Has anyone used zoopseal? What did you think? Though it's advertised for bi**et stuff, I'm wondering if it might keep the ol' Americans looking pretty longer. ------------------ '55 Chevy Belair Hardtop, Some assembly required. Batteries not included. Track sold separately.
I'm interested in feedback myself, I'd like to polish a Whizzer block and wonder if I can preserve the shine with that goo? BttFt!
I never used it but have heard about the product. If you want to keep you aluminum shiney, can stuff be ceramic coated or clear powder coated instead?
Yeah, when Dad was running my Torque Thrusts, it didn't take long for them to look like crap and it's a bitch to get those hard water drop stains off. I've also got a set of polished magnesium finned valve covers for my 289 and I'd like to keep them shiny since they tend to oxidize so much faster than aluminum. So I would like to read some testimonials too.
We carry it in the shop.Have sold a few units. Never heard any bad words(you hear those first) But never heard any good words either.
I've actually used Zoopseal on a few different applications, and it works pretty damn good! Right when it came out I had a fully polished tunnel ram setup I was setting up for a friend, and I tried it out on that. The application process is simple, and the intake is still super shiny a year later, without any subsequent polishing. All you have to do it wipe it off with a wet rag when the part gets dirty. With that said, I have a few disclaimers. First of all, this stuff works best on polished billet aluminum, because billet is far less porous then cast aluminum. On billet parts it leaves a flawless shine, where as on more porous materials like cast aluminum (admittedly the intake I used it on was a less then perfect casting with visible pinholes and polishing marks) it can leave a few streaks. After it dried and I polished the seal up to a shine it looked great... not as perfect as it was straight from the polishing shop, but pretty damn good, and it stayed that way. I have to say that it looks much better than clear coat or clear annodizing over polished metal, and you can always polish it off if you want to, as opposed to clear coats which are fairly permament and can yellow with time. Now for the "other" application I used Zoopseal on. This stuff is actually a liquid ceramic that gets into the pores of whatever material it is applied to, then hardens and forms a protective barrier. Once you buff it smooth with a soft rag, it protects for a long time (1-2 years). With that said, I figured, "what the hell, if it works on metal, it should work on gelcoat!" So... I tried a sample square on the side of my dad's boat, which goes into Lake Havasu where the water has a high alkaline content and leaves some NASTY water spots. At the end of a long weekend the whole boat was covered in spots and discolorations that needed to be cleaned off with a vinegar/distilled water mixture, EXCEPT the spot where I put the Zoopseal. It was still shiny and clean. So, I ended up doing the whole boat. The Zupans don't recommend this because it hasn't been tested yet, but it still looks great, so I plan on re-applying it this summer as well. After spending way to much time in my formative years polishing the torque thrusts on my first car, I can honestly say that this stuff works pretty well. Its expensive, but so it having your wheels re-polished every year. Hope this helps. Dan
what a timely post- i just took the offy valve covers off my car and spent a long time polishing the various stains out of em- am too cheap to buy zoop, but i ordered a clear from eastwood that they say will protect it and maintain the shine, i will let you folks know how it works
[ QUOTE ] what a timely post [/ QUOTE ] Look closely: it was first posted in February! I did a search before I posted. I found my exact question, and kicked it back to the top. Funny, huh? Is the Eastwood stuff different than regular clearcoat? --Matt
I applied it to a set of big ****** wheels on a late model and it seems to be working as advertised. Put approximately a thousand miles on the wheels prior to winter storage. Drove through rain, mud splatters, and dust (live on a gravel drive). I also did a bunch of chrome and aluminum stuff on one of the rods, but that car hasn't gotten out since so I don't know how well it'll work on the chrome and cast Alum. When getting ready to mix up a batch of the stuff, I'd suggest doing it in little tiny doses. A little seems to go a long way, and it doesn't have a long shelf life after mixing. (Kind of like that damn POR-15 stuff that always seems to have 1/2 a can go hard before it all gets used).
