Seaside63

Time to start shopping....

ffas23

John, You should list in your profile where you are from like most of the members on this forum. You may get some business. Also list how much you are getting to do this work and what it entails.

BarryK

I'll bet you your valve cover casting quality is nowhere near as bad as the casting quality I found on the aluminum intake on my '78 L82........
GM should have been ashamed to have ever put this intake on a car!
http://69.253.166.197/page1/page127/...0/page140.html

KyleDallas

There are several schools of thought and personal preference when it comes to alluminum.. I have always liked polished... the degree of the shine achieved with polish is all up to the individual... from light satin sheen to near chrome.. up to you..

There are some good technical articles on polishing on
PelicanParts.com.... the Porsche site.. alot of the Fuchs wheels
have recieved polishing treatment from their owners..

Alluminum that has never been polished before is often scuffed
with 180 to 400 grit sandpaper... then finished with buffer and
Jewlers Rouge... this technique would be good for a wheel or motorcycle frame..

While I would sand on rougher pieces... for valve covers I would
strictly work up through the grades of jewlers rouge til I got to
my desired shine... I believe there are 4 or 5 different grades of
Jewlers Rouge... from intial cutting to ultra fine finish to chrome..
You use a buffing wheel or a drill with pad to apply the rouge..

If you would like to take a totally different tach.... you can
flatten the shine of your Aluminum and make it look super clean
(no shine) with what the truck stops call.... "brightener"...
It is sprayed on the alluminum tanks of trucks who don't want
to run polished look but still come out ultra clean...
Brightener is nothing more than a mix of Hydroflouric.... flouric..
flouric..... did I say "Flouric"? with an F... not Hydrochloric
acid and water at a 10 to 1 mixture.. 10 water/1 hydroflouric acid..

The effects of the brightner are not permenant..and will cause
no damage.... On badly oiled rough surfaces... I have first brightened
then polished out...clean then shine..

I have also mixed my own brightener.... Hydroflouric is available
at local chemical or industrial cleaning supply stores..

NedP1

Be careful with Hydroflouric acid. It will even etch glass. Years ago you could buy it in aluminum cleaner marketed for aluminum screen doors. Recently, I bought a couple of quarts on line for use with model airplane engines, and I intend to try it on an old Weiand intake manifold when I get it off my engine. Yes, it comes in plastic bottles. Wear rubber gloves and good eye protection. It didn't do what I wanted on an RC engine I left in an ultrasonic cleaner too long. These units are too small for valve covers.

KyleDallas

Right on!! in being careful with the Hydroflouric.... never plain..
don't even think about it.... Always deluted...
Go to a 18 wheeler truck wash if you are afraid to mix your own..
I think they charge $5 or $10 to do 2 150 gallon tanks... so a
squirt on your valve covers shouldn't cost more...

vark_wso

HF acid is probably the most dangerous chemical you will ever encounter under any circumstances. Extremely corrosive & readily destroys tissue, & can kill or disable even in dilute concentrations. It does not behave like a 'normal' acid in that exposure is often not felt (by burning or pain) for several hours. I'd leave those $100 valve covers dirty before going anywhere near this stuff.

Glenn"Mr.Blue"Smith

I've had a 'bit' of experience polishing aluminum on my '66. I know you are looking at 'factory' finish for the valve covers. but if anything else is to be brought up to chrom apperance, use wet dry sandpaper up to 2000 and Wenol metal polish (Summit $9.95) and a buffing felt wheel. Will come out like glass if you take your time. Hope this helps you or others. Glenn

KyleDallas

Well, I certainly Don't want to discourage anyone from using extreme
caution when working with any chemical...but I would say cyanide is
probably a more dangerous chemical... yet is found being used in our
painting systems still....
The nations largest truck washing chain, Blue Beacon, uses the aluminum cleaning mixture I described.... as do they all...
The truck washes are usually manned by... well, car wash type employees.... not the brightest or most careful type...and yet I cannot remember ever reading of one injury or death caused by brightener..
I wouldn't have suggested it if I thought it was an operation that
couldn't be safely performed by a novice... care while doing it- absolutely
... respect while doing it- please... afraid to do it- I hope not..
I also can't remember the last time I read about an injury or death caused by paint cyanide.....I'm being honest here...not trying to make a point...
When I was racing 2 stroke Motorcycles in stock class.... the rules
dictated stock exhaust pipes....you had 2 choices... an old pipe that had blown out all its packing... or use Muratic acid to eat out the packing of your newer pipe.... I used the Muratic...carefully.... and
wore a mask in a well ventillated (car port) area..I also stayed clear
of the cloud that arose out of the pipe while the Muratic was working
on cleaning out my exhaust...
If someone is purely afraid to use such chemicals... by all means
don't...err on the side of safety always.. but Diluted Hydroflouric-10 parts water to 1 part Hyd- is a cheap and VERY effective cleaner of Aluminum..
If it wasn't.... and did not offer managable safety.. it would not
be #1 in a very large industry...
Regards, K

NedP1

I agree with Kyle.
I have used all acids since I was about 14. I made exploives as well as rocket fuel. I was always extremely cautious. My first decent science fair project I made four common gases, so my parents were worried about Chlorine that I made in the basement. Then I went on the projects in rocketry and always won the top award at the Regional fair. Attended the National SF and my last year won 4th place in aerospace. "The Effects of Rocket aceleration on Mice"

I just do a little rocketry and some fire works stuff these days. No serious rockets made of steel with seamless stainless and chrome moly nozzles.

