them to a mirrored finish though. Just a clean "brushed" look. The rear is pitted badly in one section, but I worked it out as much as possible. It wont be show quality, but it wont be an eyesore either. Here are some videos I found very helpful. Ill post some pics of the process of polishing the front rim.

Primed and almost ready for paint. A little fine sanding to smooth out rough spots.

Cleaning up the rear wheel while the rust converter does it's thing. The frame should be ready for primer soon.

New Toy

Well, new to the garage anyway. Yamaha DT175. Rusty, greasy, and in need of a lot of work as usual. Came with another DT tank, a seatpan, and a Husqvarna vintage tank. Hell yeah! Not to mention the possibility of another rolling frame. Ok, back to work on the TY.

More Engine Porn

Allison liquid cooled V12. Developed by the Allison Division of General Motors Corp. The design is that of a modern engine featuring overhead cams, 4 valves per cylinder, and single point fuel injection. It made at lest 1 HP for every pound it weighed. This particular engine coming from a P-38 produced 1,450 HP.

Engine porn #2

I was at the Aerospace Museum of California in Sacramento last week oogling various aircraft and engines. Should have been a pilot. Or at least an aircraft tech.

Engine porn #1

28 cylinder air-cooled airplane engine at the Sacramento air and space museum. The pistons are bigger than my head!