Ugly alternator
Thread Starter
Cruising
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
From: Blue Springs MO
Ugly alternator
The alternator on my 94 has turned a very dull dark gray color. Any suggestions on what to use to brighten it up? Everything else in the engine complartment is clean and crisp. This alternator is just plain ugly.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 30,858
Likes: 293
From: Boston, Dallas, Detroit, SoCal, back to Boston MA
Re: Ugly alternator (vette_guy)
Just wait will it burns out.
Our cars tend to munch alternators.
hate to see you put alot of time into cleaning it up, only to get rid of it!
Our cars tend to munch alternators.
hate to see you put alot of time into cleaning it up, only to get rid of it!
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 11,470
Likes: 764
Re: Ugly alternator (vette_guy)
vette_guy -
here's what i did with my 85's alternator (and my 69's) as well as other aluminum engine parts/components. - remove the thing from the car, and dissassemble it - everything down to the the case halves. cover the bearings with 3 or 4 layers of duct tape. i start with a circle approximately .5" larger than the bearing openings, and increase the diameter approximately 1" for each layer. once you are sure the beaings are covered and PROTECTED, (glass)bead blast the case halves. after bead blasting, rinse with water and dry with compressed air. after the cleaning, seal the case with a chem film solution - its sold by either dupont or 3m (???) at most auto paint suppliers (comes in clear and a orangish-gold tint solution). if you don't want that freshly blasted look, use an aluminum etch prior to the sealer. i use a product called aluminum-brite sold at my local hardware store. reassemble and install. while you're at it, throw in a new set of brushes. i cleaned all the aluminum engine parts on my (driver) '85 five years ago, and everything still looks great. when i sold it, my 69's altenator and smog pump looked good - even after 11 years. hope this helps - :flag
[Modified by joe ciechanowski, 6:10 AM 2/11/2002]
[Modified by joe ciechanowski, 6:10 AM 2/11/2002]
here's what i did with my 85's alternator (and my 69's) as well as other aluminum engine parts/components. - remove the thing from the car, and dissassemble it - everything down to the the case halves. cover the bearings with 3 or 4 layers of duct tape. i start with a circle approximately .5" larger than the bearing openings, and increase the diameter approximately 1" for each layer. once you are sure the beaings are covered and PROTECTED, (glass)bead blast the case halves. after bead blasting, rinse with water and dry with compressed air. after the cleaning, seal the case with a chem film solution - its sold by either dupont or 3m (???) at most auto paint suppliers (comes in clear and a orangish-gold tint solution). if you don't want that freshly blasted look, use an aluminum etch prior to the sealer. i use a product called aluminum-brite sold at my local hardware store. reassemble and install. while you're at it, throw in a new set of brushes. i cleaned all the aluminum engine parts on my (driver) '85 five years ago, and everything still looks great. when i sold it, my 69's altenator and smog pump looked good - even after 11 years. hope this helps - :flag
[Modified by joe ciechanowski, 6:10 AM 2/11/2002]
[Modified by joe ciechanowski, 6:10 AM 2/11/2002]
Racer
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 272
Likes: 0
From: Somewhere in GA
Re: Ugly alternator (joe ciechanowski)
Joe,
When you sell your car I want it ;) Wow, that is one nice engine compartment.
I am starting to go through mine but doubt that I will take all the pains you did to clean the alternator. I was thinking more on the lines of taking a wire brush on the end of a drill or dremel to clean mine up. I think the bead blast is probably the better solution but much more time consuming .... then there's the problem of finding a blasting unit. But the real problem would be that on my 94 that the alternator and A/C unit are both aluminum and sitting next to each other. I can't do one without the other, and I don't think I'm going to take the A/C off.
There should be a liquid chemical solution to this problem. Not sure what would work but there must be something out there like the stuff used to take tarnish off brass and silver in the home. Anyone tried this stuff on engine compartments?
Anybody else have ideas??
:seeya
When you sell your car I want it ;) Wow, that is one nice engine compartment.
I am starting to go through mine but doubt that I will take all the pains you did to clean the alternator. I was thinking more on the lines of taking a wire brush on the end of a drill or dremel to clean mine up. I think the bead blast is probably the better solution but much more time consuming .... then there's the problem of finding a blasting unit. But the real problem would be that on my 94 that the alternator and A/C unit are both aluminum and sitting next to each other. I can't do one without the other, and I don't think I'm going to take the A/C off.
There should be a liquid chemical solution to this problem. Not sure what would work but there must be something out there like the stuff used to take tarnish off brass and silver in the home. Anyone tried this stuff on engine compartments?
Anybody else have ideas??
:seeya
