Beretta.net

just posting some progress and finished pics up for everyone to enjoy.

a little info on the steps i took:
-to start off, i used 80 grit with a d/a to get through the casting bumps and flaws
-once the plenum was smooth, i started sanding by hand
-i started with 100 grit, and once all of the 80 grit sand scratches were removed, i went to 220, then 320, then 500, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, and wetsanded with a trizac pad with a d/a to remove the rest of the visible scratches.
-next, i went to my local discount tool store, and picked up an aluminum polishing kit. the kit i picked up for a drill was a waste, because it doesnt spin near fast enough to really polish the aluminum. so i went back and picked up a polishing bonnet that is used on a bench grinder. that worked very well!
-next, i slowly went around the plenum, using little compound and lightly running the intake across the machine.

results!!!







any further questions feel free to ask! i will be starting on the valve covers here soon, which i will add to the post

very shinny i like it..

Nice work. Lots of elbow grease was needed too I bet. LOL

Very nice. I'd cut those stupid ears off the front though..

well, 12 hours of sanding. so yes, a lot and a lot and a lot of elbow grease. haha


as for the ears, i would, but talking to dave (superdave) he regretted cutting them off. so i figure if i decide i dont need em, i can just grind and re-polish

Im not into shiny stuff but thats sexy

3400beretta wrote:Very nice. I'd cut those stupid ears off the front though..

my thought exactly.

cut the ears off an re-polish the front and it would look so much cleaner up front.

nice work though. i tried it a few years back with a 3400 UIM but after awhile i gave up and went for the smooth painted look.

good god... the work involved in doing this is insaine... Hell I'm worred about having to polish my TB spacer and TB... and possibly my intake tubes... I cant even imagine having to do a plenum... YUCK! lol

Good job though.

Your a better man than I am. I only polished the top surface on mine and it was a PITA. After 2 years of salt and no upkeep it looks like crap again

Engine enamel FTW! haha

Wow!

wonder if my 3.1 plenum could look that shinny LOL, i sanded it a little to clean it up some but ran outta paper so stuck it back on for now and i needed to drive it, when i put my turbo engine in and the turbo plenum maybe ill see if i can polish it up like that.

Looks really good..

If you think 12 hours of sanding is alot.. try fiber-glassing your Dash LOL... mine was cracked, peeled it all off and tryed to glue material to it with proper glue, never stuck worth a dam. so i remember watching my cousin fiber-glass his door skins on his brand new car, so i thought why cant i do that to my dash... 4 or 5 layers of braided cloth 3 or 4 liters of resin, and a gallon of bondo, i probably sanded over half that gallon off, and i done it all by hand except a quick go over with a D-A at the end, its just primer, but it needs to come out and be touched up and painted, i had it out for the 2 years i had the car and when i was putting it on the road i had 3 days to finish it and get it in there cuz i wanted to drive it lol.
I probably have like 400 hours of sanding work into it over the 2 years i worked on it from time to time.

That looks DAMN good.

looks great you wanna sell it??? j/p

Im not a big fan of the 3500 upper.But when they look like that i am.That reminds me i need to send money to barry.LOL