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Mark Chiampi (aka Italianguy63) [ View ] [ italianguy63@yahoo.com ] [ Car Ads ] [ Blogs ] Bartow, Florida  Speed is about how fast do you want to spend!

Does anyone have some useful tricks for cleaning up aluminum castings? Transmissions for example? Any way to get rid of the oxidaton and road grime from used parts? Of course I don't want to disassble the thing-- only clean it. Any good chemicals out there that will cut through the crud and restore some of the luster? Mark

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Posted by Crazyhorse Rod Shop  -  10/08/2007 02:19 PM eagle 1 wheel cleaner is the best i've found. it is for non clear coated wheels. dont poke the porchdog........he bites [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] BLUFF DALE, Texas Charter Member since March 2003   Posted by 30 A pickup  -  10/08/2007 02:25 PM Shine, This should work on an all aluminim LS-1 motor also? Correct? What should I treat it with before I paint it? Lynn 30 A pickup [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Cowpens, South Carolina   Posted by Crazyhorse Rod Shop  -  10/08/2007 02:31 PM painting aluminum is a pia period . maybe someone else has a trick but i dont. i just clean it well with the eagle 1 then wax and grease remover and epoxy it. dont poke the porchdog........he bites [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] BLUFF DALE, Texas Charter Member since March 2003   Posted by sellersrodshop  -  10/08/2007 03:55 PM ppg has a 2-part etching "wash primer" that works really well on aluminum. so as not to have any confusion, wash primer means that it is a really thin , transparent etch that almost gives the parts a green anodized look. you still have to clean your parts extremely well to remove all contaminants before using. after one thin coat of the wash primer, you can come back with a couple coats of 2k primer & you are good to go! sellersrodshop [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] old hickory, Tennessee   Posted by tlp1968  -  10/08/2007 03:56 PM This isn't about aluminum but I wondered.....what about powder coating steel wheels? My stock rally wheels are starting to show their age and I would like to find some type of coating for them that will make them easy to clean. Comments? StreetRodding.com Marketing Director [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Springfield, Illinois Charter Member since August 2003   Posted by Crazyhorse Rod Shop  -  10/08/2007 04:12 PM i would epoxy it rather than a 2k primer. i seldom if ever use 2k primer . you cant get a better adhesion than epoxy. i use spi epoxy. ppg's epoxy just does not perform. dont poke the porchdog........he bites [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] BLUFF DALE, Texas Charter Member since March 2003   Posted by BigAlBre  -  10/08/2007 10:16 PM powder coat it that's what I'm going to do.... I've given up trying to keep aluminum shinny... if I ever build anotherone it won't have a piece of billet or aluminum on it... I wonder if Phoenix Specialty Coatings can do that "Endura Shine" that Edelbrock uses or is it patented?? Big Al sittin back pickin & grinning in paradise. [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Saint Petersburg Beach, Florida Charter Member since June 1999   Posted by dixie  -  10/09/2007 01:12 AM Do like the man says paint ,powder coat want last any longer than a good epoxy,if you don;t believe it pour some brake fluid on that powder coat are some other harsh chem, it will also chip plus its cheaper to paint. my 2 cents jim grace [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] dade city, Florida Charter Member since January 2006   Posted by Eliot Ness  -  10/09/2007 01:58 PM << pour some brake fluid on that powder coat >> Jim's right about that, I once thought powder coat was impervious to most chemicals until I saw brake fluid etch right through it. Not saying powder coating doesn't have some benefits, but if you want it to hold up to something like brake fluid you'd best go to a plan "B". John [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Lexington, Kentucky   Posted by Crazyhorse Rod Shop  -  10/09/2007 02:10 PM brake fluid will eat just about anything except epoxy. the reason for powder coat is it is much easier and faster. it gives you a good smooth finish. for frame parts it's great. i plan to powder coat a lot of chassis stuff on inderweed. dont poke the porchdog........he bites [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] BLUFF DALE, Texas Charter Member since March 2003   Posted by tlp1968  -  10/09/2007 03:14 PM I would like to know what finish would not be effected by brake fluid. I don't know about you but I don't usually have brake fluid running out all over my wheels and if I did would paint really survive it? StreetRodding.com Marketing Director [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Springfield, Illinois Charter Member since August 2003   Posted by Eliot Ness  -  10/09/2007 03:45 PM << I don't usually have brake fluid running out all over my wheels and if I did would paint really survive it? >> I was just stating an FYI if someone else thought that powder coating might be impervious to something like brake fluid. I had a friend who had a master cylinder powder coated and saw it get etched by some stray brake fluid. Back to the OP's question. Here is a link to the Eagle One Aluminum Wash & Cleaner: http://www.eagleone.com/pages/products/product.asp?itemid=1008&cat=5006 You have to watch what you'll be using on aluminum. There are some harsh cleaners out there that will discolor aluminum. Simple Green if not diluted properly and left to dwell too long has been known to cause problems on aluminum. John [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Lexington, Kentucky   Posted by Italianguy63  -  10/09/2007 03:55 PM That's what I was looking for. Something to deep clean the original aluminum parts. My engine has a lot of aluminum on it-- and it has some pitting. Becomes a question to clean it, polish it, or paint it... I guess I will take it peice by piece as I go. I was able to pull my donor engine Saturday-- what a biatch. They really shoehorn the engines into the modern Camaro/Firebird. You are BARELY able to get the engine above the motor mounts without it getting caught on the firewall cowl. But, the sucker is out and the rebuilding begins..... Mark Speed is about how fast do you want to spend! [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Bartow, Florida   Posted by 