instead of buying an aftermarket strut bar that probably would not have made a difference performance wise i decided to polish the factory strut bar. the results were awesome, and deceive many people into thinking that the strut bar was purchased. here is how i did it:
if you think this will be too much work, take a look at the last link at the bottom of the page(finished bar), definately worth it!!!!
materials:
strypeeze, steel wool (triple zero and three), gloves, mask, mothers, mibro 1st, 2nd and third stages(if you deem it necessary), terry cloths, drill and polishing wheel(not completely necessary), dremel with polishing bit and grinding bit.
1) make a trip to lowes, home depot etc... and pick up a can of strypeeze(seen in one of the pics below). it is a paste that is brushed onto a painted surface. this stuff softens the paint prior to removing it. no sand paper involved! make sure to use rubber gloves that are made to withstand thinners, laquers, varnish etc.. and a mask to help prevent headaches from the vapors. use in a ventilated area! after removing the strut bar from the vehicle and seperating the mounts from the bar, lay the bar out on card board. begin to brush on the strypeeze in thick coats with a cheap paint brush. cover the whole bar(minus mounts) with the paste. if you want to polish the mounts apply strip ease to those as well. i suggest painting them. let it sit for an hour.
2) put your gloves back on and begin to strip the paint with number 3 steel wool. strip paint in a back and forth motion not in a circular motion. i used triple zero steel wool but it's not as fast in stripping the paint then 3. strip the whole bar, pay extra attention to the the weld points. the bar will appear grayish, your reflection appears as a shadow on the bar.
3) you can do what i did on mine or you can go directly to step 5. i did mine a bit diffently than my buddies but it netted similar results(mine did look slightly better though)
4) i used a three step polishing system from a company called mibro. i bought this at lowes. these bars(3 of them) are like big crayons. first step is for heavy cleaning, second is for medium cleaning and third is for polishing. just rub the first stage stuff into the metal holding it like a crayon. do small sections at a time(6inch sections) then buff out with a terry cloth. as you finish the bar with the first stage, the terry cloth will have become black. use a new terry cloth for the second and third stages. for the second and third stages, just do as you did with the first stage, rub in the cleaner then buff. complete the prior stage before going to the next. by the time you are done, the metal should be reflective and you should now be able to see your reflection in it. there will probably be faint lines in the metal from the mibro cleaner. these will polish off in the next step. this process will take about two and a half hours to three hours.
5) start buffing the bar with mothers polish to give it the final polish needed. i used triple zero steel wool to apply the mothers and a terry cloth to remove it. do not apply in a circular motion, apply in a back and forth motion. i used a polishing wheel on my drill to assist in the polishing(remove only). i used a dremel on the welds to get the black off. i used a soft metal grinding wheel and a cotton like polishing tip with my dremel. this process will take about an hour and a half to two hours. polish till you are satisfied with the results.
after you are complete you can wipe down the bar then spray clear coat on it to protect it against rust. however, i did not do this to mine and it has never shown signs of rust. be sure to polish the bar from time to time to help keep it's appearance. i use blue majic liquid metal polish to keep my bar's appearance up. mothers, blue majic or eagle one polishes should be fine for this!
here are pics of the process in stages as well as a final pic!
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/se_rckt/v...c=ph%26.view=t
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/se_rckt/v...c=ph%26.view=t
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/se_rckt/v...c=ph%26.view=t
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/se_rckt/v...c=ph%26.view=t
http://gallery.thevboard.com/users/XeUz/FOCQ/6.jpg
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