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Anyone ever powdercoat an intake manifold ?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by FalconMan, Dec 9, 2012.

  1. madmak95
    Joined: May 12, 2005
    Posts: 779

    madmak95
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  2. GEEZZER
    Joined: Mar 20, 2008
    Posts: 296

    GEEZZER
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    If a powdercoated intake is peeling or chipping, the coater did a bad job. I've done many. there is a powder called blasted aluminum that looks great,just like blasted aluminum, except is easy tro keep clean. Tommy's cast aluminum that he uses from eastwood is exellent
     
  3. gimpyshotrods
    Joined: May 20, 2009
    Posts: 23,263

    gimpyshotrods
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    Have done somewhere near 75, in the last decade. SBC, SBF, Olds, Y-Block, Flatty, Banger, FE, MEL, W, Hemi, import, motorcycle, etc. Zero issues with discoloration, heat or atomization.
     
  4. nwbhotrod
    Joined: Oct 13, 2009
    Posts: 1,243

    nwbhotrod
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    from wash state

    Why cant you keep it clean I drive my roadster. Its simpel green and water
     

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  5. denis4x4
    Joined: Apr 23, 2005
    Posts: 4,198

    denis4x4
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    from Colorado

    This is a rare Stromberg-Bendix downdraft circa 1931 that was powder coated red eight years ago. Thought Ford blue on the engine would be trick. Looks awful and will redo it next year along with the blue headers.
     

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  6. FalconMan
    Joined: Sep 9, 2008
    Posts: 1,404

    FalconMan
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    from Minnesota

    Thanks for all of the responses. Sounds like a lot of people think it is great, and other not so much.

    I do all of my own powder coating. I have a small business that I run out of my shop that provides funds for my hot rod habit. I have been doing this for a couple of years..... from nuts and bolts to motorcycle frames. I use an industrial convection oven. I have not done an intake for anybody yet. The thought was to do mine and use it to show potential customers.

    That said, I am building my Deuce and got this nice new tri-power intake. Any aluminum intake I have had, does not stay clean. I live on a dirt road, I drive my cars as daily drivers, and I don't make the time to keep them all clean as they should be. If I can coat an intake so it wipes clean, great....

    I have coated lots of aluminum. Out gassing is important. My concerns are as mentioned by others, heat, discoloration, and flaking off.

    My gut feeling was to coating with an aluminum/gray color rather than a clear.

    Still on the fence ....
     
  7. Blue One
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 11,459

    Blue One
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    from Alberta

    :rolleyes: Good grief. An old wives tale if there ever was one. Look up the thermal conductivity of aluminum as compared to steel. It' 4x that of steel, meaning that aluminum dissipates heat better than a cast iron or cast steel intake even if it's powder coated.

    By your line of logic, the manufacturers for many years were all messed up making cast iron manifolds that would stay too hot and screw everything up. :rolleyes:
     
    CudaChick1968 likes this.
  8. speters
    Joined: May 19, 2010
    Posts: 514

    speters
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    I did mine in powdered silver and another layer of powdered clear. The clear will add to the durability
    [​IMG]
     
  9. metalshapes
    Joined: Nov 18, 2002
    Posts: 11,138

    metalshapes
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    No I havent.
    And I wont...

    I acctually prefer the look of a gas stained aluminum intake manifold over a powdercoated one.
     
  10. Oh then you would love the one on my flathead. Two carbs both keep seeping gas even with new gaskets. The whole thing is stained perfectly :)


    Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
     
  11. simon g-s
    Joined: Mar 1, 2009
    Posts: 116

    simon g-s
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    Me niether, wet media cleaned it, baked for 1/2 hour and then clear laquer from a rattle can, still looks good 4 years on. Not a show queen though !
     
  12. langy
    Joined: Apr 27, 2006
    Posts: 5,730

    langy
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    I have mine vapour blasted, nice finish and easily cleaned
     
  13. Muttley
    Joined: Nov 30, 2003
    Posts: 18,500

    Muttley
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    I had an intake coated with what the guy described as "chrome" for a Chevelle I owned about ten years ago. I immediately hated it and sold it the next day for the price of the intake minus the powder coating. Dont waste your time, it looks like crap.
     
  14. I have done a bunch of them.
    One thing to note, the alum will turn darker even with a clear. it will be a dark gray.
    I use a Dupont diamond dust, its a high gloss fuel resistant clear, flows out beautifully.
     
  15. seriously, do you think a thin layer of powder is going to be worse than a thin layer of paint (factory has painted bazillions of them), really, sometimes I think people spout out stuff without even thinking, its just "what they have heard"...

    and as far as heat issues on intakes, the powder gets baked at 375-400. I never use high heat powder on intakes, its just not needed. If your motor gets hot enough to damage the powder, you have other issues more important than whether the powder is discolored or not.

    and Aluminum DOES outgas indeed so.
     
