I Want To Remove Paint From a V8 Intake Manifold

[Dan in Pasadena]

Hopefully this is a simple question:

The intake manifold on my new-to-me '46 half ton is a Holley Contender and a prior owner painted it black. I want to give it a near new, natural appearence. I am wondering if my little Sears sandblaster will be adequate for a small job like this? Yeah, I know this kind of blaster is Mickey Mouse. I've owned it a long time and never used it. I'm hoping it will be adequate for somethingl ittle like this.

OF COURSE, I would double tape all the mating surfaces, both so that they don't get damaged but especially so no sand gets in there. I'd use kids play sand. Then I am wondering if I could preserve that natural appearence with some rattle can VHT Clear?

Does this sound like it will work, or am I way off line? I'm sure bead blasting would probably be better but I've not researched anyone in L.A. that will do it nore the price. If anyone knows an L.A. shop they'd recommend, please advise. Dan

P.S. I tried to upload a photo but the site kept giving me "Upload of file failed". It was a semi-crappy cell phone photo I assigned a .jpg suffix to; should that change anything?

[justin26]

yea sandblasting will work it might leave the surface alittle rough if thats ok you might try some paint stipper that you can get from a automotive paint store not at a hardware store. as for the vht clear i have never used it so i am not sure if it can go over bare metal if it will stick. i you might ask someone where ever you buy it from hope this helps.

[mr48chev]

A lot of shops now have "cold tanks" that are specifically used to dip and clean aluminum parts without damaging them. I'd check into that first. Although I've sandblasted a lot of aluminum parts I don't really like the finish and it seems to get dirty faster after being sandblasted.

[Dan in Pasadena]

Thanks for the fast reply Justin. I thought about using paint remover and just using a moderately rough steel wool (actually aluminum wool). Revealing my stupidity here, but aren't the ones you see that appear "natural" rough? Are they really natural or are they actually aluminum colored paint?

[Dan in Pasadena]

Mr. Chev, What kind of shop? A machine shop? In the old days I'd take parts to be dipped to my local independent auto parts store in their back room. They would dip the parts beforehand and then machine them. I doubt that goes on today with all the regulaotry controls.

[ERASER5]

Sandblasting should clean the paint off nicely. Be sure to wash the manifold afterward to ensure no sand in inside. Some say that normal clear paints will yellow due to the heat. Others like it. Me, I painted mine Chevy Orange. I think it looks good.

[Dan in Pasadena]

My engine came with Edelbrock Elite valve covers. I found a sweet deal on a new in the box Elite air cleaner on Craigslist so I want to "fix" the intake manifold. The engine already has nice billet spark plug wire organizers, polished alternator, billet pulleys, fuel pump etc. Not sure what I will do about the block. Either repaint it black to look fresh, possibly go to Chevy orange, or possibly the eventual the body color.

[hayhauler71]

Sandblaster works good but a glass bead blaster works better and will give it a like new look. As for clear coat it will yellow and if fuel gets on it when hot it will peel. Good luck

[Dan in Pasadena]

Okay, but if I DON'T put a claer on it, doesn't it eventually turn a sort of battleship gray? I suppose that means I should consider putting ceramic coating or powder coating on it ($$$) if I want it to stay new appearing?

[hayhauler71]

If it gets oil or dirt build up i use bleach white whitewall cleaner on it and rinse with water but make sure you don't get cleaner on polished parts or it might stain

[cdowns]

play sand isnt the best for blasting i've found it's uneven grading causes lots of clogs while blasting// try local autopaint supplier or tool rental places for bagged blasting sand or if u have a local harbor frieght store they have blast material//i would use stripper prior to blasting

[BCOWANWHEELS]

Paint remover 1st then oven cleaner 2nd.

[mclairmo]

I used a Dull Aluminum engine paint on my Edelbrock aluminum intake over 15 years ago and it still looks like fresh cast aluminum. Not sure if you can still buy it, though. Most of the aluminum engine paint is too shiney and looks horrible. It must be Dull Aluminum. Maybe try Eastwood if you cannot find it at the loacl auto parts places. I also used Krylon Dull Aluminum a lot to simulate cad plating and on my Rally wheels, looks awesome.

[cparman]

Is there a powdercoater near you? If I were you, I would take the manifold to the powdercoater, and let them strip the manifold, and coat it what ever color you want. No muss no fuss, and a coating that will last a lot longer that paint. I am guessing $100.00

[mclairmo]

Originally Posted by cparman

Is there a powdercoater near you? If I were you, I would take the manifold to the powdercoater, and let them strip the manifold, and coat it what ever color you want. No muss no fuss, and a coating that will last a lot longer that paint. I am guessing $100.00

Great idea, however, you can buy a new intake for $100 or less. I have actually bought a couple new ones off Ebay and CL for less than $100. They were a Weiand and an Edelbrock for SBC, each were about $60 brand new in the box.

