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just what this board needs anther thread about them but its not about whats right and wrong for the flaw. its about appearance. I got a set of correct non flaw covers for dads 65 L76 but someone steel wooled them in the past and now they are semi shiny. sending them out for re-skinning is out of the question. I could take them to where I work and let them soak in a soapy hot water tank we use to clean aluminum 6061 dip brazed parts that are dipped in a 1100* salt bath. but once you do that you changed it and cant get it back. the other option is to dust them with aluminum paint. or leave them be. NCRS chapter judging is in the future.
Media blasting at low pressure (with walnut shells or baking soda) will remove almost zero material along with surface peening into the depth of light steel wool scratch lines, and restore a near as-cast surface texture. Age and environment under the hood does the rest of the "restoration" of the exposed aluminum surface.
Aluma blast looks nice and clean but will never pass NCRS judging. The closest I could come without sending them out was to easy blast with the finest glass you can get and spray a few coats of matte clear it resembles the coating the factory had, still detectable but look correct.
soda blast it, non abrasive, wont pit. Should look like its supposed to when youre done.
Im not sure on valve covers but on intake manifolds the same works, also if you know someone with a tumbler it will come out looking like the day it was cast.
Aluma blast looks nice and clean but will never pass NCRS judging. The closest I could come without sending them out was to easy blast with the finest glass you can get and spray a few coats of matte clear it resembles the coating the factory had, still detectable but look correct.
Nope. Original covers had no coating - they came out of the die-cast mold at Lester (or Hoover), went in a box, then went on the engine. Once the surface has been "modified" (buffed, polished, or otherwise altered), "re-skinning" will never bring back the original appearance.
Why is reskinning out of the question? Doesn't Jerry McNeish do it and he is local.
Tom
Originally Posted by Nowhere Man
don't trust him
That was out of line. Jerry has done a great job on lots of members valve covers and intake manifolds. (including mine) It would have been better to have just said personal reasons and let it go. PRC is over there.
Nope. Original covers had no coating - they came out of the die-cast mold at Lester (or Hoover), went in a box, then went on the engine. Once the surface has been "modified" (buffed, polished, or otherwise altered), "re-skinning" will never bring back the original appearance.
How exactly were the pieces molded? Were the molds sprayed or coated with a release agent? The originals sure have a unique appearance?
That was out of line. Jerry has done a great job on lots of members valve covers and intake manifolds. (including mine).
I agree! Jerry has done LOTS of valve covers and intake manifolds for me over the years (also exhaust manifolds, which is a different process), have never had an issue with any of his work. You don't win the U.S. Nationals Stock Eliminator class four years in a row and hold the NHRA National Record (10.44) year after year if you do sloppy work.
Jerry repaired the heater hose fitting on an L76 intake manifold and reskinned it afterwards along with a couple sets of valve covers. I wanted the second set of covers as a spare set. The work was outstanding. Even if his reskinning process doesn't duplicate the original appearance perfectly, it sure looks great to me.
If you re skin some thing won't the skin come off after awhile. LOL
Actually, no. That's just the term given for the process of restoring the finish on the part.
There is a guy here in Okla City that many people use, Fred Hudson. Jerry Bramlett uses him for all the parts of FI units that he restores. I also use Fred sometimes.
These are some damaged valve covers I bought (cheap) for my 56.
I had the damaged fins welded, and the welds ground back down. Then had Fred refinish them.
not trusting him might have been the wrong thing to say. hey may have a great shop and does great work. my luck with specialized shops like his has not been great. and until I know exactly what the process is I don't want it. then when people tell me the process does not make it look original makes me more skeptical of it.
03-17-2019, 02:29 PM
aluminum script valve covers
but its not about whats right and wrong for the flaw. its about appearance. I got a set of correct non flaw covers for dads 65 L76 but someone steel wooled them in the past and now they are semi shiny. sending them out for re-skinning is out of the question. I could take them to where I work and let them soak in a soapy hot water tank we use to clean aluminum 6061 dip brazed parts that are dipped in a 1100* salt bath. but once you do that you changed it and cant get it back. the other option is to dust them with aluminum paint. or leave them be. NCRS chapter judging is in the future.
