Scratched Side Pipes

[atomic13mgr]

Hey All -

My kids are now old enough to know and stay away from daddy's hot exhaust pipes so off came the heat shields. I am disgusted. I was extremely careful to back off the nuts and peel off the clamps without any shifting only to find that they were already severly scratched. Looks like this was done at the time of install. The pipes are silver jet coated and I have some pretty prominent gashes and what appears to be corrosion. The car has NEVER seen water so I don't know what that is all about. Does anyone know of a way I can repair my pipes or am I looking to getting them redone? I read somewhere that you can sand and polish jet coating but am a little leary of doing this. I don't know how thick the coating is and don't want to make it any worse. Any help here is much appreciated.

[Archrms]

If they are already severely scratched and corroding, you can't make the matter much worse. If you do nothing, the corrosion will spread, and you will end up getting them re-coated anyway. If you try a home remedy and it works - great. However, you might get lucky if one of the polishing tricks works. If not, you can still send them out to be re-coated. You really have nothing to loose if you give it a try. Sorry I don't have any first hand experience or tips to offer, but I'm sure others will step up and offer some. Good luck, and let us know how it works out.

[wtm442]

Start with a little polishing compound and see what it does. If nothing, go to some 800 or 1000 sandpaper and wet sand. Try a small space underneath the pipes first.

Also, give your rep a call and ask them what they suggest.

Many stains on satin matte finish pipes can usually be removed by using hot soapy water or an environmentally safe Orange Cleaner Degreaser and a soft cloth. Two or three cleanings may be required depending on the severity of the stain.

Hi-luster polished ceramic finish can be cleaned in the same manner and can be polished with a non-abrasive aluminum polish.

But rust will be a problem unless you clean it up and "coat it" with something. Good Luck. Deep scratches are another item.

Of course, you could always put the heat shield back on!

[atomic13mgr]

Thanks guys. I guess I really don't have anything to lose at this point so I'm going to try polishing them out. Who knows, I may get to the point where I'll high polish them all together.

wtm442, who's the babe in your Cobra? LOL!

[wtm442]

Atomic13mgr - Just a girl I met at a car show.