[GR8-68]

Originally Posted by cdowns

play sand isnt the best for blasting i've found it's uneven grading causes lots of clogs while blasting// try local autopaint supplier or tool rental places for bagged blasting sand or if u have a local harbor frieght store they have blast material//i would use stripper prior to blasting

he is right about the playsand that is what I have been using to sandblast, but what I started doing is sifting it through an old window screen to get the big particles out or go to harbor freight like he said but they are proud of there blasting products. powdercoating is an option like mentioned before and they have a clear powder now too

[Tx Firefighter]

I get 60 to 75 to do an intake manifold. That includes blasting and powdercoating. I'm sure you can find a local guy with similar prices.

I'm not trying to round up work either. I have plenty of work now. This price may seem steep to some, but I do a lot of antique manifolds that are valuable and not found cheaply.

[leddzepp]

Paint stripper will take it right off. No need to sandblast.

[Dan in Pasadena]

All helpful ideas guys, thanks. A good paint remover would be cheap enough and frankly a lot less hassle than sandblasting, not to mention NO chance of leaving sand in it to ruin your engine.

If that doesn't come out to suit me I guess I'll try the dull aluminum rattle can paint.

[vectorit]

I couldn't help but wonder if you are talking about doing this while it is still on your engine? If that is the case, don't do it.
Just take it off, and find a media blasting company. Have them use something that wont remove metal, being that your material is soft aluminum that is a risk.
I'd find a shop that does soda blasting or maybe walnut shell style blasting, and while you have it in the shop I'd put some steel bolts in the threaded holes to keep the threads from being degraded.
There is a shop in Santa Clarita that I used when I lived up there, and then there is a really good powder coater in the Temecula area I used recently. I'm not sure about the choices either one of these shops give when it comes to media, but they are worth a call to see what they can do for you.
I have heard there is some shops in the Burbank area as well, but I have no info on them.
If you want info on the shops I have used, send me a PM and I will dig up their contact info.
I have blasted aluminum manifolds and valve covers in the past, and they will turn grey pretty quick. I have also painted them with clear, but then found that the clear yellow's or flakes after a while.

[westofb]

Originally Posted by Dan in Pasadena

OF COURSE, I would double tape all the mating surfaces, both so that they don't get damaged but especially so no sand gets in there. I'd use kids play sand. Then I am wondering if I could preserve that natural appearence with some rattle can VHT Clear?

They (not exactly sure who they are) say not to use sand in a sand blaster because all sand contains silicone and could result in coming down with silicosis (I think it is damage to the lining of your lungs from inhaling some silicone pieces). I have a small blaster myself, 100 lb pressurized tank, your may be a gravity feed...that does not matter really, I have been using coal slag sold for this purpose. In my neck of the woods they call it black beauty, it is about $10/ 100lb bag and works very well, but does leave a rough texture...not a problem when painting, first coat of primer smoothes it out nice. If you are looking at returning it to it's natural state, I would advise to buy glass beads (I think it should give you silicosis too since glass contains silicone too, but have not heard that one yet) and run them through your little blaster...it will do a very nice job cleaning it up and will have a fairly smooth natural finish. And by all means have it removed from your truck and do the blasting at least 100 ft from your truck, the sand/glass/coal slag gets into everything. I blasted the rusted roof of a car from the outside, none done inside the car, that was completly stripped down, except for the wiring harness and steering column (and yes they were even taped off and covered in plastic), both of which were so packed with sand I had to toss them out and start over...it was like the aggregate was seeking tight spaces in which to hide!

[El Jay]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

I get 60 to 75 to do an intake manifold. That includes blasting and powdercoating. I'm sure you can find a local guy with similar prices.

I'm not trying to round up work either. I have plenty of work now. This price may seem steep to some, but I do a lot of antique manifolds that are valuable and not found cheaply.

Dang it! Ya beat me to it.
I was going to give you a recommendation.
Maybe next time.

A tad off topic; howya doin' after your tornado fiasco?

[Dan in Pasadena]

I'd never considerdoing any of this work with the manifold stillon the truck, no way.

But since we're talking about R&R'ing the manifold, what do you guys recommend for gasket sealant? I haven't had an engine apart in a long time and so I don't know what's best anymore. I don't want to do all this only to find I have vacuum leaks afterward!

[vectorit]

I use Permatex RTV silicone sealant at both ends of the manifolds.

[eastcoastcivil]

Why not blast with soda? It will take the paint and dirt off and not damage anything else.