polished Series body

[LH Drive]

I know i've seen photos of stripped to bare aluminum series rovers but has anyone ever polished one? My plan was to strip the layers of paint one panel at a time then paint my rover next year. I started with the front apron and wanted to see how it would look polished. This thing is bright when the sun hits it. All these ideas are poping up like polishing the tranny, t-case and painting all the steel (bulkhead, wheels, frame)Gun Metal Gray. Keep the galvinized cappings the same. Fab a custom brushed stainless steel Series 3 dash to get rid of the padded/plastic stuff. I know i'm just dreaming and all this would do nothing to my fuel MPG. Just driving a Series Rover in any condition turns heads anywhere you go. But it would make it even more unique.

[ArmyRover]

I've seen pics of this and there are some on here use the search and I'm sure they'll turn up.

I think it looks damn cool but the up keep would be a nightmare.

[XtremeMarine]

Bill Davis has a polished one at GBR. Either a series one, or an early two. I had pictures of it his daughter sent me a long time ago, but they were lost in one my old computers. Looked really good. My hybrid is getting all the cappings regalvanized, the bulkhead, breakfast, wheels, and bumpers powdercoated, and the body panels sanded to 400 grit. Not fully polished, and a little pattern in them from the DA, so that off-road rash is easier to fix. If it was polished, a trail scratch would show worse than on paint.

[AAXD]

There's a polished series for sale on craigslist here recently. I can't seem to find the ad now though.

[antichrist]

I wouldn't do it if you're going to paint it later, unless you want the extra work. Al will oxidize and dull before long when left bare and you'll have to go over it again before you paint it as Al has to be treated just before you paint it.
If you want to keep it bright, you'll have to put a sealer on it, which again would have to be stripped before painting.

[g7jtk]

Go for it. I think this looks cool and if the body pannels on my lightweight were in good condition I would already have done it.
This one is from the Dunsfold Collection website.

[AAXD]

Originally Posted by AAXD

There's a polished series for sale on craigslist here recently. I can't seem to find the ad now though.

I was in Anchorage yesterday and happened to drive past the polished 88" that I saw on craigslist. I was in the back seat of a van and it caught my eye from half a mile down the road, though I couldn't even tell it was a Rover at that distance. It shone like a mirror in the sun and was actually a little irritating without sunglasses. Might want to consider that before polishing your body.

[TerryS]

Unless you plan on leaving it in the garage, permanantly, it's about as practical as tits on a bullfrog. My all time favorite plane is a polished DC-3, but they are somewhat less likely to get scratched up the way your Rover might.

[Thor]

I saw a 109 polished in Albuquerque at a stop light. We exchanged compliments about our Rovers. It was a nice sunny day and I came close to needing cataract surgery after looking at it in the Southwestern daytime sun! Really cool, though I'd recommend using it at night only! hahahaha

[LH Drive]

Just finished stripping the paint off my straight doors and found some dents patched up with good ol' bondo. I'm sure bondo is all over the body as well. As much as I would like to polish it, I'll need new straight body panels if I want it to look right. So out with the polished idea for now. I removed the bondo and need to purchase a hammer and dolie kit to get some of the deeper dents out. The aluminum does'nt look that bad dinged up and sanded to 400 grid.

[zed]

I know mirror or highly reflective finishes "such as polished metal" are illegal car "colors" in some places. Friend of mine painted his piece of crap with "chrome" paint as a joke.. got a ticket.. paid a fine.. had the inspection yanked till corrected.


But yea. aluminum doesn't stay shiny long. It may not rust, but it is very reactive in its own way.