[kaw550]

I have everything cleaned and painted except for my Wieland intake. It's a little bit of a mess. It has been painted at least once and is pretty dirty. I was going to clean and paint it cast coat aluminum but I am interested in having it blasted.

Down the street there is a place that does soda blasting. I have no idea what their prices are like. A little firther there is a place that does sand blasting. I dont know of they do media blasting but their prices are pretty good.

What would work best on an intake? Are both safe? I am worried abour the mating surfaces.

[BigMo]

Use the soda blasting, it doesnt remove metal, just dirt or particulate on the surface.....it doesnt have enough *** to harm the substrate. Sandblasting, bad idea, you will have the aluminum all messed up. Aluminum is soft, and the sand is harder normally, so the aggressive sand will take some of the metal away also.....

[ap72]

Originally Posted by BigMo

Use the soda blasting, it doesnt remove metal, just dirt or particulate on the surface.....it doesnt have enough *** to harm the substrate. Sandblasting, bad idea, you will have the aluminum all messed up. Aluminum is soft, and the sand is harder normally, so the aggressive sand will take some of the metal away also.....

I sand blast aluminum intakes all the time, it leaves a "matte like" surface but really doesn't remove any material. On a rough cast surface you can't tell a difference- on a polished one it may be more pronounced, I haven't blasted a polished piece though, always blast first then polish it.

[kaw550]

It has a rough finish. I would like to polish but it be tough. I would just like it cleaned up.

I was thinking of uaing clear drom a rattle can after.

[kaw550]

I just called the sand blaster. The do use other media. I plan on dropping it off tomorrow.
Is it worth having the manifolds done? I was going to use a wire wheel and engine paint.

It's far from a show truck....

[BOBCRMAN@aol.com]

Glass bead gives the best finish. Fine stainless shot also gives great finish. Neither are great for removing paint tho.

[Mr. P-Body]

It all depends on how clean is "clean"? The traditional method, and I agree with Bob, it leaves among the nicer finishes, is glass-beading. Sand is VERY aggressive, and I agree completely with what has been said about NOT using it. IF one turns the pressure down AND uses kiln-dried, maybe 60-mesh, it won't hurt so much. But sand has "sharp edges" unlike glass beads. If non-dried air is used with sand, it's like injecting rust into iron... I know, it's an aluminum intake. Not the point.

If you have a good automotive machine shop in town, call and ask if they have a thermal cleaner. If they do, it's usually accompanied by a blasting machine. Ours uses stainless steel "shot". You can "clean" the manifold first in a chemical cleaner (Aluma-Brite, transmission shops use it in their "jet washers"). DO NOT let anyone put it in a caustic solution. The media in our blaster leaves a "peened" surface that is both bright and "smooth" (it "folds" the surface irregularities) . We don't use the oven for aluminum, but many shops do (natural gas is okay, propane or electric is not). If your local shop maintains their blaster/vacuum properly, and use stainless shot, they can produce the same results. It's the closest thing we've found to "as cast" new manifolds from Edelbrock. It takes less time and is usually less expensive than getting it glass-beaded.

Like anything else, if left "in" TOO long, it can damage some surfaces. Trust your machinist.

Jim

[BigMo]

I guess I needed to say that the aggressiveness of the sand will leave a finish thats very rough, instead of metal "removal", as I agree with others here. Especially the gasket surfaces.....glass bead does do a great job if going that route....

[1Gary]

I've gotten my media from T.I.P. sandblasters in Canfield,Ohio when we where at the Stark family fairgrounds working as a vendor at the swap meets.They are across the street from the fair grounds.

T.I.P. specializes in blasting and is very helpful and knowledgeable in their field.Tell them what you want and they can tell you how to get there.

TP Tools & Equipment

Shine from another forum who for a long time has been a blaster stated there are three primary things needed for good blasting.Volume of air,not pressure,correct media,and knowledge of metals to adjust distance.He uses a used construction diesel compressor for the volume of air.The type used for jack hammers.I want to add safety and knowledge of media.To breath in some medias is harmful and you need to wear a air supplied mask.

Contact T.I.P. from the link

[kaw550]

I picked it up from being glass beaded. It looks pretty good.

Should I clear it? I have a can of high temp engine clear.

This could be a dumb question but should I wash it? It feels dusty but I am more concerned about what could be inside. Being aluminum it probably wont matter.