cleaning aluminum intake and valve covers

[Tom Bryant]

Jack,

Don't forget the mouse turds.

I painted the original ones on my '59 in black wrinkle finish and baked them in Mom's oven. (Sorry Mom.) They looked great with polished script and fins. Later a friend took them to the plating shop where he worked to chrome them. He never got around to that but he did dip them in the stripping tank for a couple days. They came out looking like brand new parts just out of the box. I don't know what the chemical was but it did a perfect job without altering the surface of the aluminum at all. This is them 34 years later still on the car. They obviously need to be dipped again but the shop no longer exists.

The Offy was bead blasted. Nice for a hot rod but not for restoration.

The Drag Star 6 carb was heavily corroded and stained from running alchol on a circle track on a nailhead Buick. I took it to work and sprayed it down with acid bath aluminum truck wheel cleaner. That did a fair job but you don't want to let that stuff dry. It turns white and is hard to get off.

As for that 1961 set (Dec 1960) of carbs on the shelf. That is a tad beyound patina but will be on my car someday and looking good.

Tom

 

[I'mAVettehead]

I did not see the pictures when I first answered this post. After seeing the pictures, I'd carefully clean a couple of the bigger stains and then LEAVE the thing alone. It looks fine.

Just clean the dirt off it and leave it alone. What's left is the patina of a drivin car.

 

[ctjackster]

I dunno, this looks like some damn fine "patina" to my untrained eye:

one man's patina is another man's grime I guess

like I said, to each thier own - I like mine factory fresh looking, mostly because I respect the work that goes into making it look like that. Most of the engines in my cars have this sort of "patina" and it took no effort at all on my part . . .

 

[Bwmurph]

Barry,

My $ 0.02: I took my aluminum 2 x 4 manifild up to where I work and steam cleaned and then hit it with a parts cleaner and brush. Clean up pretty good. Then I made a big mistake: Wanted it to really shine so I hit it with a soft wire brush. Shined it real nice but also scuffed it up a bit. Luckily I have a spare manifold and may try this Jerry MacNeish guy you referred to if everybody else seems to like him.

How about your exhaust manifolds: I take mine off every spring, take them up to work and bead blast them then used to coat them with "Calyx"; really nice but the stuff never really drys and every time you work on the engine at all you get the stuff all over you. Last two years I've used "Rutland Stove and Grill Polish" on recommendation from the guy at Atlantic Speed Center (Kirkwood Hwy); stuff looks real nice and (I think) is actually closer to a factory "look" finish than the Calyx. It doesn't last as long as the Calyx, but can be touched up and dries nicely.

Bernie O.

 

[BarryK]

Hi Bernie

yep, scuffing, scratching, or any other type of "oops" is what I wanted to avoid.

I'm going to wait until winter storage time than take the intake, valve covers, and possibly also the exhaust manifolds off and send them to Jerry Macneish is MD. Pictures I've seen of his work looks excellent.

BTW, i've heard that about the Calyx - it looks good but it's messy and I hate messy.

 

[JohnZ]

PS. I'm a Vettehead, too!

Yup, Vetteheads are EVERYWHERE!

 

[paul67]

Barry,
We all have our own tastes in esthistics. Or originality. I have done original, powdercoated and polished. My theme for this summer is polished.