I got some air cleaners that are polished alluminum. What is the best/easiest way to take them down to an original unpolished finish?
Spray 'em with Eagle One wire wheel cleaner....or their new mag wheel etching cleaner....it will dull the polish and not give ya the rough finish that blasting does.....
I would think the more agressive the better if you're looking for an "as cast" finish. Can't get more agressive than something like #4 steel shot. How about silver Hammerite.
are they clear coated?, if so you have to remove that first with paint remover, then the etching wheel cleaner.
If you have a local machine shop...maybe have them tumbled? Dings up the surface with a random, distressed look. The shop may have some samples for you to look at. Good point on the clear coat, may even be clear anodized. But that wouldn't affect refinish as much.
Go to a truck wash and have them wash it w/the acid cleaner that they clean aluminum fuel tanks with. It'll take the shine right off....
They are Vintage Speed's Edmunds remakes for Strombergs etc. Don't know if clear coated or what. They are still in the mail. I just want them to match my original Edmunds intake and "no shine" engine.
Put them through the dishwasher. It reduced my coffee can from a high shine to a dull magnesium look. Oh yeah, make sure she's out before you do it
I've used this to clean up engines that are still running - although badly - just prior to pulling them. Spray the Easy Off onto EVERYTHING and then drive 10-15 miles to the car wash. Spray it off good with the high pressure soap and rinse. The Easy Off will take everything off the parts - grease, paint, dirt, etc. I believe the easy off would take the paint or clear coating off the aluminum parts, but don't know much else what'd do from there.
A quick dip in caustic soda will remove any anodizing and leave a dull finish. Will turn some already bare alloys black though. The black can be polished off but that puts you back to Sq1. Cheap option though so maybe worth a shot.
Aluminum wheel cleaners have muriatic acid (aka. hydrochloric acid) or phosphoric acid, which you can buy undiluted in your hardware store for only a couple of bucks. Not all oven cleaners are the same. Most have lye in them. Chemicals will etch, or if left on too long eat, the aluminum and leave an oxidized darker look. Only use outdoors and rinse well after etching. Very bad for the skin or eyes ...! If used indoors, it will dull any bare metal in the same room, just from the exposure of the acidic air. Blasting is probably the safest and will give the closest to a bright fresh cast look. On the other hand, the polished aluminum surface will dull all by itself inside the engine bay, if you drive a lot. Pretty nasty air inside there while driving, especially without PCV.
It usually does indeed. I had a brand new aluminium waterpump about 2 feet away of some stuff I sprayed with ovencleaner. After I was finished I noticed some darker specks on the waterpump where obviously some tiny droplets had landed during the spraying.
I would doubt they are coated with anything. The best way to weather aluminum so that it matches the intake is to put them through the same process the intake went through. Leave them outside in the elements for a few months. Or if you can't wait that long, try any of the above processes you want. Since none of them will actually give the exact same appearance anyway, I would do it to the intake also. I would go with bead blasting, or a scotchbrite pad, or a tumble with the right grit. Dont' use steel wool, you may get rust residue later on. Steel shot under pressure will ruin the aluminum.
I'd go with bead blasting, as Roadsters.com says - preferrably vapour-blasted which is basically wet bead blasting which gives a nice satin finish and also seems to preserve the finish to a certain extent. These heads were vapour blasted: hopefully you can see the finish.
I think just a simple going over with red Scotchbrite and leaving them alone should do the trick. Holy ****...it's a two page thread about making aluminum look old.
i agree with snarl if you want them to match do em all.and id say blast em.those heads look nice rem......................dave
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