Okay, i had not cleaned them in a while, so it was a time consuming process to take all the mess off, but the results are worth it imo.

Here is the first pic, before anything was done.



I sprayed the tips with a little water to soften it up a little. I then took some Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish and scrubbed the inside with the rough side of a sponge. This was the most time consuming part as I had not cleaned it in a while the build up was bad.

I cleaned it all off and applied more Mother's with some NuFinish car polish. I then scrubbed for a while longer. I did the same thing on the outside but it did not take near as long.

After that I took an old cut up soft t-shirt and drapped it over the tips and polished it while pulling down.

After this i took some windex to take off all the smudges and this is what I got:



and



And BTW, it is not sunny here today, if it was the pictures would look tremendously better.

 

i need to clean mine too!!!!!!!!!

 

Looks awesome...I would clean mine but my Bassani is on it's way

 

I am sooooooo glad I got Bassani

BTW for stock tips those look great.

--Joe

 

Dr. D- you were right. . .Once a Lightning addict- always a Lightning addict. . . .

WantALight: The more you do that same process, the better your results will be. You did a great job BTW. Especially on the inside. It's alot of work and often it gets taken for granted by the masses. The before and after pics really tell the story. Here's what mine looked like about 6 months ago -doing the same process you did:


Keep in mind, too, that my tips were almost destroyed by Ceramabryte. . .but fortunately Mother's brought 'em back.

Good job on the tips!!!

Later,

WrongdayJ

 

Tips Look great,,and the stock tips look the best, IMho.. Looks like Lightning Tips...

 

Fine Job! So good in fact that next time you're in PA you have my permission to work your magic on my truck.

 

Sorry, but they look great for 2 days( or less if it rains) Stainless is the way to go without question. I have a set on my 95 L and they are virtually maintainance free! I don't know why i waited to put them on my 01 L, but they will be on in a week.

 

BUT, can you get a set of stainless tips that simply BOLT-ON in place of the stockers? Or is there welding in order?

I want a set that just bolts on!!

 

Come on, Mike! Exhaust is meant to be welded. Takes a few minutes and lasts forever. Bolt ons?? Thats like puting a crown on your molar with scotch tape. Do it right or don't do it at all!

 

Simple Green.
I just spray it in and on the tips before a wash. Cuts through the carbon build up no problem. It's biodegradable, so it won't hurt anything. To get in the tips I just rub my finger around the inside to get what I can reach.

 

Carb and Choke cleaner ... Cleans my SS ones
right up ....

Noooooo comparison to stock .... LOL

 

Thanks, mine last a over a week, but it makes the truck look a lot neater.

 

i use wenol and wax them on ocassion.
in between i just take a wet paper towel.
wipe them down and a year old they still look good.

 

The problem with the stock tips getting dirty quickly is solved by waxing (yes. . .waxing them) after they're polished. I use any old cheap wax I have around, but some guys here use the good stuff with good results, too. After I treated mine like this they require little or no maintenance. Just a simple buff now and then with a terry towel and they look great. Once a month or so I give 'em the full treatment, but only because I'm a neurotic clean freak when it comes to the trucks, not because it's truly needed.

Then again. . . IT NEVER RAINS here in AZ, so I suppose you guys that live in soggy climates are more knowledgeable about the effect of bad weather/rain and polished metals.


Later,

WrongdayJ