Sandblasting an upper intake?

[ReefBlueHatch]

I've done quite a few of intakes, valve covers, etc for myself and others - just use paint stripper. No risk of getting grit in your engine along with stripper is way easier and less time consuming. I've tried many different paint strippers and the Mar-hyde Tail Strip II is the only one I found to touch the Ford coating. I let the stripper soak for awhile, then I hit it with the power washer, then I scrub with a degreaser and Dawn afterwards. Then your ready for primer/paint.

 

[foxbodymike87]

you guys using f'***ing rocks as sand blaster? i've blasted many intakes including my own and came out mint. Also i highly highly highly doubt a teeny tiny rinkle dinkle piece of sand will do anything to the cylinders. It will just blow out the exhaust valve.

 

[stykthyn]

Imho the paint on the intakes is Damn near indestructible. Scuff and respray. Results are the same as taking it back to metal. If its really beat up. Sand aggressively use high build primer and I sand again before laying color.

 

[jsw81]

I've done quite a few of intakes, valve covers, etc for myself and others - just use paint stripper. No risk of getting grit in your engine along with stripper is way easier and less time consuming. I've tried many different paint strippers and the Mar-hyde Tail Strip II is the only one I found to touch the Ford coating. I let the stripper soak for awhile, then I hit it with the power washer, then I scrub with a degreaser and Dawn afterwards. Then your ready for primer/paint.

Looks like new, nice!

 

[Boosted92LX]

Either way is fine. I've blasted more dang intakes than Texas has rednecks and never had a problem. There's this new invention called a water hose.... you use it to wash out the intake. Haven't hurt an engine yet.

 

[foxbodymike87]

Either way is fine. I've blasted more dang intakes than Texas has rednecks and never had a problem. There's this new invention called a water hose.... you use it to wash out the intake. Haven't hurt an engine yet.

Water hose? Where do you get one of those?!

 

[Vanessa91]

I've never been comfortable blasting an intake. If you leave ANY of the blast media inside and it gets sucked down into your cylinders, it's only going to tear crap up.

So, I second the aircraft stripper. I've used it before, it's super easy and works great.

No more or less dangerous then porting an intake. Plenty of people do that and there is just as much probable error from the metal shavings as there is from media blasting. Dont be a dumb and clean it out and you'll be fine.

 

[Vanessa91]

you guys using f'***ing rocks as sand blaster? i've blasted many intakes including my own and came out mint. Also i highly highly highly doubt a teeny tiny rinkle dinkle piece of sand will do anything to the cylinders. It will just blow out the exhaust valve.

I hope you dont believe that, blasting media is not regular sand. It will not break down the same way since its usually glass. Just because its small doesnt mean there is any less of a reason to not properly clean out something you blasted.

That being said, do it right, and there will be no problems.

 

[foxbodymike87]

I hope you dont believe that, blasting media is not regular sand. It will not break down the same way since its usually glass. Just because its small doesnt mean there is any less of a reason to not properly clean out something you blasted.

That being said, do it right, and there will be no problems.

oh i know, obviously gonna clean it out after blasting it, people are just getting butt hurt saying a teeny piece os sand WILL destroy their engine.

 

[NIKwoaC]

No more or less dangerous then porting an intake. Plenty of people do that and there is just as much probable error from the metal shavings as there is from media blasting. Dont be a dumb **** and clean it out and you'll be fine.

You typically port the lower only, which is much easier to clean and has less areas where grit can hide. The upper has all sorts of vacuum holes and port transitions... And unless you've got one of those fancy Eddie intakes, you can't pop it open to make sure you have it all clean.

oh i know, obviously gonna clean it out after blasting it, people are just getting butt hurt saying a teeny piece os sand WILL destroy their engine.

Nobody's getting butt hurt, we're just trying to give advice on the safest methods to strip paint off an intake, and IMO sandblasting is not the safest way. You can base jump off a 100 story building if you think you can pull it off safely, but I'll just take the elevator, thank you very much.

 

[Vanessa91]

Preeeettttty sure extrude honing is a form of porting, and uses media like a sand blaster. And regardless if its a eddy intake or trick flow, they both will benefit from it. Also dont tell me you've never opened up a tb port? Just as dangerous. Sand blasting is just fine if you take the proper precautions. Just like racing, or shooting or sex etc etc. If we stayed away from the things that are remotely dangerous wekd lead pretty boring lives.

 

[srtthis]

extruding uses a type of clay....

 

[Vanessa91]

Just likke sand blasting, extrude honing can use a variety of media there is no "one" media they use. They may use clay as a finishing media but a majority of them use an abrasive media, silica, aluminum oxide, etc There are many ways to skin a cat. Personally when i've used aircraft stripper its reacted with the paint at a later time. So i stay away from chemicals. Its not the right way or wrong way or the only way, it is however how miliions ofpeople have done it before and to say its "wrong" is just as wrong as saying stock blocks cant go fast or lx's are worse then gt's.

