Aluminum Finish

[76124]

Wanted to do something with the cam towers and covers that makes them look better than the typical finish found on most. I like the rough or textured finish found on a few Ferrari's that I have noticed and a few others I can't find pictures of. I am thinking this finish is the result of the casting process, but I would love to duplicate it. Right now I am exploring sand blasting to give a tighter texture, but the same idea. Pics are of what I am thinking. Anyone else tried this and or have experience finishing aluminum?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/87515058@N06/8065408551/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/87515058@N06/8065407103/

[maytag]

look at mine:


the cam covers are in red-crinkle, and the cam towers are done in black. You can control the amount of texture with the amount of heat as it cures.
You can see it better here:


that water neck setup is for sale, by the way.

[76124]

Yes, that is the look, but didn't know you could get Red, only black. How durable is that? Anyone know if they can powder coat this type of finish? Thinking of going all red on the towers and covers and adding some custom badging to the covers.

Nice clean motor Maytag. Thanks for the tips.

[vandor]

Maytag,

Do you run the IDFs with those screens on them? They offer zero dirt filtration, and are a major flow restriction.

[manoa matt]

Uh, oh Csaba poked the bear. I said the same thing last week on another thread. Take it easy on him Maytag. We just want you to get the most performance out of that awesome motor.

[maytag]

teeheehee... sorry... Manoa's right; I went all "Winnie the Pooh" on him last week.

so, point of fact: no, I don't run it that way. When I'm working on getting the carbs right, I need the horns so I can use the Syncrometer. But for the most part they're just too loud, so I run an element-type filter, no horn. (I also think Jeff is right that these horns impede ariflow)

BUT: I would still point out that those "screen" filters, as you call them, filter down to .012" (120 microns) certainly smaller than any "dirt" you know about.
And all the while, they are proven to restrict aiflow by less than 2% as long as you are between -30df and 350df.

Now, is 120 micron filtration enough for a daily-driven car that get's oil changes every 4k miles? nah. but for a "toy" or a race car, that get a high level of maintenance, 120 micron is WAAAAY sufficient.

[georgeramos]

Maytag that engine is beautiful!

My friend has custom made cam covers with FIAT and 2 stripes on them.(kind of like the Lancia ones Ive seen) He has a bunch of prototypes but hasnt followed up with the foundry to get the right alloy to produce them. Every time I see him I bug him a bit about it. They look NICE! and I would definitely buy a set. Im sure if you all saw them he could sell a few.

[baltobernie]

The red crinkle powder coat is my favorite, too! It is a little fragile, certainly more so than the gloss finish. BTW, the "aluminum" color powder is great in the engine compartment; fills in those imperfections nicely. I used it on the cam boxes and water neck in this photo.