Re: Powder coating and heat properties...

[Huw Powell <audi@mediaone.net>]

> My aluminium intake manifold off the MC is currently
> with an electroplating company. They're going to clean it
> for me. I am thinking of getting compounds after this
> to smooth it off and give it a satin finish (deburr and
> buff).

sounds nice!

> Would it stand up to the
> temperatures of powder coating anyway?

yes.

> Should I just
> clean it up, smooth and polish it, or coat the aluminium?

one way or another, to make it/keep it nice, you'll have to coat it with
something.  Otherwise it will slowly turn grey again.  If you make it
smooth, poliches and shiny, I'd think a clear coating of some sort would
be very nice.

btw, my n/a intake mfld runs cool while the enigne is on (cool air going
through it all the time) and heat soaks after turning the engine off. 
Yours I suppose would tend to get warm at least, when the turbo is
compressing your intake air and heating it up - although maybe not that
much.  Either way I don't see a problem there.



> In the long run the idea is to prevent the part going
> scaley and black as it has in the past 

black?  that's just gunk depositing on it.  baked on gunk.  you can get
it shiny grey just by washing it and etching it with aluminum jelly.

> 
> Any ideas of what to powder coat or zinc plate in the
> engine bay to help it stand up to corrosion and
> wear without affecting the operation of the part?

Everything.  Oh, I mean, let's see, certainly try to do all the ferrous
metal pieces you can - cam cover, oil pan, radiator fan shroud, timing
belts covers are great candidates and look good.  The coolant pipe going
to the back of the block.  There are a few aluminum pieces that lend
themselves to making things pretty but there's no real "justification"
for doing it.

The block itself I have been getting cleaner and cleaner and then
spraying from time to time with Rust-Fix (which I think changed name...)
which turns it black where it was "brown" and tends to keep it that way.

the problem becomes when you are working on the car, trying to wipe all
the greasy fingerprints off the parts as you reassemble!

-- 
Huw Powell - certified cam cover polishing fairy

http://www.humanspeakers.com/audi/

82 Audi Coupe; 84 4kq; 85 Coupe GT; 73 F250