35window  -  10/10/2007 02:59 PM BigAl, Don't know if this will answer your question, but you can get the "Permastar" finish (which is patented by Goodrich Technologies and also used by Edelbrock) applied here: http://pacrims.com/ 35window [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] springville, Utah   Posted by tlp1968  -  10/10/2007 03:29 PM Eliot I wasn't trying to be a smart a%$ but just wondered is there really any finish that would handle a corrosive. There are plenty of new products I don't know about. StreetRodding.com Marketing Director [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Springfield, Illinois Charter Member since August 2003   Posted by FastCo44  -  10/10/2007 05:04 PM Tammy, Have you considered changing your brake fluid to something less corresive? A high temperature silicone based is easier on the painted and powdered coated hardware. I use Motul 600 in the race car which has a powder coated frame. It has endured several brake fluid spills over the last four years without any effect. I use the same brake fluid in the Porsche as well without problem. FastCo44 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Sunnyvale, California   Posted by Eliot Ness  -  10/10/2007 05:16 PM No problem Tammy..... I don't know of too much besides chrome that will hold up to regular brake fluid. Like FastCo44 I switched to silicone brake fluid a few years ago in the street rod. If I ever run rally wheels again (had them on my '67 SS 396) I'd get them dipped before I painted them. There are a lot of nooks and crannies for rust to hide that might come back and a good dip might help prevent that. John [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Lexington, Kentucky   Posted by FastCo44  -  10/11/2007 04:41 PM Brake fluid should be changed at periodic interverals because they absorb water. More often with conventional fluid and less often with silicone. I can recomend Motul 600. It has a resonable high boiling point and doesn't absorb moisture. FastCo44 [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Sunnyvale, California   Posted by tlp1968  -  10/11/2007 04:57 PM Thanks I will check that out. I changed my fluid last year when I replaced both rotors but as I recall it wasn't synthetic I bought. StreetRodding.com Marketing Director [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Springfield, Illinois Charter Member since August 2003   Posted by Italianguy63  -  10/11/2007 05:48 PM Tammy, I've always used Castrol GT LMA with great results. Not a full DOT 5 silicone though. MC Speed is about how fast do you want to spend! [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Bartow, Florida   Posted by Eliot Ness  -  10/11/2007 10:54 PM << I changed my fluid last year when I replaced both rotors but as I recall it wasn't synthetic I bought. >> You would have known by the price you paid if it was silicone fluid ; ) If you change over you want to bleed out and flush your system. Ask someone at a body shop you trust who does dipping in your area..... I found a place here in Lexington so I'm sure there are places up your way too. John [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Lexington, Kentucky   Posted by tlp1968  -  10/12/2007 02:25 AM Eliot I will check with the body shop behind me since they seem to do most anything. As for the brake fluid it was not that I don't remember the price difference but I simply just don't remember what we put in my car. One of the Camaro's has silicone brake fluid but I think it is my husbands. Maybe mine is the partial silicone stuff and Johns is the full silicone but honestly I have a bad memory for stuff that happened last November or so (old age creeping up on me) I can imagine I would pick a Castrol product if I saw it to support John Force :-) LOL StreetRodding.com Marketing Director [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Springfield, Illinois Charter Member since August 2003   Posted by Italianguy63  -  10/12/2007 02:57 AM BTW back from the thread hijack! LOL!! I degreased the tranny and washed it (made a big difference). Went out and got some Eagle 1 aluminum cleaner... didn't even TOUCH it.... let it soak and everything. Darn. Looks like I will be painting this tranny. As an aside, if anybody has a "Caprice" style tail shart for a 700R4 or a "small" electric VSS sender (1993) style.. I think it is the black one. I need to convert from Camaro to a TH400 style mount and put a 36T gear in my VSS.... contact me with a price. Thanks! Mark Speed is about how fast do you want to spend! [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Bartow, Florida   Posted by Eliot Ness  -  10/12/2007 01:55 PM Mark, if you're considering painting it then you might give one of the stronger cleaners a shot first. EO also makes an acid based etching cleaner "For rough or as-cast alloy wheels": http://www.eagleone.com/pages/products/product.asp?itemid=1001&cat=5006 I've read where it is pretty strong stuff so wear eye and hand protection if you give it a try. Meguiar's Wheel Brightener is another very potent cleaner that is available by the gallon (~$20) but it contains ammonium bifluoride that can cause long term health issues if not used properly. That stuff is designed to remove baked on brake dust so it might get your tranny case looking better, if not you can always go to plan B and paint it. Note to anyone else reading this, those wheel cleaners I just mentioned are very potent and if not used properly (diluted, used on a finished wheel, let dwell too long, etc.) have the potential to discolor or etch a nice wheel, so I'd only use them as a last resort. There are also some documented health issues from exposure to ammonium bifluoride. Most of those are from repeated exposure in a commercial car wash environment but the effects can take years to surface so be careful with this stuff. John [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Lexington, Kentucky   Posted by Italianguy63  -  10/16/2007 07:26 PM Thanks! I will want to try finding something harsher to get the aluminum nice and clean for paint to stick. Discoloration becomes a non-issue now. Maybe I will give the wheel cleaner one more shot with a wire brush.... And, per my earlier post-- I was able to track down the parts I needed. If anyone needs the 700r4 tailpiece to emulate a TH400 mount -- msg me. It is a $181 part from GM and I found a supply of them for $60. Mark Speed is about how fast do you want to spend! [ View ] [ Email ] [ Blogs ] [ Car Ads ] Bartow, Florida

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