polish or paint (pictures)

[lilatv]

I noticed some worn paint on the aluminum parts so I decided to hit it with some 800 grit sandpaper then some fine steel wool and it looks pretty good.

I could go either way...any reason to do one over the other? I plan to polish the head and paint the cylinder back to original black but as far as the other related parts I dunno whether to paint or polish...since its aluminum it makes the polishing tempting. Lemme know

[lilatv]

Any thoughts appreciated

[chuck]

I think polishing it will look good. but I dont think you will have a shiny look for long with all the dirt and branches hitting it. It will look beat up pretty quick. painting it will be easier to maintain but powder coating it will last the the longest.

[lilatv]

I don't think it'll see many tree branches...probably not a lot of mud. Powder coating would be nice. I am still undecided, if I paint it'll get scratched if I polish then it may get dull but I can repolish and worse case scenario I can repaint (thinking in print). Good points though. Thanks for the reply

[Dan Tenn]

Why not polish, then paint with clearcoat?