cleaning aluminum intakes

[musclcar]

looking at my edelbrock TR1-X tunnel ram it's a dull spotted gray finish to it.i've heard of a few ways to clean them and they are: 1) bead blasting 2) spray on acid cleaner 3) easy off oven cleaner.i want to get that new intake look and try and keep it looking good.now to keep it looking good is there something like a clear coat or ?? that won't turn yellow or glossy.

[Bill Rose]

I sand blasted my intake with a cheap Sears blaster and it came out nice. I used fairly fine sand. I've also found the lacquer thinner is a good product to keep it clean when it's on the motor. I put lacquer thinner in a small spray bottle, spray it on and wipe the stains off with a clean rag..

[Bill Rose]

I sand blasted my intake with a cheap Sears blaster and it came out nice. I used fairly fine sand. I've also found that lacquer thinner is a good product to keep it clean when it's on the motor. I put lacquer thinner in a small spray bottle, spray it on and wipe the stains off with a clean rag..

I don't know if there is any clear that won't yellow.

[Salvatore]

I am not a fan of sandblasting aluminum intakes. I feel it ruins the original aluminum sheen. Like the valve covers clean them real good but not sandblasting. Call Jerry MacNeish, he will re-skin it for you. (Camaro High Performance) JMO Sam

[NCGuy68]

[ QUOTE ]
I am not a fan of sandblasting aluminum intakes. I feel it ruins the original aluminum sheen.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree 100%. I've tried a number of methods over the years and plastic media blasting works the best for a OEM finish. I then use "Nyalic" from Eastwood to keep it looking factory. Any other coatings will dull, chip, peel or yellow. I've gotten good results from this process.

A alternative is to have MacNeish 're-skin' it. Jerry does nice work, but you still are faced with preserving that finish.

[Belair62]

There is a process that machine shops use where they tumble the piece in something very mild...can't remember what the hell it is though.

[hvychev]

This is a good question for me too. I am going to do mine in the spring on my Deuce along with adding the correct valve covers, water pump, and other cosmetic corrections that need to be made.

Belair, do you know a good place around here that I can take mine to be done at?

[musclcar]

so your saying a competant machine shop could clean the intake.the tunnel ram also has grease pen or paint pen swap meet prices on it.

[mrrec]

The GM engineer has some good info and I believe a good deal of it applies.

I own a small mfg co and have experience with new alum castings. Not all castings are media blasted, though, after shakeout (removal from the mold) and I don't know what they did in the musclecar era on trans parts and intakes. You can bet there is not one right answer!

Sand castings (intakes, trans main cases) are very bright (almost aluminum paint bright) as cast in many cases. You can duplicate this with an older casting (regardless if it has been blasted before) with a "brite dip" in acid. There are several formulations including 94% Phosphoric acid, 6% Nitric acid. I glass bead first, then dip. Contact time of the acid determines brightness. It works.

Die cast aluminum cannot have the original finish (skin) restored by media blasting. As cast, diecast has a much darker, smoother look. Once you blast it (vibratory, tumbling, media blasting), you're done. I have not found any procedure to accurately replicate this finish (just find a tailshaft housing someone hasn't messed with!).

The "reskinning" thing is a misnomer. You really can't "reskin" (and like the GM engineer said, sand cast aluminum doesn't have a skin anyway). I had McNeish do an intake to see what he was doing and it is appears to be just a media blast (media unkown). I've done the same with glass beads. It does look nice, though.

Cast iron "reskining" by those saying they do that is probably ceramic coating. Sand cast cast iron does have a bit of a darker colored "skin" in some cases. I had a set of exh manifolds for my Z16 ceramic coated in grey, then painted them Chev orange as proper. Hopefully, as the orange burns off over most of the body, they'll reveal the grey and stay that way.

Dave

[Charley Lillard]

Dave...For those of us who are now going out to look for Phosphoric and Nitric acids.... Where to get ? Dangers ? Did time suggestions ? Containers ? Disposal ? Shelf life ? Can we all send you our stuff ?