Removing/buffing scratches on bellypan

[predatorr03]

I don't know if somebody did this already but i found it worked pretty good!
i had big deep scratches on my bellypan and found a little trick to make them almost dissapear.You need a heatgun and some sandpaper (beer is optional).I used a 80 grit beltsander belt but 120 to 150 might work better.you simply heat your plastic with the heatgun set on hi until the surface gets softer and lightly roll the sandpaper over it.For the lighter scratches,they just kind of blend in because of the heat.Be careful not to overheat and melt or distord your plastics.You could start underneath to get the hang of it.The only problem is that the plastic gets a little shinier where it was heated.

 

[cjgodden]

Thats pretty cool. Thanks for the tip.

 

[TLKDPROD]

Grrrreat tip, thanks !
That bottom pulley sure ate that bellypan pretty good hein !!!
You might want to cover it up, snow might pack in there and make the "Taourq-limit-her-system" to slip as hell... Or cover it up and go with a chain drive system !

 

[Beeline]

Thanks for the good info. 2 part epoxy( the black and white stuff ) will make a dark grey when mixed. I used this to take out a large gouge as well .

 

[buffaloHAWK]

great idea but...

not sure it will work over all my rivets and sheet metal!! the skid plates do hide most of it though..

 

[Nightrain]

I like to cover up my scratches with more scratches

 

[buffaloHAWK]

soon nighttrain soon

you will be able to cover your scratches with rivets and sheet metal too

 

[snowhawk jockey]

Back in the day, when Vince and Vince were touring the states for Boivin, maybe spring of '04?...

I was asking what I could do to buff out the plastic and little Vince smiled at me and said, "use a torch with a wide, not pointed, flame and gently wave the flame over the surfaces." I laughed until I tried it and got a like new finish on my scratched up hood!! On the smooth plastic like the hood, it will resurface to a shine and on the rough stuff like the belly pan, it turns the scratches back into the same type of bumpy texture that is stock.

edit to add: "this is factory technique for polishing plastic," Vince said!

The key is DO NOT OVER HEAT the surface you are working or it will run and puddle, looking like shizzzle... If you move the torch away and the spot is still wet looking after a second, YOU ARE OVERHEATING. I held my hand right next to the plastic I was flaming and used it as a heat gauge to keep the surface from overheating. You will see that less is more and there is a fine line between getting the surface to shine and having it flow with too much heat.

I practiced on the inside of the hood and got it down in a couple of passes, then moved to the top of the hood to finish.

YMMV

 

[predatorr03]

that makes a lot sense,i'll try that!

 

[snowhawk jockey]

I gotta add that the FIRST thing to do is clean the surfaces with soap and a pressure washer. The plastic is very porous and retains lots of dirt/dust. This dirt will be permanently impregnated in the plastic if it gets flamed in. Solvents shouldn't be used in the cleaning process.

 

[predatorr03]

Tried the propane torch and had better results whith the heat gun ,maybe the technique wasnt right!