How to WET SAND & POLISH your exhaust

[@DerekBaranProductions]

Thanks a ton for this Danny! Can't wait to get my Borla SHINNING!!

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

You bet!

[@snail415]

Solid rundown with no BS. Good tip on the blanket. As a surprise to my son, I used a DA polisher with foam pads and compound/polish on his mellophone (basically a bigger trumpet). It turned into a total shine-monster. Being an incoming HS freshman, he’s gonna get the stink-eye on the football field at halftime! 😂

[@zerkfiter]

I'm 62 now..I might have done something like this umm 40 years ago...like your spirit Dustin!

[@zerkfiter]

DANNY

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Thank you. You can always watch or instruct a young neighborhood kid :)

[@mrmoss149]

Age is only a number, my friend. I'm 65, with a broken back & screwed up right knee. I still get underneath the car to clean/ polish my exhaust. If you let age deter you, you will pretty much go downhill quickly. Doing this on my exhaust has helped with mobility and even arthritis. Where there is a will.....

[@zerkfiter]

@@mrmoss149 well I'm 67 1/2 now and since I've retired I can rest up and do some auto maintenance. But the arthritis limits me more than I'd like..Wish you well buddy.

[@rashadsmith3435]

Good job! Next go around polish it up and then spray it with some cerakote clear coat. It's designed to protect that beautiful finish so it looks awesome for years!

[@Wretched2JZ]

Where do you get that stuff? So it works for heat?

[@Wretched2JZ]

Wow talk about a rewarding job! My polisher guy I go to said try wet sanding but use WD40 instead of water and it really pulls the black out. But this looked like it worked great!

[@jason91205]

Man that’s awesome Danny! I have a magnaflow coming in for my new to me cobra and I will be doing this!

[@LordMelchiahX]

Thanks for your videos man. You put a lot of work into them and it shows.

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Nabil Jaser Thanks! I really try to make videos people will enjoy. I appreciate it!

[@justin.c_svt]

Loooks great. Your cobra will look and sound awesome with that. Best catback for the terminator.

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

I must Say it’s the best cat back for the terminator. Very lucky to have picked it up. We’ll have to make some videos

[@cpreviews8731]

Awesome video!. Can't wait to do that when i get my cobra. Hope to see them installed!.

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Yes sir. I’ll need to do the other side but plan to make a comparison video

[@wesleyschwinn7296]

Thank you for the video! That came out so great man, I’m about to start mine 👍🏻

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Wesley Schwinn cool! Good luck!

[@davidash7536]

Amazing work, great detailed video ASh

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Thanks Ash 😎

[@daltonpouliot364]

Thank you for the video, it was definitely insightful. Also, I’ve been trying to figure out a good price point for a polish job like this. I detail professionally and I would like to dabble in this area, but I’m not sure what a fair price would be for the amount of labor involved. Does 450-500 sound reasonable?

[@alexrezansoff588]

Charge at least $65 / hour

[@stang_space]

Came out great can’t wait to do mine!!

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

i still have to do the other side ha ha. But it’s worth it

[@stang_space]

Danny well you did open by saying you weren’t going to do the whole exhaust...lol! Enjoying your channel man, I started about 6 months ago and really appreciate all of your editing skills! It’s a lot of work! Started as a hobby, thinking KZbin will kill all us little bitty channels...but it’s fun!

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Hopefully all the small channels stay. That’s the way we all started. Thanks for supporting my channel :) I’ve subbed to yours

[@kevinmacdonald8980]

Borla pipes? Nice attention to details, both cars and the garage/shop.

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Kevin MacDonald Thanks!

[@kevinmacdonald8980]

Danny Johnson, how strong is the Mach1 compared to a GT?

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Kevin MacDonald A stock Mach 1 and Stock GT are both limited to about 450 rwhp before you’ll break a rod. The Mach 1 is easier to make power by about 40-50HP on any same setup. As far as the rear end goes, both are the same except the mach 1s come with 3.55 gears.

[@kevinmacdonald8980]

Is there a definite difference in performance and fuel economy between the two? Is the 4v as reliable as a 2v?

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Kevin MacDonald I have owned both. I have had issues with the 2V- especially the plastic intake manifold that cracks. The Mach 1 does not have coolant ports in the intake manifold (and the manifold is also all aluminum on the mach 1), so no leaks. The fuel economy is the same, but more power out of the 32V in the Mach 1

[@03SVTSANCHA]

BADASS MAN. GREAT VIDEOS!!!

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Thanks man!

[@SingleCabs_and_SuperMotos]

wow that came out nice!

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Thank you. It’s time consuming, but very worthwhile and easy to keep up on once it’s done.

