Scruffy Aluminum Intake

Recently picked up a ratty lookin Weiand cast aluminum intake. On the right car I'd leave it like this, but I'm looking for advice on cleaning this thing up-cheap.

 

I don't know how to post photos either.

 

I part wire bottle brush on a drill, one part elbow grease. Combine and repeat until clean.

 

i like SOS pads, its a little work but things come out looking old but well cared for, and you can by a box of SOS pads at Dollar Max.

 

Every Manifold i have ever seen cleaned with a Wire wheel on a drill looks Terrible, It really make a mess of the Original Cast finish of the Aluminum.

Depending on the extent of the Damage to your manifold depends on how you need to go about cleaning it.

I found on a manifold that is just Dirty & Oily, I have covered the WHOLE manifold with with DAWN dish soap & let sit for a bit and use a Stiff Toothbrush to clean it up... Works Great on all cast engine parts.

Did an Old HOWARD front cover for a Hemi & an old 4-Port EDELBROCK fuel block.. They look New Now.

If its corroded & Oil Baked, You may need to Gl*** bead Blast it....

This will removed the Original Finish, But sometimes its got to be done.

 

As stated by others,use no steel at all. If very bad after cleaning grease off,then sandblast or best get a polishing kit.
Shine shows pride,****y shows nothing but old uncared for **** and lazy owner.

 

I've used aluminum wheel cleaner on a few crusty ones before. If it's really greasy I use oven cleaner first. I've seen lots of old manifolds made to look almost new with a little clean up and grey paint.

 

Br*** Brillo pads and Dawn dishwashing soap

 

This may sound funny...And dont let the wife see ya do this.......Dishwasher....It works wonders....Carbs...Intakes...etc.....You didnt hear it from me if you get caught...

 

I had mine bead blasted but because it must have been power coated it was difficult to come off in certain areas. Cleaned it up as best as I could and then sprayed it with a silver that does not stick out to badly.

Before:


After:






Not as perfect as a bead blasted aluminum cast intake but far better then the prior.

 

You can bead blast it then SCRUB and SCRUB with Safety Clean solvent and a heavy brush. LOTS of scrubbing and it come out looking brand new. It puts that 'factory' finish back on there..............

 

Don't use anything steel on it or you run the risk of discoloration from residual steel particles, i.e. rusty-looking spots after it gets wet.

 

Depending on the media used to blast the aluminum the surface can become porous and be difficult to keep clean. I've had the best results with heavy duty grill cleaner. In LA the source is Smart and Final. It is rather toxic and recommended to be used outside. The product is called Carbon-Off, call 1-877-822-8500 for info. The FOGGER

 

Hey T5, I wish I had posted this earlier, the ol lady was gone for the weekend!

 

You must have one hell of a big-*** powerful drill if you're messing up the cast finish with a little wire bottlebrush!

I've used it on several nasty aluminum manifolds over the years and NEVER had any of them discolored from rust particles or ground away the surface of the manifold. I guess common sense should dictate this, but obviously it must be done carefully.

Beadblasting is the most thorough, but I've seen more damage done to aluminum with that process, personally. Hey, the guy said he wants cheap ideas.

 

Take a close look at T5's avatar. That's what happnes when you eat off dishes that were in the dishwasher with a bunch of carburetors.

 

MMMmm, greasy gasoline goodness!

 

i dont know if you can find it but i have used, with good results, semi-truck aluminum trailer wash. buy it at the truck stop in a gallon container it says to dilute it with water and used a plastic scrub brush,, spray it on scrub, let it set 10 minutes and hose off. and not to get it on your skin. it shines the hell out of the aluminum trailer we have with little work. i have some at work and can get ya the brand name if ya want to try it, george

 

I had an old timer tell me that he used wire brush cleaning acid (?) and it made old aluminum look like a fresh casting, but if you left it on too long it would eat away the whole part. Not sure where u can get it tho.

 

Odorless thinner, and a chemical brush, or bead blaster. I prefer to sand, then polish mine after clean. It's a ton of work, but the finished product is sweet. Plus polished intakes are easier to keep clean.

 

Zepp makes an aluminum cleaning product, saw an intake that had been cleaned with it recently, looked brand new.

 

I just sand blasted an Edelbrock Manifold that was painted black. It came out very nice. I think that it enhanced the finish. Gl*** bead I've found only dulls it. It was alot easier then I thought.

 

I've sand blasted a bunch of intakes. I like to use beach sand on aluminum. It's soft and leaves a nice satin finish. If yer inclined to paint it, prime with zinc chromate (conversion coat) and just about any paint will stick & last.

 

i just use brake cleaner couple cans from O realy does wonders to get tons of stuff off, i think it's the best way to start.

 

Hey , Thats not nice...My Mom said im hansome....

 

Here's my "home spun" solution.

I had a pair of valve covers and an Eddy manifold that I needed to get over to my engine builder.

I found that the storage area I had been using for over a year had unexpectedly "taken on water".

What a mess. I wasn't sure if I could bring them back to a respectable finish, but they came out pretty good.

I forgot to take a before pic of the manifold, but I think you can get an idea of how bad it was by looking at the valve covers.



I washed the intake with Purple Power followed by carb cleaner. The carb cleaner did 1000% more that the other cleaner. Went to Sears, bought a cheap siphon feed blaster and a 5lb bag of household Baking Soda at Costco.

That did wonders. (IF you do this, you need a respirator mask)

Still had some significant dark areas that bugged me. Edelbrock recommends a product which is basically a "rust dissolver". I had a gallon of Eastwoods Rust Dissolve in the garage, so I thought I would try that.

I poured some in the "valley area" and let it sit for an hour. When I came back to check on it, the discolored areas had begun to "lift" leaving smoke-like trails suspended in the liquid.

I ***isted the process with a toothbrush sized stainless steel wire brush. Yup, a few dark spots remain (looks much darker in the photo), but I had to get it over to the shop. It will basically just be covering up the motor until it's in the car and I install the tri-power.





Valve covers came out pretty good too. Those I cleaned with a small wire brush on a drill, then sanded them smooth, and gave them a quick polish. They'll need some additional work, but for now A-OK.

 

Sure, if you can get a name p*** it along. Thanks

 

White Lightnin' is what I have always used. It is acid based, but it works great. Your local Car Quest should have it.

 

Thanks for all the tips. I'll do a before and after post and let you all know which worked best.

 

I use a power ball in my drill clamped in a vice and buff with Flitz.