stripped intake and valve covers

[WESTCOAST JASON]

Does anyone have a picture or description of what a GEN2 intake and valve covers would look like in a 'natural' finish? Would sanblasting be the proper method for removing the paint? THANKS

 

[FE 065]

Maybe walnut shells in the sandblaster. Sand would give pit those nice valve covers. There's alot of different media(?) to use in a blaster, ask a restoration shop.

 

[Flyin Phil]

I had my valve covers and intake plenum powdercoated recently and they removed the original paint by bead blasting (whatever that is). Anyway, the material underneath really didn't look very good in its uncoated state IMHO.

 

[GaryA]

I also had my valve covers and intake powdercoated recently and it turned out great. The paint shop sandblasted everything and their work was perfect.

Jason, I'm not sure what you mean by "natural" finish, but the intake is aluminum and the valve covers are made out of magnesium. If you were thinking of a clear coat for a "natural" finish, the pieces wouldn't match and the magnesium oxidizes (even with a clear coat as I'm told).

 

[joe117]

If the valve covers were magnesium and weighed 2.7lb then they would weigh 4lb if they had been made of aluminum.
I don't know how much they really weigh but this is a comparison to show the advantage of magnesium.
Seem's to me more of a gimmick than a practical advantage in the case of valve covers. Now, if they made the bellhousing or block out of it we would see some weight savings.
Probably some very good reasons not to do that.

 

[GR8_ASP]

Your weight calculation assumes an equal part thickness. That is where die-cast magnseium shines (so to speak). It can be cast with much thinner wall sections than aluminum, thus giving more than a 2:1 weight advantage. And because of the thin wall and less material usage, it ends up with a part cost that is very close.

 

[WESTCOAST JASON]

That was the main reason for the question, I was thinking that a raw, unpainted cover set and intake might look nice. But it sounds like it wouldn't.... I was hoping for a block of aluminum look or something....

 

[joe117]

I'll buy the thin casting saving 2:1 over aluminum, but still, how much are we saving over aluminum valve covers?
It just seems like a gimmick when nothing else is magnesium.

And just think how nice people would make the aluminum valve covers look.

 

[RedGTS]

And just think how nice people would make the aluminum valve covers look.

Aluminum sure chromes well too.

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