How to fix an ugly intake manifold?
 

We have to take some nice photos of a car. Everything is powdercoated a chrome silver and the intake manifold is filthy in comparison. I suggested a ceramic paint job and Corky said it was too much work. Any ideas?
Stephanie

Wire wheel brush?

close the hood:giggle:, are you going to remove it to fix it up?

Ceramic would retain heat in the manifold.

Sandblast it then clear coat it...or just skip the clear coat.

Wash it down with some muriatic acid, that would clean it right up.

Scrub it or pour on? (Stephanie has never used Muriatic acid before, can you tell?)
Stephanie

It has a very strong odor when using it, so do it in a well ventilated area. I'd lightly scrub to prevent too much from getting on things. You can also dillute it with water and it will work almost as well as full strength. Chemical or acid resistant brush, I think I've used parts washer brushes, the ones with thick black strands.

Easy Off oven cleaner also works extremely well. Low odor version is nice.

Sorry, I wasn't really recommending muriatic acid. It will work as a dilute wash but it isn't really safe in any way. It might damage things like powdercoat and whatnot.
If you want to clean it up just get some of that Gunk engine wash, that stuff works great for cleaning aluminum and grease. Probably the same thing as easy off oven cleaner, they're all acids I guess.

red scotch-brite pad gave mine a nice dull shine....

http://www.boostedmiata.com/pole/good_front004.jpg

I did the same thing, comes out pretty good.
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found a better shot:

http://www.boostedmiata.com/cops/cops001.jpg

sooo you used this http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...3L._AA240_.jpg
and it came out like that? Would it also work on the valve cover?

Steph, Photoshop works well.

Heh, i can just imagine the shitstorm that would blow up if that ever got out. lol.

FWIW, muriatic acid will discolor stainless steel, and remove paint...

Muriatic acid will remove galvanizing from steel too. Ask me how I know. :eek5:

I used an 'aluminum' spray paint. It's grey with a little flake in it, and makes the surface a little rough. I can find out the brand if you really want but I'm sure there's a few out there. Cleaned off the big dirty stuff with brake cleaner and put a few coats on. Seems obvious but no one mentioned it. My manifold in this pic was filthy and I just sprayed 2 coats. Looks good in this pic, looked even better when it was first done.

http://www.shoremotorsports.com/pics...r4/Engine3.jpg

I bead blasted mine, but of course you have to remove it to do that.

if you want it super silver shiny you can dremel it. there is a guy in the miata.net classifieds who apparently does it for pretty cheap. i saw his post, never used him.

I painted mine with some gunmetal paint...while on the car lol..

Attachment 214061

Tim, i thought u had an intake manifold that you made? is that an old pic of the twins or is that the new setup?

That's the old/first twin setup with the stock intake manifold Artie.

If you've got access to a blast cabinet, bead blast it carefully. Clean w/ air hose. If there's no electronics, you could run in it a parts washer, then a hot tank (depending on what's still on the manifold. Then dry w/ air hose.

I painted them w/ several coats of high-temp paint (rattle can) from Advanced Autoparts. Taped off the areas I didn't want to paint w/ painters tape.

I just did several valve covers for a Miata and MR2. Unfortunately, no good pics.

Steph, I did exactly what brain did. Ironically.. I used the red scotch brite pad you provided me with my radiator panel. Might be worth a shot since you already have them :)

yeah, actually I used the same pad i stole from Newb.... so therefore, coincidentally, it was your pad you provide ;)

Sweet im gona give that a shot it like the dull look better then it is now almost looks like its painted after you use that pad. And still no one answered my other question will it work on the valve cover also?

I use the green 3m pads to clean everything I own that's not supposed to be shiny. They are awesome for scuffing wheels for paint too.

he also has them next to the pooper pot, i'll tell you after a long track day shit there grate for the skin

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/1268/superbovym4.jpg


BTW, muriatic acid reacts rather unfavorably with aluminum. When I was a kid, we used to make acid bombs by putting a bunch of aluminum foil into a plastic soda bottle, then pouring in some muriatic acid (which is a common pool-treatment chemical), capping the bottle, and then running away very quickly. The acid dissolves the aluminum, producing large amounts of very noxious gas which ultimately results in the explosion of the bottle. The explosion, while not particularly lethal, is sufficient to demolish a closed mailbox. Or so I'm told. :rolleyes:

LOL. That might be the route to go then. We have those same pads, in round, to run off of a die grinder. But will that produce a CLEAN and sort-of chrome look? The cam cover is chrome color also.
Stephanie

I posted a video of that earlier in the thread. It's pretty awesome.

probably running the throttle body in the stock location.

also dry ice, water and a closed bottle is pretty awesome..

i used steel wool and de greaser to clean mine...

pretty much...

http://www.boostedmiata.com/turbo/cleaned.jpg

I don't have the time or patience to actually polish up aluminum...but if you look at the dirty textured cast on my turbo housing...the entire thing used to look like that....just a wire wheel on on a hand drill...

used the same wheel on dirty painted MS pipes as well:

http://www.boostedmiata.com/blown_en...inepull016.jpg

http://www.boostedmiata.com/blown_en...inepull017.jpg