[fordSR]

I finally paid the price for a Zoop Seal kit and the results are good BUT, I learned a few things they don't tell you in the instructions. First the part must be polished to the shine that will be the final appearance. Zoop Seal doesn't shine the part, it just seals the shine that you start out with. In the kit is a cleaning solution which you mix with water, spray on, and then rinse off with distilled water, probably should apply twice, the part must be squeaky clean. The sealer is a two part, A & B that is mixed and allowed to sit for the chemical reaction to take place. They say, 3 Hrs, I say longer, six or 8 Hrs. Here is the tricky part, the sealer must be applied in a very thin coat going in one direction. If you have ever tried to apply lacquer with a brush, your first pass with the brush goes on OK, but before your second pass, the first has already flashed off and your brush just sticks resulting in an ugly, unsmooth mess. Same thing here, if you keep going over the same spot it will be too thick and you will need to re-polish the piece with billet polish and start over. Squeeze the sealer from your applicator cloth until it's barely wet, and work quickly in one direction to cover the piece with a thin film. In the instructions they say a max of 24 hours for the sealer to fully cure, I say 48 hours, or MORE. Here's how to tell if it fully cured. If a light brush with the tip of your finger leaves any sign of a smear, it's not fully cured. It should look and feel like fully dry paint and leave no marks from your finger tip. The third step in the process they call ,Final Seal, which goes on like ordinary polish and appears to remove any sign of surface film leaving the pores of the metal sealed. Before using the Final Seal the part will look slightly hazy, but when you start polishing with the Final Seal, any appearance of any film on the surface on the metal disappears and should have it's original fresh polished appearance. If the part appears cloudy, or if your cloth with the Final Seal doesn't work smoothly as your applying it, then that means the sealer was not fully cured and you must re-polish the piece and start over. After several phone call to Zoop Seal, re-polishing parts, etc. Long cure time is the key. It may be the humidity down here, I don't know, but when I finally figured out that FULLY CURED is the key, the product was relativly easy to use and I am very satisfied with the final results. The key is FULLY CURED and thin coat. The Zoop Seal is invisable when properly applied. These were all engine parts which I removed to apply the Zoop Seal, but I will seal my wheels with the tires mounted, on the car. Now if this stuff will last for three years, I'll be a happy camper.

[willys36@aol.com]

I'll stick with my clear powder coat. That sounds too ocmplicated and easy to waste $$.

[fordSR]

The Zoop Seal product does not leave a surface coating, if it does it's invisable to the naked eye. If you polished your part before applying the sealer, then it will look the same after you've sealed it. Most folks that spend big bucks on polished billet parts, do so because they like the look. Many spend hours polishing to keep their parts looking new, I can't say how long this stuff will last, the manufacture claims three years, but it looks good now and the product is easy to use if you follow the advice in my original post. I remember back in '61 I owned a 57 Chevy and I had alumimum Corvette valve covers on the little 283. I cleaned em up real good and sprayed on some clear lacquer, never had to clean them again. Lots of stuff out there today to keep your polished parts lookin' good, then there's the spray-on stuff, lacquer, Krylon, etc.

[mikeweyman]

zoop sounds a lot like a two component epoxy with a finishing paste, I used a product very much like it to get a mirror finish on pianos ( I had a furniture shop a few years back).was it supposed to be brushed on?or was that because of the no spray gun thing?
the only problem I forsee ,is that the stuff is almost impossible to remove if you mess up.even the commercial furniture strippers couldn't remove it, and they made circa look like mothers milk.
I know it will only last a few years ,but I need to do something with my solid aluminum valve covers and air filter , as every time they get damp, they get messed up.
I might be better off just using clearcoat, at least you can strip it off. mike

[willys36@aol.com]

Powder coating has all the benefits and none of the negatives. Tough, smooth, chemical proof, temperature resistant, very clear, very strong bond, strips easily with most strippers, and relatively inexpensive.

[Shortstep]

Powdercoating may be inexpensive where you are but here it ain't cheap at all. I did my truck aluminum wheels and sprayed them with the spray from Eastwood. I built it up to 3 coats a few minutes apart per their instructions and they look pretty good. My next project is an old diamondplate tool box for the back. I'm really dreading the polishing that must happen before the finish coats go on.

[fordSR]

According to the instructions a thin application of the sealer is what you want. It's applied not with a brush but toweletts that are included with the kit. A brush would apply it too thick. The "Final Finish" doesn't seem to be abrasive and the instructions say it's not. After the product is dry and before using the "Final Finish" you can see there is some type of film on the surface, like a rainbow haze is the best way to describe it. The "Final Finish" removes all that and the piece looks freshly polished. If the product was applied too heavely, then several applications of the "Final Sealer" will be required. The instruction say that if the product is to be removed for any reason then ordinary billet polish will remove it. They also caution against using any type of caustic cleaner as this will remove it as well.

[mazingerzeca]

Hello all.
I bought a kit of zoop seal to protect polished aluminum, as I've read in some posts here. The part B of the zoop seal kit appears to be crystallized. I've been shaking it for a long time, but the grains have not disappeared. Is that normal? I don't want to mix part A with part B until being sure that the product has not expired or it has something wrong. Any experience?

[joe k]

I've used Zoops Seal on my blower motor that has a lot of polished aluminum. Its been two years since ,and all I have to do is use a little spray wax detailer,that I use on the body, to remove any dust and grime that may get on the motor.I've got a new set of Centerline Wheels coming friday and plan on Zooping them before mounting. Very happy with the product results! MAZINGERZECA all my parts were a liquid ,I would return it to were you got it or call Zoops for advice.

[DoubleVision]

Yall noticed this post is 4 years old?

[Chevrolet4x4s]

Originally Posted by DoubleVision

Yall noticed this post is 4 years old?

not until now
Shane

[acr]

Since searches are so common & valuable I thought I'd share this current info. I used a product called Everbrite on my polished aluminum valve covers with excellent results. It applies easily, doesn't run, reasonably priced, & best of all it works . I have no affilitation with them, just a good product.
www.everbritecoatings.com

Fred (acr)

[345 desoto]

Does Everbrite work on unpolished, as cast aluminum? I'm thinking of using something to seal the as cast finish on all the aluminum pieces on my blower engine...

[acr]

Yes, it is a clear coating that will cover most anything except rubber, & some vinyls & plastic. On my finned aluminum valve covers the un-polished areas between the fins are free from any tarnish or stains. It can be brushed or sprayed on, but if you apply with a brush you have to be careful not to "over brush" it as I almost did. And if you goof up it can be stripped off with solvent & redone.
Go to their website & read about it, it has many uses. A couple of these are to rejuvenate old, faded signs & siding, including aluminum siding. It brings gloss back to the faded colors & protects from the elements.

[69-er]

Originally Posted by 345 desoto

Does Everbrite work on unpolished, as cast aluminum? I'm thinking of using something to seal the as cast finish on all the aluminum pieces on my blower engine...

I would also be interested in how Everbrite looks on cast aluminum parts. I clear coated my intake manifold with clear engine paint, but it changed the color of the aluminum to the point that you can tell it's been painted. I'd love to find something that keeps the aluminum looking natural.