[@MorbidThrasher666]

Wow it really came out nice.

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Thanks :)

[@Flammin1000]

Great video, definitely doing this to mine

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

nice! I still have the other side to do lol

[@RJon2006]

Looking forward to doing this on my new to me 03 cobra.

[@yazeedalbesaili9353]

Great video. Just did this on one part of my exhaust to try it out, and it came out great! But i wanted to ask, did you do the same process on the chrome tips also?

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

They are already polished, so just use the mag polish or 2,500 grit if they are super bad

[@yazeedalbesaili9353]

All right 👍🏼! Thanks danny. Really appreciate it.

[@jakskelington666]

After 4 years, this DIY is awesome. How would you go about cleaning the inside of an exhaust? To clarify, not looking to polish the inside, but to remove as much carbon buildup in the pipe/canister? Thanks!

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

I would try to run some kind of snake through it with parts cleaner. You want something that evaporates quickly and won’t stay in and burn when it’s put back on the car. The mothers ball with an extension of some sort might work with the exhaust in small pieces

[@jakskelington666]

@@dannyjohnsonsgarage I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the advice, very much appreciated.

[@gdb5448]

Good video. Doing this on the ground is a real pain. Do yourself a favor and buy(or build) a portable work bench. A 3' x 5' work surface with a height of approximately waist high works nicely. I made one out of scrap wood and put some casters on it. Think of a large kitchen island that you can move around. On nice days I'll roll it out in the driveway and work in the sunshine. I assure you, it's a game changer when doing projects such as this.

[@mrmoss149]

I was thinking the same... Maybe because I'm old...

[@darwinvasquez9633]

Thanks for video buddy 👍

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

You bet

[@aqeeldarwish4320]

great work man

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Thanks

[@ChevySS1968]

Nice video. Looked great after just a quick 400 grit, LOL. Hey, is that 304 or 409 stainless? I'm guessing 409, if it's turning brown. The 304 stainless is the good stuff that really maintains its looks. Thanks for posting the vid!

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Gee. I’m not sure. I don’t see it on the specs.

[@ChevySS1968]

304 will hold the luster, 409 not so much. Either way, looks awesome right now, haha!

[@AwesomeFinish]

Nice work! For those who want their IRS tailpipes to look like this but don't want to invest the time we do them here at Awesome Finish. Contact for more info!

[@bikesandfamily3082]

Nice video. Wheb shud i put elbow grease

[@krisf162]

Hey Danny sweet video! You have the best channel by far- especially for new cobra owners like myself! Question- did you sand the tips as well or just polish them with mag polish? Thx for the great content!

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

K F Thanks 👊🏼. The tips came polished, so I just hit them with mag aluminum polish

[@krisf162]

Danny Johnson I’m using your rear differential videos too! My rear diff is leaking so I got the same ford Motorsport cover you got. I was going to try to drop the cover without taking out the diff, but it’ll be a nightmare to torque everything properly I think. Anyhow thanks a million, love the content!

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

K F I’m glad you enjoy the videos. If you end up getting the hardware I show on the diff make sure all the holes are completely cleaned out.

[@felipetorres7501]

You don't have to put any kind of coating on borla pipes. I had a set of polished borlas and I just hit it with nevr dull like twice a year. It nevr dulled.

[@mron1141]

Great video. Thank you

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

MRON 1 Thank you

[@lukeduke3077]

I have a 2001 Bullitt Mustang GT wandering if the same exhaust would work on my car. I bought a whole exhaust kit off a 2004 Mystichrome my buddy destroyed? Thanks much!

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Luke Dukey The 03/04 Cobras have independent rear suspension, so it is not a direct fit if you have a stock rear end. I have seen some people “make it work,” but that may be a challenge

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Luke Dukey Here is my quick video on IRS vs solid rear kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaS2e2x_n76Wprc

[@lukeduke3077]

I bought the motor and trans from the car as well. Thanks so much atleast 150$ wasn't to much to spend.

[@ff23018]

Hey Danny does the exhaust stay shiny or does it oxidize and you have to keep touching it up? The reason I ask is because i did my snout and pulley on my Whipple

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

i’m sure with weather/ salt / snow etc it would need touching up, but by cutting it with all the sand paper it should otherwise stay shiny AND be super easy to polish up again. You don’t need to sand it anymore after you’ve done that

[@ff23018]

Danny Johnson thank god it took me forevor to sand them especially the pulley lol

[@ejlucas93]

Looks like I have another project on the list!

[@jasongetz_]

will this rust? do i need to clear coat or anything special if i do this on a pro curcuit pipe

[@CheesusSVT]

Wow😂 Night and day difference!

