I was at my friends house almost 8 hours on Sunday using his glass beading cabinet on the parts I've removed from the engine bay and motor on my '78.
One of the many parts I was glass beading to clean up was the original L82 aluminum intake manifold. Now, i couldn't see details on this intake previously because if was so completely covered in dirt, grease, grime, and mice droppings (from having been sitting unsed so long - found 2 old mice nests during disassembly).
so, I get the intake into the glass bead cabinet and start shooting it. First thing I noticed was that it was painted silver over the aluminum underneath all the other grime and the old silver paint was coming off easily in sheets from the blasting. Second thing I noticed was that the intake has to be one of the worst quality aluminum castings I've ever seen..... PERIOD!
I glass beaded the intake from my '65 just a few months ago and under the dirt, etc the aluminum was beautiful, consistent appearance, and a well made original piece. This intake from the '78 was just plain BAD. some parts of the casting are nice and smooth where others are badly pitted. Other areas almost look like they were put together from small pieces of aluminum and just frickin' glued together! A couple of places on the intake have something on it that looks to be JB Weld or some other type of hard putty or epoxy that must have been put on to fix a particuarily bad spot. There is no way to accurately describe how bad the casting quality of this intake is, even the pictures I took of it make it look a LOT better than is really does.
If this car wasn't was a fully original under 9,500 mile car I'd just throw this intake in the trash because it was made with such poor quality and replace it but I guess I'll have to keep it.
I checked my NCRS TIM&JG on this and find that the '78 L82's did have the aluminum intakes painted a dull silver which explains why there was paint in it. It also explains to me WHY GM choose to paint aluminum manifolds with silver paint when they didn't used to.
Obviously, GM's quality control had gotten so poor in the late 70's that instead of trying to improve the quality of their castings they found it easier and cheaper to just cover up stuff with paint instead. Looks like I'll have to do the same thing. I'll respray this intake with AlumiBlast paint and hope it covers up and hides the serious flaws on it. If I left it bare as it is now I'd be too ashamed to ever open the hood on the car!
GM should be ashamed to have ever used something of such poor quality as this.
My friend that allowed me to use his glass beading cabinet is also not only an NCRS judge but also the chairman of his local NCRS chapter so he knows Vettes pretty well and has seen more than his share of various aluminum intake manifolds over the years to say the least, and when he saw this one all he could do was shake his head in amazement that it was so bad. He said it was BY FAR, the obsolute worst casting of any intake he has ever laid eyes on.
Take a look for yourselves and see what you think. intake manifold
One of the many parts I was glass beading to clean up was the original L82 aluminum intake manifold. Now, i couldn't see details on this intake previously because if was so completely covered in dirt, grease, grime, and mice droppings (from having been sitting unsed so long - found 2 old mice nests during disassembly).
so, I get the intake into the glass bead cabinet and start shooting it. First thing I noticed was that it was painted silver over the aluminum underneath all the other grime and the old silver paint was coming off easily in sheets from the blasting. Second thing I noticed was that the intake has to be one of the worst quality aluminum castings I've ever seen..... PERIOD!
I glass beaded the intake from my '65 just a few months ago and under the dirt, etc the aluminum was beautiful, consistent appearance, and a well made original piece. This intake from the '78 was just plain BAD. some parts of the casting are nice and smooth where others are badly pitted. Other areas almost look like they were put together from small pieces of aluminum and just frickin' glued together! A couple of places on the intake have something on it that looks to be JB Weld or some other type of hard putty or epoxy that must have been put on to fix a particuarily bad spot. There is no way to accurately describe how bad the casting quality of this intake is, even the pictures I took of it make it look a LOT better than is really does.
If this car wasn't was a fully original under 9,500 mile car I'd just throw this intake in the trash because it was made with such poor quality and replace it but I guess I'll have to keep it.
I checked my NCRS TIM&JG on this and find that the '78 L82's did have the aluminum intakes painted a dull silver which explains why there was paint in it. It also explains to me WHY GM choose to paint aluminum manifolds with silver paint when they didn't used to.
Obviously, GM's quality control had gotten so poor in the late 70's that instead of trying to improve the quality of their castings they found it easier and cheaper to just cover up stuff with paint instead. Looks like I'll have to do the same thing. I'll respray this intake with AlumiBlast paint and hope it covers up and hides the serious flaws on it. If I left it bare as it is now I'd be too ashamed to ever open the hood on the car!
GM should be ashamed to have ever used something of such poor quality as this.
My friend that allowed me to use his glass beading cabinet is also not only an NCRS judge but also the chairman of his local NCRS chapter so he knows Vettes pretty well and has seen more than his share of various aluminum intake manifolds over the years to say the least, and when he saw this one all he could do was shake his head in amazement that it was so bad. He said it was BY FAR, the obsolute worst casting of any intake he has ever laid eyes on.
Take a look for yourselves and see what you think. intake manifold
