Intake cleaning and paint removal

[Eliw]

Ok, so I'm going to do the upper 60k on my 89.

I was thinking that I dont like the color of the intake or the valve covers. I wanted to do this at least to the intake. Upon removal of the intake, I plan on taking the intake apart and dumping the parts into a container filled with paint stripper . This should effectively remove the intakes stock paint and clean the oily greasy stuff off the outside and inside of the intake parts. Am I right on this or should I take a diffrent approach? Assuming it does take off the paint and leaves a shiny alluminum serface but does not remove the greasy stuff, then of coarse I would clean it with intake cleaner, but in terms of the paint, would my Idea work? :corn:
Thanks in advance!

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

rattle can "aircraft stripper" works great. I did that on a spare intake last weekend. Spray it on, let it sit for 10-15 minutes, and wipe it down. Paint is gone

 

[Eliw]

What was left after the paint was gone? (curious)

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

Raw CAST aluminum, so not the shiny milled or machined aluminum finish you are hoping for.

I actually like the look of the runners totally raw, with no polishing. I can post some pics this evening if you want.

 

[Eliw]

a little bit of polishing should do the trick though right? Its not that I dont like the color, its just that the paint has actually chipped up a little and one ot the "bad motor mount" polished spots has now become a permanent polished spot. In any case, after the paint it gone, what can I do to make it shiny or at least a nice aluminum color?

 

[Off Road SHO]

Go to hardware store. Buy lots of elbow grease. It's a lot of work.

Tom

 

[platoribs]

I have been stripping/porting/gasket matching, and etc... an intake set for the last couple of weeks.

The stripper idea is gold I tell ya! you'll be surprised at how quick it cuts through the carbon build up, now the external paint will take repeated applications. I would not submerge the intake if it were me. Too wasteful, too many fumes, too much mess. I just brushed it on where I needed it and wiat a while, and spray it off with hot water and a little scratchy with a tooth brush (preferrably not your wife's ) and viola you'll be left with a nice sparkley raw aluminum surface to do with what you wish.

Tom's right though about that polishing crap, it'll take forever, you won't be able to get into all them tight places, and then it'll oxidize overnight. I'm planning on using some engine paint, but that's just me.

 

[Jonny Cash]

Raw CAST aluminum, so not the shiny milled or machined aluminum finish you are hoping for.

I actually like the look of the runners totally raw, with no polishing. I can post some pics this evening if you want.

Id like to see that. Im still undecided in what I want to do with mine. :corn:

 

[Rick97ls-t]

You can buff it with rubbing compound and wipe it off really clean.then clear coat it with a high temp clear.
my $0.02
-Rick

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

Here is a pic I snapped after stripping one of the runner assemblies. I put the stripped and stock sets back together for a comparison:

The intake Im working on uses the raw runners. No clear needed, or wanted. A clear coat will only provide more problems.

 

[Jonny Cash]

Here is a pic I snapped after stripping one of the runner assemblies. I put the stripped and stock sets back together for a comparison:

The intake Im working on uses the raw runners. No clear needed, or wanted. A clear coat will only provide more problems.

Your right its not always good to trap heat
thanks for the pic.

 

[bmcreider]

Now what happens if you just strip the paint and do nothing with it because I DO like how that looks....but don't you have to protect it somehow?

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

nope.

Its raw aluminum. It wont do anything more than oxidize a tiny bit (if at all) Remember, everyone with polished intakes have raw, exposed aluminum with no clearcoat.

 

[rangerj]

Check out www.eastwood.com for polishing compounds, buffs, sanding drums in clyinders and tapered rolls, etc.
It takes a die grinder and an air compressor to operate the grinder with the sanding drums and buffs. The results are smooth polished aluminum intake manifolds.

As an alternative you could have the manifold bead blasted to remove paint and corrosion. You get a brighter finish than if you just remove the paint with chemicals.