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  16. tommy
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 14,757

    tommy
    Member Emeritus

    yeah some guys say the same thing abut a dusting of flat black paint on a radiator...it will suddenly over heat.:rolleyes:
     
  17. Dakota Boy
    Joined: Sep 8, 2010
    Posts: 173

    Dakota Boy
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    from Racine, WI

    Dupli-Color makes a nice aluminum paint in a spray can.

    Bead blast the intake, primer it, and spray it.

    I had a nasty old Edelbrock that looked like new when I was done. Two years later it still looks pretty good.
     
  18. Typical automotive finish is between 4.5 to 5.5 mils thick. Powder coating can run as high as 20 mils thick. That's why bolts don't go into holes after powder coating without reaming them out.

    So what's this about powder coating being "thin"?
     
  19. Blue One
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 11,459

    Blue One
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Alberta

    That Y Block tri power looks nice. I think I'll order some Eastwood powder for my 573. :)
     
  20. Actually he is correct powder coating will diminish the cooling efficiency of the aluminum enough to loose the effect of having an aluminum intake.

    The factories painted cast intakes so that they would not rust but paint does not seal as well as powder coat. They went to aluminum intakes on their performance based vehicles partly because of the fact that it does dissipate heat better.

    I would assume that if performance is not the goal a warmer fuel charge is not an issue.

    Actually the only reason that a bare aluminum intake is hard to keep clean is the porosity. A fner pososity can be achieved by using a finer medium for blasting. One thing that I do to make my aluminum pieces easier to keep clean is Lemon Pledge. Giveing ot a coating of the stuff will make it rinse off real well.

    But that is not the point of the thread is it.
     
  21. I don't really care what someone coats their engine parts with. If performance is not that much of a concern that's fine, it's their car to build it as they see fit. I never stood on a soapbox saying "Don't do that", I said that "I" wouldn't do it for the reasons stated. Period!

    Hey if Krylon became king and everybody else was using it, so be it! Whatever works for "them"!
     
  22. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    My intake is in the cast state and I like it. It looks like what it is... an aluminum intake. True, oil or whatever will stain it, but I take a few minutes after I notice it and spray a little carb cleaner and wipe it clean. It sounds like you take pride in your stuff, so after a couple or three drives, take 10 minutes and clean if needed.

    Cast aluminum intakes look bad ass.

    I used to admire Edelbrocks Endurashine finish when I saw it in the ads, but my thought was...... "Man, there's a WHOLE lot of spaces that would be hard to reach at cleaning time." Carb cleaner over spray will easily soak into paper towel. I couldn't see myself getting out a Q-tip to reach those tight Endurashine spots.
     
  23. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    On a side note, when I was talking to Matt about my headers and coating, he responded with something that made me think. He said, "I just paint them. Hell, it's an exhaust pipe. What are you expecting?"

    The same can be said for an intake. If you're not building a 1,000 mile a year show ride, just paint the damn thing and clean it every so often. Chances are you look at your engine more that twice a week. More than that, if it's hoodless. One of those times, just clean it if it's needed.
     
  24. kdorfner
    Joined: Feb 28, 2010
    Posts: 90

    kdorfner
    Member

    I have coated a few intakes with cast aluminum powder. My Model A sits outside
    with no hood and 3 years later still cleans up like the day I put it on the motor. I
    glass bead the intake, rinse with water and bake at 400 degrees to dry and degrease. Looks like raw aluminum and does not stain. Simple green and a small
    paint brush keeps it clean.
     
  25. CudaChick1968
    Joined: Dec 11, 2012
    Posts: 108

    CudaChick1968
    Member

    :D Thanks for the feedback and your wonderful recommendation. I love what I do around here. Seems there's a few PSC fans on this board.
     
  26. yup, thin, anything will go on thick if you let it.....powder application technology has come a looooong way. thats why you use a coater that has expensive equipment instead of garage kit guns. Take a look at "Tribo" technology, my gun and machine lays it on beautifully, I powder through stencils and lace patterns just like paint....thick you say...ha!:D
     
  27. CudaChick1968
    Joined: Dec 11, 2012
    Posts: 108

    CudaChick1968
    Member

    Yeah turbo, I have to agree with you there. The one that got me was the statement that it's "20 mils" thick. LMAO!!!! Holy cow, no wonder powder coating on this forum has such an awful reputation with silly rumors like that floating around.

    If it's done right, it's 3-4 mils thick, comes in every color, texture and finish you can imagine (including custom colors that can match or accentuate your paint job) and will last without incident for many, many years.
     
  28. yellow dog
    Joined: Oct 15, 2011
    Posts: 512

    yellow dog
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    from san diego

  29. oldskooljc
    Joined: Aug 4, 2009
    Posts: 812

    oldskooljc
    Member
    from Fresno CA.

    HOT HOT HOT We were working on a 1972 Chevy show truck the guy had the motor built by us he had the intake chrome a coated. We had to drop the motor in and it was off to the body shop to get the front clip installed. It came back for fine tune the dist. was one tooth off Motor had only run for a short time Burned the shit out of my hands moving that dist. one tooth with mechanics gloves on. Some bull shit had to be on the trailer headed to a show. Don't do it Hot Hot Hot.
     
  30. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

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