The important thing is follow the directions provided with the product. In the old days we didn't have directions. Any one could walk in and buy a bottle of concentrated Nitric, Sulfuric, or Hydorchloric acid. The police talked to us several times - that our rocketry experiments were not leagal, but they never could produce anything in writing. We received our launch approval from the FAA as we were close to a SAC base - alternative landing approach. We were some times supervised by a General Dynamics atlas rocket expert. He pushed the button on the worst Atlas launch which was just bad luck as he had nearly all green lights and OK from everyone.

A close friend was bured in the eye by acid when he cut open a golf ball - without safety glasses on.

Diluted HF has it's place but it's not for a klutz.

BarryK

guys, I'm confused. The original poster asked about cleaning the valve covers to look like new, he never asked about a polished look - how did that topic come into play here?
Lets not get too sidetracked from the original question.

KyleDallas

Ooops.... forgot a detail on the Hydrafluoric use... I guess because
I've seen it used so many times... YOU DON'T touch it during the
proccess.... on 18 wheelers they apply it with a exterminators type wand
.... and then wash it off...there is no scrubbing involved...spray on
with a spray bottle.... wash off with plain water.... if it's not white enough for you...repeat..
it's called brightener not because it shines... but because it gradually
makes it brighter like fresh alluminum.. I guess "whiter".. the finish will
be flat ...and like I said... if you don't like it... you can polish it out..

I have put my bare hands on tanks that have been brightened
within minutes after being washed off.... no effects whatsoever..

if you have grease or oil on covers that's not ground in.... wash that
off seperately first....

I have not begun cleaning up my Sonoramic Cross Rams yet..
and I will probably end up polishing them.... but, if it would help you
and others here.... I will brighten them first and show the process with
some pics.... or a short video if my brother will edit for me....
There has never been any gas associated with the hydrafluoric
in my experience... like there was with the muratic...
anyway... good luck cleaning them whichever way you choose to
go...if not for your valve covers...perhaps the brightening will help
on some other Aluminum pieces you have...
If you have NCRS intentions... please check with them.. or do a test piece..
I don't really know which way you are going...K

KyleDallas

Barry....
An ultra light polish should just remove maybe a layer of external
dirt...and perhaps a little natural oxidation... close to natural finish??
I guess depending on your level of scrutiny... the brightening or
Hydrafluoric treatment should give flat natural unpolished aluminum
finish...sorry if unclear... polishing can take an ultra minimalist (like new
alluminum) or fully polished(chrome) stance.... and if you went too far...
you can knock the chrome like down with the acid treatment just
discussed.... I think we're still on it here..just with different techniques..

Go to Walmart and buy some Never Dull... like $2.49 for a can...
rub it on a test spot till you see the black film appear...just barely..
then buff off with a clean towel... you will see what a super light
polish job finish is....

builder

If I want my valve covers cleaned, I want them to look as need to be for NCRS standards. Anyone can polish with enough of this and that added with elbow grease.

Does anyone "restore" the aluminum covers? Is there a process that can actually "restore" them to the original look that removes any staining or discoloration from years of use?

BarryK

two options:
send them to Jerry MacNeish for his "reskinning" process.
http://www.z28camaro.com/restosvcs.html
They will come out looking great!

or you can do what I did. I glass beaded mine at low pressure and they came out looking incredible.
If you go onto the NCRS board and ask about glass beading aluminum valve covers or intake manifolds they will want to string you up and lynch you from a tall tree for such a sacrilegious act and will tell you that they come out looking wrong and it ruins them.
Well, I glass beaded mine at the lowest pressure I could that achieved the results of cleaning them. About two or three months later I had the car out at a show and was able to directly compare my valve covers to another set of aluminum ones that someone sent out for "reskinning" and I studied both sets for a good solid 10-15 minutes and I could NoT see even the most tiniest differences between the two sets!
Now, if you use too much pressure in the cabinet they will come out looking "frosty" looking, but mine didn't.
you can see how mine came out here:
http://69.253.166.197/page1/page126/...82/page82.html

I had first tried cleaning them by hand but wasn't happy with the results - too inconsistent of an appearance, so that's when I beaded them and was very happy with the results.

KyleDallas

Cool Barry...good work!!

buns

Well, o.k., new to this thread but not new to the rest of the world.
Permatex Aluminum Jelly. Cleans and brightens aluminum, helps prevent further oxidation. Good stuff.

chris ritchie

You're right, Barry. I work in an engine plant. That's what we do to them when they come back for rebuild. Talked to my AL casting and machining suppliers. Blasting is the only way. Chemicals won't do it. Gotta be careful with the media and the air pressure.

Angela DeLeon

Hi guys, Angela here.

I grew up next to my daddy in the garage as he was an avid collector restorer and would compete in show his liberty corvette ladies and as his proud daughter I've found myself thirty years later still in the garage riding around tools and I'm starting to restore some parts I've been digging up as of late. I have valve covers for both his 64 sing ray and I believe his 53 rag top. I'll have to double check on which cars they're for exactly but i know the 64 f valve covers for sure!! Anyway, is it safe to scrub the old called grease off with either full strength concentrated degreaser and a good ol cloth? I'd like to know if that's heading in a direction success or disaster?

Thanks in advance
guys,

Daddy's Girl
Angela

MikeM

I like the method described above about overnight soaking in a tub of Simple Green and then scrub.

I've never seen a process that will restore the valve covers to, "as cast, as new".

Yes, I know how old this thread is.