I've been told that soda blasting is the way to go when cleaning an aluminum intake. Is this true? How hard is it to get it the media out of the intake when it is complete?
Do you have access to a dishwasher & a window of opportunity when the wife will be gone for a couple of hours ?
Soda blasting does an excellent job on aluminum without removing metal. Some clear alodine will help keep it looking good. Dale
OK, I'll officially announce my ignorance. What's alodine? Simple Green is great stuff but I've also had good luck with Eagle 1 Wire & Chrome Wheel Cleaner. It's a caustic solution so use with caution, but it cleans cast aluminum very well. I just used it to clean up a couple of old WCFB carbs. I spray it on, scrub it with some stiff brushes (toothbrushes work well), then rinse repeatedly with clean water.
The dishwasher works but getting caught could result in an endless honey-do list. I've found that a quick trip to the car wash and a few quarters worth of high pressure soapy water/rinse gets everything clean. You need the car washed anyway .......don't you? Frank
I used "medium" glass from Northern Tool... http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200136774_200136774 Ignore the picture on the link... (they put the wrong one on their website...) Here are before and after pics..... This was just 5 minutes in the blast cabinet... quick clean up b4 I sent it off to get a crack welded...
Oh... as far as clean up.... compressed air, followed by damp cloth... followed by tack cloth on a coat hanger
What you have to realize is blasting is case specific. Soda is best for some things, like delicate items or when original surface texture is critical for restoration. But for something heavy like an intake casting, soda isn't the optimal media. Glass beads or low pressure Alox would be my choice. Why does it need blasted? Are you blending a weld or something? Otherwise acids will get that thing spotless without resorting to blast. good luck
I've never had good luck with wheel cleaners or acids...I have tried them several times, but they always left dark spots or never gave them that new intake look. Maybe I am using the wrong things...I don't know. Blasting with aluminum oxide has worked the best for me... sam
I make all kinds of aluminum stuff, and I've always used glass bead, I like the blasted finish as a matter of fact, If i want to polish something i start with a uniform blasted surface first, then i use different grades of sandpaper, up to wet and dry 4000 , then I polish. If you are concerned about missing some media, get some walnut shells, if they get into the engine, they break down in the oil and won't harm anything.
Don't you worry about getting the media in the intake, and then eventually into the engine. I'm no expert, but that seems like it would be really bad. Here's a pic with a bit of the intake in it. Sorry, but it's all I got here at work. You can see it's pretty oxidized, and dirty to boot. The only experience I had with acid ruined the appearance of a good, but dirty, Offy intake.
1/2 an hour with the bead blaster does wonders. Just blow it out with compressed air when you are done. I find it rewarding. It's fun taking something like the first picture and turning it into the second picture.
Make your own soda blaster. This was posted here on a thread with a similar subject. http://www.aircooledtech.com/tools-on-the-cheap/soda_blaster/
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