Well, it's a tad bit cleaner after the soak in Simple Green and then the pressure wash. some stuff is just embedded too deep in the aluminum.

 

Looking good Housedad. Did a similar resto on an 2004 Polaris I got . On earlier post said you were going to bedline racks I use a product called REFINISH RESTORER from therightcarstuff.com on my chevy avalanche faded black plastics works great [highly recommend] would bring the racks back to almost new condition Ive used on my plastic atv racks and worked great might want to give a look

 

Thanks for the compliments. I have already pressure washed the racks. The amount of exposed fiberglass fuzz increased drastically. All the white oxidation was removed, but the fiberglass still gives it a salt and pepper look somewhat. It needs to be covered in a thick layer and after doing a test of the liner on a board a few vdays ago, It looks like just the ticket.. On the plus side, the fiberglass sticking up will form a really good bonding for the liner. I'll see if I can take pics of the fuzz.

The liner paint goes on tomorrow. It hardens from humidity in the air and they say it should fully harden in 4 to 5 days. So it will be a small delay.

While that hardens, the new front springs can go in and the wiring for the 3 point hitch. At the same time, the wheels come off, and the brakes get done. I had noticed that the brake lever was hard and braking was mushy. After years of sitting there, the rotors were rusted, and after driving around the yard for a while, I see that only the rear rotor is getting shiny. The front rotors have not changed and that means the calipers are likely frozen up. So, it will be inspection time tomorrow for the brake system and the AWD hubs. Then order parts. I'm hoping the ATV will probably be at 100% in about two weeks.

After pressure washing. All those white dots are fiberglass fibers sticking out. Since they are thicker fibers than what you find in wall insulation, they are painful rather than itchy if you rub them into your skin.


A closer view to show just how many there are as they reflect the light from the flash.

 

The glass fibers add strength to the plastic part but they need to be covered and sealed or the plastic part can become weaker from moisture intrusion. Worked in plastic mold building many years back. Your making nice progress, be sure you flush out the hydraulic brake system thoroughly while your doing the brakes, old brake fluid can cause failure when you might need them the most. Thanks for all the updates...while a lot of work, also looks like fun!

 

Well, guess what I found out. What the darn plastic racks are made of. Found an article that explains from 2004. Guess my Google-Fu still works.

Resin racks replace steel on ATV


From the article: "The injection-molded racks are made of Celstran PP FG40 02 LFRT, which contains 40% long-glass fibers in a polypropylene matrix."

 

Thanks for the heads up, but I got it covered. I've done several hundred brake jobs on trucks, cars, and motorcycles between family and friends over the years. This is going to be a full overhaul/replacement probably. I never take short cuts with brake systems. The life you save WILL be your own.

 

Currently spraying the Herculiner. Dang if this stuff almost dry to the touch looks like metallic wrinkle finish. I like it. The new front and rear bumpers are black wrinkle. They may go well together.
Edit: I just took the rear bumper out of the box and compared it to the front plastic. Wow, this is a really close match on finish and look. They both glisten in the sun the same way and have the same visual texture. The Herculiner is a tad bit shinier, though.




Here is the new rear bumper compared with the Herculiner.

 

Sometimes I just can't help being an impatient child. I just had to see it, so I just stuck them in place for a few minutes, no screws. I took them all off and put them back in the garage to dry after the pics. The lid got one more coat after this. The other parts were all done. Three coats total.

 

That stuff looks awesome!! Do you need a special gun to spray that stuff?

 

No, it's a rattle can. Just using good spraying techniques I developed over the years. Shake the can for more than 1 minute. Keep shaking every couple of minutes to keep it mixed. Spray something like a board to get used to the spray pattern and volume of flow. Practice a little. Clean and scrub the part well. Scuff if needed on smooth surfaces. Apply paint with smooth, straight, overlapping strokes. Learn to keep your distance and maintain speed and nozzle pressure. We all tend to start getting too close as we spray. For holes and odd shapes, use very quick shots from a longer distance away. A two inch hole only needs 5 very quick light shots per coat One for the bottom and at an angle in from 4 sides to cover a thin coat. Keep it thin in the holes and do extra coats . Do the holes and such first. Keep the coats even. I found Herculiner spray is pretty forgiving as far as a spray paint aerosol goes. One more thing: check that the batch numbers are the same on all the cans to keep the color shades the same. Edit: It took 3 cans total.

This stuff: