I've just started to give it a little cleaning.
A little wipe-down with Simple Green, for starters. I also got rid of the full bag, and vacuumed the inside of the outer bag.
I sure wish I lived near one of the Kirby masters. Even though I got this ol' girl for free, I'd love for it to look its absolute best. Without stripping it down completely, and machine polishing, that's never going to happen.
I used a metal polish that I've gotten good results with in the past; just in a small, inconspicuous area. It gives it a little more shine, but it doesn't touch the blotches in the finish that look sort of like liver spots or something.
I'll have to settle for getting it "better", but not great. And, despite my lack of knowledge and skills, I'm a perfectionist. So, of course, as I'm wiping it down, I'm seeing all the little details that I'd like to improve.
I now feel like it needs all four wheels replaced, as opposed to just the rears. Maybe a new headlight lens, etc.
And, sure...those are affordable, and easy enough to replace. But, I'm still going to focus on the tarnished aluminum.
I don't know if Mother's would do a better job. Seems like a lot of people highly recommended it. Or, since I have to settle for just hand polishing, without a full disassembly, I'd probably still just get mediocre results.
Also, I've discovered a couple of places where there's a small hole in the plastic parts, and I don't know if there's supposed to be screws in them. I'll try to take a couple of pictures and post them.
Barry