[@whocahs]

Damn I need to do this.

[@805hondajdm]

What number grit should i start on a brand new catback

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

800 should be fine

[@nite82hawk]

Where we're you able to get different grit single sheets of sandpaper? All I'm able to find is packs with only a few different grits and they're never what I'm looking for.

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

I went to a paint and glass store. There has to be a mom and pop construction store somewhere that would sell it

[@nite82hawk]

Danny Johnson I'll try to find some of those. Thanks

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Non Ya Good luck. It will be totally worth it

[@TheTerminator1919]

How long did this take? I hired someone to do this year's ago and it didn't turn out as nice. Great vid!

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

8 hours for the part shown and another 4 for the rest (if you see my install video it shows I did the rest of the cat back as well- couldn’t bare putting s dirty kit on lol).

[@RJon2006]

One more question, my exhaust tips have some rust spots and are not polished hardly at all. What do you recommend on those? Borla tips FYI.

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

You’ll have to ruin the finish borla did to sand down and polish like in this video

[@RJon2006]

@@dannyjohnsonsgarage I figured. Thanks!

[@AwesomeFinish]

How long did it take you from start to finish?

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

I was definitely half a Saturday from 6am to past noon, but taking video also requires more time. The sanding is extensive and you’ll be sore lol

[@danielpotter8957]

I want to do my motorbike exhaust headers. They're pretty clean already so can I just straight to a fine grit sandpaper and then polish?

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

You can always try the finest grit and if it doesn’t work go back to the most course. Extreme heat may cause the pipes to change color or become dull. As long as you aren’t removing a coating that was on them to prevent the heat coloration it should be fine

[@danielpotter8957]

@@dannyjohnsonsgarage thanks Danny

[@SuperSaiyan5sj]

Did u use that same process on the tips also?

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

The tips were already factory polished so I just used the mothers polish on them with the buffer

[@NHWilderness]

Nice can't wait 2 see it on the car

[@danieljaggers9593]

I may have overlooked this in the video, but are you also wet sanding the tips?

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Daniel Jaggers I did end up using just the 2,500 only on them since they had a lot of rubber burned onto them.

[@davidengstrom912]

What brand of sand paper did you use. Does 3M wet/dry sand paper work? Looking to do mine in the next few days

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

David Engstrom Yeah, I think it was the 3m brand, but as long as you get the proper grit it should be fine

[@davidengstrom912]

Thanks for the help. Will let you know how it goes

[@insanekiller9256]

Did u sand down your tips to or can u?

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

They are already factory polished, and I didn’t want to change them since they looked chrome plated, so I only cleaned them. I’m not sure.

[@RJon2006]

How long will this look last? Anything you can put on it to extend how long it stays?

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

The mothers polish does a good job. It depends on weather conditions. I haven’t needed to do anything since this was uploaded, but I don’t drive in the rain. A quick polish with mother’s mag polish doesn’t take long to keep it nice 👍🏼

[@RJon2006]

@@dannyjohnsonsgarage good to know. Mine won’t be driven in the rain on purpose but I will definitely drive it. Thanks for the information.

[@mrmoss149]

Mine is my daily ( wouldn't have it any other way) and the polish keeps it protected ( not mother's, although I do like their product). After rain, all I really have to do is wipe it down, but I usually throw another light coat of polish on. Makes keeping it clean LOTS easier.

[@ikramnanlawala4843]

Hey Danny, would you say this is the same process if the exhaust is made from aluminized steel whereas yours is stainless steel?

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Ikram Nanlawala It may not polish. My mac cat back did not

[@ikramnanlawala4843]

@@dannyjohnsonsgarage thanks for the response bro.

[@mrmoss149]

It may not polish, but using an all metal cleaner/ polish & 0000 steel wool work wonders. It'll damn sure look better.

[@marlostanfield1087]

Will they rust if you do this?

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Marlo Stanfield maybe a little. This is stainless so it shouldn’t be that bad

[@marlostanfield1087]

Danny Johnson Any tips to prevent it from rusting? I live in Arizona, but I still worry about rust. Thanks

[@TEMS03COBRA]

Fack that lol. I tried doing it by hand and said eff no, it’s gonna take me forever. So I just used a D/A and finished it with metal polish. Came out good but thanks to your vid I knew what sand paper to use. Thanks bud 👍🏽

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

TEMS03COBRA I was SORE the next few days! LOL

[@04sleeper]

Since I am the originator, I'll leave my "How To" link www.svtperformance.com/forums/threads/how-to-polish-your-exhaust.568983/

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

Very cool!

[@dannyjohnsonsgarage]

I also tried the mother’s ball and it didn’t work nearly as well as the “rabbits foot”