Thread: cleaning intake help?

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have an edelbrock aluminum intake its really dirty and has some paint on it whats the best way to clean it? with out turning it dull color?

Use paint remover on the paint, and then clean it with oven cleaner.

Pat

I would stay away from oven cleaner. I have had some brands of oven cleaner on some aluminum parts turn them that dull dark gray color. The best thing I have used to clean aluminum is coil brite, acid based coil cleaner. It is used to clean ac coils. Leaves the aluminum bright. It won't remove paint so use paint remover for that. It can be found at any air cond supply house. If that is unavilable aluminum wheel cleaner, foaming kind. Its based on same acid just not as strong. If not too tarnished will brighten up aluminum. Hope this helps.

I would try Eagle One Etching Mag Cleaner, I've used it on my all aluminum LS1 engine with great results. For the painted areas, you might need to use a stiff bristled brush to break the paint loose. All Advanced Auto parts has the Eagle One products on sale for $3.99, it's worth a shot and won't break the bank.

Mike

From reading your post I take it your opposition to bead blasting is that it dulls the look somewhat. It does, but IMO not too far from the look of a brand new manifold out of the box. I just toss mine in the blast cabinet and in a few minutes you have a pretty new looking manifold with the added advantage of clean gasket surfaces and underside.

Both the manifolds below on the sbf and olds engines are over 20 years old and have been blasted a few times during their life.

Don

i've always used cold parts cleaner,dry it off and apply clear engine paint or if you want a really shinny intake polish it,its not that hard and will cost very little than having a shop polish it.

If it's only a small area that's cruddy looking, then a cleaner can be used. I do agree with Don about a quick trip to a bead blaster. I did mine that way then off to Jet-Hot for coating. Now that's a way to keep an intake clean.

This is a little different answer to your original question ,while the bead blasted look is fine and a good look and pretty painless to achieve....

The jet hot is a great option at higher price ,but pretty bulletproof...

I would polish it while you have it off......some sand paper and a little polish will give it a look no other method can match...just be shure to clean and wax it real good before reinstalling it,that will make the shine last longer.

Nothing like the gleam of polished aluminum to brighten the engine up!

This is a little different answer to your original question ,while the bead blasted look is fine and a good look and pretty painless to achieve....

The jet hot is a great option at higher price ,but pretty bulletproof...

I would polish it while you have it off......some sand paper and a little polish will give it a look no other method can match...just be shure to clean and wax it real good before reinstalling it,that will make the shine last longer.

Nothing like the gleam of polished aluminum to brighten the engine up!

http://www.clubhotrod.com/photopost/...00&ppuser=4867

Ok, now that its cleaned what would you use to "keep" the look? Some rattle can clear? Or leave it as is?

If you want it to look nice get it vapour blasted, Its a lovely finish. it leaves a much smoother finish that dirt don't stick to anywhere near as bad as a cast surface.

I have used many of the above methods. I have found that the oven cleaners work great on cast iron but too tough on aluminum. Shot blasting gives a nice look but don't sand blast. For some reason, the sand blast gives a more undesireable look (dull) than actual shot. Also, more recent (new) shot is a better choice. I have painted an intake with the clear engine enamel and after it got hot, it turned a yellow color.

black beauty will make the intake look like new .it very sharp so it can cut alum so you have to move fast not stay in one spot .keep from any machined finsh or cover up . i pained some intakes with PPg DP 90 black hold out was good and PPg DAU 75 clear work good to if ex cross over is plug .i never had it peel off but if your going to dump fuel on a hot intake all bets are off

Originally Posted by BigTruckDriver

Ok, now that its cleaned what would you use to "keep" the look? Some rattle can clear? Or leave it as is?

Leave it as is if you were asking me...........Sure it will get dirty and require some elbow grease to keep it looking that way.
But to me thats half the fun ,shining and waxin and whatnot.....

Polishing and stuff is not everyones definition of fun though......but eveyone sure does like the shine

Originally Posted by pat mccarthy

black beauty will make the intake look like new .it very sharp so it can cut alum so you have to move fast not stay in one spot .keep from any machined finsh or cover up . i pained some intakes with PPg DP 90 black hold out was good and PPg DAU 75 clear work good to if ex cross over is plug .i never had it peel off but if your going to dump fuel on a hot intake all bets are off

Pat,

I have used Black Beauty before and it's use on a intake short of a cast iron is a bit aggressive for aluminum as you said to keep moving.Eastwood sells media geared towards the type of material your trying to clean.Nut shells is one type that comes to mind as a example.Yrs ago I told my partner in the race car that I wanted to polish by hand the unpolished aluminum floor boards before a car show.He just smiled and handed me a rag and told me to start in one corner of the trunk.LOL-well after about a hr of busting my backside and not getting very far,I turned to him to tell him that might not be a very good idea.To polish aluminum takes time and patience to get a high polish look.Buffing wheels on a grinder is one tool after blasting is one tool to look at.There is a system that I bought from Eastwood that gives all the stuff you need.