 

[srtthis]

Just likke sand blasting, extrude honing can use a variety of media there is no "one" media they use. They may use clay as a finishing media but a majority of them use an abrasive media, silica, aluminum oxide, etc There are many ways to skin a cat. Personally when i've used aircraft stripper its reacted with the paint at a later time. So i stay away from chemicals. Its not the right way or wrong way or the only way, it is however how miliions ofpeople have done it before and to say its "wrong" is just as wrong as saying stock blocks cant go fast or lx's are worse then gt's.

depends what you see fast as... for me unless it runs 7's its not fast

 

[Vanessa91]

Exactly, and to some people if it doesnt go around a track its not a fast car. It's not right or wrong, plenty of ways to do it. But saying one way is "wrong" when an obvious amount of people have been doing it that way for decades is wrong. Some people just shouldnt use certain tools, doesnt matter if its a media blaster or a screw driver, you can easily up a motor with either.

 

[RUNINAGT]

Well I just did mine and I sent them to a friends shop and he put them in his vac machine. It cleaned them pretty well. Still could run my finger on the inside and get carbon on it so I was surprised. I thought that machine would get all that out. Anyway I was not to thrilled with the cleaning so I went further. I work at an automotive shop. We have a 50 gal drum outside that contains our floor cleaner. So I filled one of our tire dunk tanks and then put the intakes in it and let them soak for about an hour. Then pulled them out and flipped them for the the cleaner to hit different areas. When the were done they were black!!!! I was like wtf, and you could rub your finger on it and the black stuff would be on your finger.

So I then took it back to our parts cleaner and wash them down good with that, and then out to the water hose for a gooooooood rinse. Let them dry, and then smoothed the gaskets area and took a little sand paper to the lower and the upper felt kind of rough from the cleaner. I just sprayed it with engine paint on the upper and lower, then after drying the next day put a couple coats of black spray paint on the upper. They looked pretty good, I did the TB and spacer the same, along with the IAC. My plaque is polished.

I am actually heading after work to pick it up from the place they got installed. I am looking forward to see the outcome.

 

[LilBerx]

Well I just did mine and I sent them to a friends shop and he put them in his vac machine. It cleaned them pretty well. Still could run my finger on the inside and get carbon on it so I was surprised. I thought that machine would get all that out. Anyway I was not to thrilled with the cleaning so I went further. I work at an automotive shop. We have a 50 gal drum outside that contains our floor cleaner. So I filled one of our tire dunk tanks and then put the intakes in it and let them soak for about an hour. Then pulled them out and flipped them for the the cleaner to hit different areas. When the were done they were black!!!! I was like wtf, and you could rub your finger on it and the black stuff would be on your finger.

So I then took it back to our parts cleaner and wash them down good with that, and then out to the water hose for a gooooooood rinse. Let them dry, and then smoothed the gaskets area and took a little sand paper to the lower and the upper felt kind of rough from the cleaner. I just sprayed it with engine paint on the upper and lower, then after drying the next day put a couple coats of black spray paint on the upper. They looked pretty good, I did the TB and spacer the same, along with the IAC. My plaque is polished.

I am actually heading after work to pick it up from the place they got installed. I am looking forward to see the outcome.

Make sure you post some pics!

 

[NIKwoaC]

Well I just did mine and I sent them to a friends shop and he put them in his vac machine. It cleaned them pretty well. Still could run my finger on the inside and get carbon on it so I was surprised. I thought that machine would get all that out. Anyway I was not to thrilled with the cleaning so I went further. I work at an automotive shop. We have a 50 gal drum outside that contains our floor cleaner. So I filled one of our tire dunk tanks and then put the intakes in it and let them soak for about an hour. Then pulled them out and flipped them for the the cleaner to hit different areas. When the were done they were black!!!! I was like wtf, and you could rub your finger on it and the black stuff would be on your finger.

So I then took it back to our parts cleaner and wash them down good with that, and then out to the water hose for a gooooooood rinse. Let them dry, and then smoothed the gaskets area and took a little sand paper to the lower and the upper felt kind of rough from the cleaner. I just sprayed it with engine paint on the upper and lower, then after drying the next day put a couple coats of black spray paint on the upper. They looked pretty good, I did the TB and spacer the same, along with the IAC. My plaque is polished.

I am actually heading after work to pick it up from the place they got installed. I am looking forward to see the outcome.

That floor cleaner may have attacked (corroded) the aluminum, that's why they came out black.

 

[RUNINAGT]

Well I hope it did not hurt them. Owell at this point they are on the car now, I posted a thread with the finish touch. Don't think there would be a long term corrosion with them and they start to come apart lol boy that would suck huh.

 

[NIKwoaC]

If you rinsed them off good, they're probably OK.