Blasted and painted my air cleaners yesterday and sat them back on the motor today. Wife says she likes the cast aluminum look but I thought I would see how they looked satin black to match the frame, motor and risers. To me is kind of sets the carbs off with the black above and below. Easy enough to take back off if I decide to so what do you think. Black or no Black.
The black is a nice contrast while the as cast color tends to blend in at this time but that could change once the body is on the car. Cliff Ramsdell
I agree with the others...stay black...adds a nice contrast, especially since the lower body of the carbs are black as well.
Everything else is so blanged out, the air cleaners should be too. They look out of place. It looks like a second thought type thing. Just my opinion, no offense, constructive criticism, etc.. The last pic would look so much awesomer and more bitchin' with chrome or even brushed air cleaners!
I dont like the black...looks cheap, but thats just my opinion. I suggest leaving the groove black and polishing the rest of the air cleaner.
I'm with your wife. I like the shine. Black makes it look like you blasted and painted some old rusty stuff you found at a swapmeet for $5.
NO black sliver is better. The black grabs your eye and sticks it to the carbs and you miss the rest of the good looking engine.
Got to agree with Cliff. In general, I like the color,but maybe you want to consider making it the final body color-not black. Unless, of course, your final body color is black,too. Then I'd leave them plain.
Thanks for the opinions. Most like the black but I agree that the body color might be the deciding factor and I like the idea of polishing the tops with the grooves black. Haven't decided on body color yet.
It definitely comes down to the color of the car, if the car is going to be black go with black air cleaners if any other body color go with the polished look.
Not a big fan of chrome so if they don't stay black they will get polished. The Air Cleaners are rough cast aluminum and most things I put on the motor was natural aluminum like the water pump and fuel pump, but the intake is powdercoated and the fuel rail and oil filler tube has been polished and it is hard to tell in the pics but a real fine sand paper was used to soften up the polish on the high spots and left the lower grooves shiney. I love the look but wanted some of the shine taken off so it would have a softer look to it. Thought about painting inside the fins on the valve covers but was riding the fence on that being to much black so I decided to paint the air cleaners instead, they are alot easier to reverse if I decide to go back to aluminum colored. The headers are going to get ceramic coated in silver.
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