I have to agree with Scribe, Ive used it on my 75 shovelhead and it has alot of aluminum that has been polished. I was tired of cleaning and waxing every week so I used some zoop left over from my brother in laws billet queen. After applied then buffed by hand it is really nice and is suppose to last a year or two. Mine has been on at least one season and looks great. Its worth the money and goes a long way. The mixture only lasts a few days onced mixed and has to be refrigerated though.
I heard about this stuff when i was cleanining up some old five spokes , but never could find it ,Kinda spendy isn't it? no more so than a polish job or powder coating I guess less burned/blistered fingers too. Who has it and how much?
HOLY CRAP 119$ online! forget it , maybe for a glitter queen, but that will buy my set of Rhoads lifters and somethin else,Better to spin em every week w 3m scratch pad and rub in linseed oil.Seems like a lot of money for a disposable product that has no shelf life-mixed at least
I haven't used it, because I've never found a glaze that was clear. One of my customers did however, he said it diminished the shine on application, but not so bad he couldn't live with it. The finish was still damned pretty. After six months however he said it had discoloured quite badly and had areas underneath where oxidisation was setting in. Don't know about stripping it, but I figure that's a bitch. I figure hand polishing once every four months isn't so bad. It's only ten minutes a wheel, and they stay in show quality shape if you seal the wax.
Eastwood Diamond Clear- took my offy valve covers off- they were oil covered and white from watermarks. polished em up with wenol- got them really shiny- not the factory mirror buff, but still pretty shiny. layed on three thin coats of eastwood. the stuff has glazed a little bit- had the covers been mirror smooth, they certainly wouldn't be now. but on the non mirror finish, it is not very noticable. i wouldn't use this on something that didn't take a lot of abuse but i run an open hood car, the covers get oiled and watered pretty regularily, and if this stuff holds up, it will will well be worth it- not a show quality finish though, but they look a damn site better, and if i can just wash em down, then life is good
i used that eastwood nylac stuff...i don't know if it's the same as their crystal clear...but i hated it,it sucked,flaked and looked hazy...pure shit
no it's not, the nylac stuff turns yellow and isn't gas/oil resistant- this stuff supposedly is, but time will tell
I still don't want to pay the price to try Zoopseal, so I thought I'd kick this back to the top and see if there are any new responses. --Matt
I use a product called Formula 113, kind of a pink colored saturated cloth, I've tried them all, this stuff is awesome with half the effort. I used it on my Halibrands and then did the Zoopseal last spring, the wheels still look like the day I did them. Summit sells the product (Zoops) but I noticed somewhere else that they now offer the kit in an amount half the size as the original $129 deal. When you mix the chemicals, it needs to sit for 4 hours before it is used, nothing says you have to "fire" it all at once. Formula 113 has a website. Shoe
If there was discoloration and oxidation under the seal it was prolly too humid then the seal was applied. They say not to apply with any greater then 60% humidity or just this can happen haven't used it myself though
I know of two polishing shops that tried it. Both said it detracted a little from the polished finish, but that they could live with it. Both also said it began to yellow and fail before it was ready for it's second application, which is six months. Both said it was a real bitch to remove. So here is the scoop as I see it. Like most clearcoats, waxes and glazes it probably enhances a slightly off peak finish by reflecting the light off a slightly smoother surface. A top quality pH neutral polish should not require polishing lightly more than once every six months. Automotive museums using these polishes, repolish once a year. Like any clearcoat, lacquer or glaze given the right solvent it should be relatively easy to remove. Zoops should be able to provide the lowdown on that. If you don't want to repolish and are willing to accept a slightly less than perfect finish, and I say only slightly, make sure you use it correctly you should get reasonable results. Most likely the more you leave it in the sun the more it will yellow, same as clears and glazes. Personally, I don't think the loss of finish and yellowing coupled with cost is as viable as polishing with quality products. Before you say Mothers, autosolvol, simichrome,blah, blah aren't good enough, I don't consider them quality products.
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