NEED TO CLEAN MY ALUMINIUM INTAKE

[The Body God]

Glass bead breaks down, and it can get contaminated with other things. Water in the air line can cause an issue, but if a Blast Cab has GLASS BEAD then it needs a bit of care to keep that glass bead clean or replace it, but I have used glass bead in mine for 10-15 yrs and done many aluminum intakes etc and they look great.

[Daves70SS]

I glass bead my aluminum parts and then I lightly buff them with #0000 steel wool.
Looks great and won't get dirty as fast as just plain glass beading them.
If you do get grease.oil or fuel stains on them it will clean up nicely using carb cleaner or brake clean as stated before.

[SuperNovaSS]

I agree with dave. I medium grit glass bead and 000 or 0000 steel wool pulls the shine and the oil in the wool helps rtect the aluminum. Speed bead by TP tools works well too. Way faster that glass bead. I usually finish with plastic media to tone the finish a bit.


Jason

[CamarosRus]

Almost everybody but Mr "M" misses the point. Not sure if any blasting is always neccessary, but the vibrating, tumbling action in a aluminum or ceramic media with a detergent solution, does all the work, whilst the "NEW SKIN" is being formed.

Members who live in larger metropolitan areas, may be able to find machine shops or deburring vendors who have this tumbling/vibrator.

Many parts rebuilders (any that are left in USA) have them to restore misc core parts...........

This isnt rocket science......if you make some phone calls & google some searches!!!!!!!

[Jerry@CHP]

The media used in the tumbler takes time to figure out. Dozens of different cermaic media to pick from. Also the cycle time on how long its tumbled is important or your part will come out looking like chrome. And if not carefull, you can remove the numbers and logos.

Took me about 3-4 months to break the code on doing them correctly. What's nice when the parts are done, is they won't look dirty again, dust and dirt don't stick to parts as it would when glass beading and you just wipe it down with a paper towel and brake clean. Low maintanance.

Jerry

[BJCHEV396]

Again thanks for all the input.That's what makes this site so good and informative.And if you 've noticed I have my Caps Lock off.Some members got their underwear in a knot over it.

[RamAirDave]

[ QUOTE ]
I glass bead my aluminum parts and then I lightly buff them with #0000 steel wool.
Looks great and won't get dirty as fast as just plain glass beading them.
If you do get grease.oil or fuel stains on them it will clean up nicely using carb cleaner or brake clean as stated before.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's been my experience as well. Low psi bead blast (30-35 siphon, which wont even harm your hand) , followed with a fine steel wool. Looks really good, takes maybe an hour.

Ive read many times on the various boards that bead blasting an intake will make one more susceptible to staining. Maybe it's in incorrect application (media, too much psi, I don't know?), because all of the ones I've done clean up very easily. And not just cleaning up fresh leaks/spills, but even after some time and after being heat-cycled a few times, a quick wipe with wax/grease/silicone remover cleans it right up.

Not saying it'll look exactly like tumbled/skinned, but for those "how to" guys, you can get pretty good results:

[BJCHEV396]

Hey Dave,thanks for taking the time posting the info and great pics.I appreciate it.Bill.

[m22mike]

Dave

Thanks for that post. I have done a few just like this,does not harm the original texture much, and for whatever reason I use WD 40 with the 0000 wool rubdown. Then a real hot bath in soap and water and I am done. Later clean up with a short china bristle brush and WD 40 and alot of this....
I think this process would stand up to any in a blind test.

Mike

[BJCHEV396]

Thanks a bunch Mike!