Well, another hour and I'll be back to where I was 4 weeks ago.
This time, I'm gonna go ahead, and fill the damn thing w/ anti-freeze.
We're just gonna assume that it'll stay inside the engine instead of pouring out everywhere else.
While it was down I took some parts over to the powder coater as they kept getting all banged up if I even looked at them sideways:
That stupid hard pipe lower rad hose has to be snaked in there, then twisted to get the "s" orientation correct. When it was just painted, it was trashed by the time all of that snaking, and twisting got done. This time however, not even as much as a mar.
The upper was the same way, but not as bad.
Additionally I took the hood latch, and some other non-installed as of yet stuff over there. All-in-all it cost 100.00. Tough money for me to spend when it all could've been painted w/ a 7.00 spray can. Obviously though, the durability is beyond compare.
Since this guy was off completely, it got repainted in VHT 2000 baked in the wife's new oven, and wrapped from head to toe. Now I get to look forward to the heat fracturing that'll come as a result of wrapping thin gauge mild steel that sees extremely high exhaust temps.:tu:
I also had Medusa (exhaust manifold) sandblasted and I painted that thing in the same paint.
Two things:
For those that are saying to themselves "Dumb ass, painting a turbo exhaust manifold w/ a spray bomb. He should've known better when he burned all of the paint off the first time he started it."
To which I'd say: "Not all of the paint"
The first paint that I put on there was silver, and it was applied according to VHT's instructions:
30 mins in an oven at 250; follwed by a 30 min cool down. 30 mins at 400; followed by a 30 min cool down. and finally, 30 mins at 550 in order to heat cure the paint.
If you were observant in those last pics of the flaking black paint, you'd see that the silver was absolutely intact. I did not follow the instructions when i topcoated the silver w/ black, so that's why that junk promptly burned off.
This time around however I followed the instructions to the letter, and all in the wife's brand new 1500.00 LG gas range.
Done when the outside temp over 100 heat index, the humidity was 85% and I had the garage door open all damn day.
To say that she was not happy when "A" She was greeted by the paint fume smell that was permeating the entire house when she got home, and "B" the fact that the oven was still in the 3rd cook phase and indicated that it was in fact 550 degrees, making the whole kitchen into a chemical waste dump on the surface of the sun,
would be an understatement.
I'm lucky to be alive.
I argued that It was only 3 stinkin' pieces, and the house would eventually cool back down.
She told me I could pay the 300.00 electrical bill.
Anyway, I paint my exhaust, heat cure it, and now that is back on. The engine is re-primed, and the only thing I lack is a few hoses, water (antifreeze) and a keyturn. (about an hour or less)
I tell ya, this build is nothing like the red car. The red car was a daily wrestling match where I had to get the thing done. The Monster is like a Califonia dude,...and just hangs out down there and waits till I get around to doing something to it.
PPffshaww! No worries dude! Come and see me when you can bro!