Project 37, a 1993 VFR750, arrived at the sprawling V4 Dreams facility (my garage) sporting this very cool period-correct Yoshimura slip-on muffler. It has seen better days, but shows minimal rash and has the mellow bass sound that makes the Yosh so desirable…IMHO.
It would never do to mount this piece on this minty VFR refurbishment without doing our best to bring it back to its glory. The aluminum muffler itself is scuffed, scratched and dulled from years of neglect, and its connector pipe is surface rusted. The mounting strap has rubbed a scar into the aluminum but the "Yoshimura" nameplate is in great condition. Aluminum is forgiving, so I know we can perform a little magic on this piece.
The sequence I'll use is:
• A thorough cleaning
• De-rust the connector pipe
• Repair the bruises in the aluminum
• Sand & polish the aluminum
• Paint the connector pipe
Lacking a media blaster, I attack the rust mechanically with a rotary brush followed by a soak in gel rust remover. Two applications of the gel together with wire brushing gets me a rust-free surface. I don't want to apply paint at this point as it will be handled a lot during the aluminum work, so I'll save painting for the final step.
(click on an image to enlarge)
It would never do to mount this piece on this minty VFR refurbishment without doing our best to bring it back to its glory. The aluminum muffler itself is scuffed, scratched and dulled from years of neglect, and its connector pipe is surface rusted. The mounting strap has rubbed a scar into the aluminum but the "Yoshimura" nameplate is in great condition. Aluminum is forgiving, so I know we can perform a little magic on this piece.
The sequence I'll use is:
• A thorough cleaning
• De-rust the connector pipe
• Repair the bruises in the aluminum
• Sand & polish the aluminum
• Paint the connector pipe
Lacking a media blaster, I attack the rust mechanically with a rotary brush followed by a soak in gel rust remover. Two applications of the gel together with wire brushing gets me a rust-free surface. I don't want to apply paint at this point as it will be handled a lot during the aluminum work, so I'll save painting for the final step.
(click on an image to enlarge)
(Below) I'll begin the aluminum work by sanding with the mildest grit wet/dry paper I can use but still aggressive enough to get through the surface corrosion and light scratches, in this case 400-grit. When that's completed, I can see the more severely damaged spots which I'll blend out using a dual-action sander with an aggressive pad. With the scratch blended I'll need to smooth the sanding marks with progressively finer wet/dry paper, ending at 800-grit. Be prepared to spend some time gently massaging the soft aluminum, ending with a sanding motion in a single direction — I go around the muffler, as opposed to lengthwise.
For a comparison, here's a look at the muffler with the right half finished-sanded, ready for polish. Next, I'll tape off the "Yoshimura" plate to protect its finish and complete the left side. The "Yosh" plate itself will be buffed with a mild polishing compound.
Next, I apply aluminum polish. You can take the polishing to whatever level you wish…I like to just get a nice sheen to show off the "soft" look of aluminum without making it chrome-like. Finally, I tape off the aluminum and apply the high-temp flat black paint to the connector pipe. After a few days, I'll rub the black paint with a dry microfiber cloth which will change the flat finish to a factory-like low sheen. The finished project is a fitting compliment to this beautiful VFR.
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