Inter Cooler Refresher

[Otto Man]

Has anyone come up with a routine to refresh the "face-plate" of our intercoolers? You know what I mean! Is there some way to brush or scrub the aluminum face (and clearcoat it afterward?) so it looks new? It looks so simple yet perplexing. A used fuel pressure regulator and EGR valve to the soul who answers this riddle!
Chris

[Eyelawdoc]

Refinishing top of intercooler

Depending on how corroded yours is, you can use wet-or-dry sandpaper in one of those rubber 3M sanding blocks to sand down ths surface until it is smooth and flat. I would start with 150 grit and then progress to 220, 400 and finally 600. Then, polish the surface and have it clear powder coated. Before you start the sanding you may want to hit it with some aircraft stripper to remove whats left of the Ford clear coat.

[lonchair]

Sand it like Eyelawdoc said, then use aluminum polish and a buffing wheel if you want it to shine. It is no different than any other piece of aluminum.

[AT6svo]

Clear or not 2 clear....

fwiw, I did the sand paper routine on mine, (100 grit down to about 220) and finished with a 3M pad. I did NOT clear coat it for several reasons.
1. Its a show car & not driven often.
2. Didn't want the clear to yellow after temp cycling
3. Didn't want clear to flake off like OEM
4. Easier to clean/refurbish if not clear coated.

I also didn't polish it either, left a fine linear "machined" finish.

But those were my preferences, ymmv.

edit: wanted to add pic, will do in next post.

[Otto Man]

Valve Cover Too?

I'm not too familiar with this powder coat topic. Where does one go to get this done? Wouldn't a can of clear coat hold up?
Would this same method work to touch up the raised areas on the valve cover? I would assume it would. And would clear coat hold up on the valve cover?
Sorry to ask sooo many questions but these have all been in my head for 18 years and there never was anyone to ask them to.
Chris

[AT6svo]

Pic 1

Here is a pic of my eng, for purposes of showing the finish after refurbishing the IC

I also used semi-flat heat/bbq enamel for the black. Since I did not completely remove all old paint, it still retains the "crinkle" finish.

hth,
-mike

[Otto Man]

Sweet

Your 86 should meet my 85.5 9L!
Nice looking engine bay dude!
No insulation on the hood?
What kind of hose is that between the IC and the TB? Looks white or silver. Man do I have hose questions.
Any hints on how too clean the TB and upper intake. I've sprayed em down with carb cleaner and they look like they are only ten years old now.
I never get tired of looking at other peoples SVO's!
Chris

[Felix Wankel]

Re: Sweet

Originally posted by Chris Weber
What kind of hose is that between the IC and the TB? Looks white or silver.

Looks like a plumbing clamp. I've been picking them up off of jobsites for when I do a front mount. They have two hose clamps connected to a metal sleeve.

[Eyelawdoc]

To clean the cast alunimum pats of the TB and intake get yourself some Castrol Superclean All Wheel Cleaner. Spray it on. Let it set for about ten minutes, rewetting if necessary, and then rinse it off with water. Blow dry the parts with compressed air. Makes the alunimum look like new!

[Otto Man]

Thanx a million!
I am getting somewhere because of you guys!
Chris

[roberto2000]

hello

For my valve cover and intake I sand blasted them first
then at napa auto I found black wrinkle finish paint
after painting it looks like it will be a smooth finish, the next day
it magically wrinkles/crinkles then with a flat piece of metal hold
some sand paper and knock the paint off the high spots on the
valve cover and front of the intercooler

finish with all the strokes in the same direction for that machined look then if you want apply a coat of high temp clearcoat.

Rob

[Otto Man]

InterCooler-So Far So Good

What a difference!
THe IC looks great. Sanded down and polished as suggested and finished with NEVR DULL. It really looks like I've done this before.
Man what a difference!
Who's next?
Next I want to repaint those nasty water pipes that run along the starboard (passenger) side of the valve cover/head. What color were these? Satin black maybe?
Chris