Painting Buick Aluminum Drums ???

This evening I bead blasted my 45 fin Buick drums. Frankly, they don't look that hot. Lots of small pits and the coloration and surface texture is a little raw.

I have had good luck finishing cast iron drums with Seymour and, more recently, Summit Racing stainless steel pigment paint. It produces a dark gray metallic finish. Similar to aged aluminum with a little more shine.

Before I shake the rattle bomb can anyone offer an alternative solution.

I don't think the stainless steel paint will be all that noticeable but it is not going to stand up to really close scrutiny by the purists amongst us. Not that I give a rat rodders behind. Just don't want to screw up an otherwise good set of drums.

 

Get a brass wire wheel for your drill motor, and go over the drums with that. I did a set like that one time after bead blasting, and they turned out really nice. Got rid of that "raw" look you're talking about.

The wire wheel was a low-speed wheel, and a drill is pretty low-speed too (compared to a right-angle grinder)

-Brad

 

I've had good luck using some scotch brite pads to smooth out the color and then spray on some Gibbs.

 

I use the Seymour cast aluminum paint on mine.

 

wont you be reducing the heat transfer with paint? or not worried on a lighter car? will be scotch brite for mine or Im thinking of polishing them

 

Painting your Buick drums is like painting your aluminum quickchange.

 

" A good absorber, is a good emitter", as in referring to using black, on them,like a motorcycle cylinder.

Also, ya' should not really use anything metallic, to clean then, except Aluminum.........( dissimilar metals, you know.....)....................Blasting, or chemically cleaning, is your best bet.

 

Ive had better luck using low dose acid cleaner and a fine wire brush. pk

 

If you polish them, it will reflect the heat back into the drum... the point of finned aluminum drums was to shed and dissipate heat.

It's the same with oil pans and trans mission pans. I did a story several years ago testing fluid temps with different pans: black painted aluminum kept temps the lowest, while chrome and polished aluminum kept temps the highest, and go those temps there quicker.

Polishing your aluminum drums will do the same.

-Brad

 

X-2 on the wire wheel

 

Got a 6" brass wire wheel at Harbor Freight. Made a spindle out of a 1/2" bolt, a regular nut, and a nyloc nut. Tried to work the drums on the bench but they were awkward to handle. So I mounted them to the spindle, and working from a mechanic's seat, buffed them over in a few minutes. Really look nice. Thanks for the help guys.

 

Hey there,
If they start to get little while spots on them and start oxidizing I would take the wheels off and shoot them with a light coat of cast blast color paint. I did that on my drums and wilson backing plates and they came out pretty nice. The problem with polishing is that they look great for a couple months then start to turn if it's raw polished alum.

good luck !