Aluminum finish

[mustardfj40]

Is there an easy way to make the aluminum finish of the carb/transfercase looks like new from factory. I know you can have them bead blasted but is there any cleanning chemical that I can use to make them look fresh again?

Thanks in advance.

/d

 

[71cruiser71]

degreaser and wire brush?

 

[bsmith123]

elbow grease

my method was elbow grease and lots of it, plus every chemical concoction known to man!

I started by scraping, used dish detergent and simple green cause they are cheap for the main gunk, then MEK or XYLOL and TSP
you can get TSP at ACE. Also a couple cans of carb and brake cleaner with the little spray nozzles.

If I had a truck or trailer I would have tried the spray wash and a steam cleaner would have made it look like new for a lot less effort I am sure


Next time I will check my local equip rental for a steam cleaner I think or if you drop it off with suitable bevvies then I am sure they will do it for you w/o renting the equip.

I used to do favors like that for customers all the time when I worked equip, my price was a pizza!


I imagine any place that works on big rigs will have a steam cleaner too

 

[beejay42]

LOL

After this initial wash I tried a range of nasties- degreasers, solvents, paint strippers...
gasket stripper in a spray can is good for stripping off old paint quickly, but pretty pricy.
Lots of different plastic and wire toothbrush type things, green scourers, steel wool, sweat and tears...
Then I hit it with a range of wire wheels to cut through the dry oxidation crap...
thankfully I had already read how hard it was to get a good polished finish, so I didn't bother trying that and just got back to good bare metal, degreased and washed again, etch primed and painted.

I copied someone else on this board and did the hammered metal finish- in gun metal colour. I am happy enough with the results.

 

[Mtrunner]

DISHWASHER! Oh man. You've got to live alone to pull that off without big time troubles!
Turned out nice though.

 

[Ziffdaddy]

Just have someone blast 'em....chemicals can easily mess up the surface of aluminum. Read the warnings on the labels. I made that mistake in the past.

 

[beejay42]

DISHWASHER! Oh man. You've got to live alone to pull that off without big time troubles!
Turned out nice though.

We are moving out of this place in a couple of months- the only I reason I got away with it.
still wasn't too happy though

 

[Coolerman]

East Wood:10349 Z New Golden Cad System W/Diamond Clear <<<<< This is a link...

They have a kit to do exactly what you need. You of course have to clean it first...

The other time consuming but far superior in final results method:

Buy a bucket of carb dip. Disassemble the carb, put all the parts in for 24 hours. Scrub each part, rinse let dry.

Get a Dremel tool with polishing kit. Use your favorite metal polish to polish the carb body pieces. Spray each piece with a clear top coat except any part that may suffer from that.

Clean all the linkage parts, paint with a cad color or powder coat.

Reassemble carb. Test....


Now cover up all that hard work with a big, ugly, and rusted air cleaner.

 

[FJ40Jim]

Is there an easy way to make the aluminum finish of the carb/transfercase looks like new from factory. I know you can have them bead blasted but is there any cleanning chemical that I can use to make them look fresh again?

If it just greasy or dirty, then using a solvent to clean is the best method. If after solvent washing the aluminum is oxidized (white powdery finish), then blast with a very mild media (walnut hulls, baking soda, plastic...)

DO NOT bead blast if a like new appearance is desired. New carbs and T-cases are smooth shiny die-cast aluminum. Bead blasting or sandblasting will destroy that smooth finish. It will remove the oxidation, but the roughness that is left behind will allow the oxidation to occur at an exponentially faster rate.

 

[jacoby fj40]

you can get this acid stuff from napa that works realy well. all you do is spary it on let it set for 20 secounds and wash it off...makes it look bright and shiny and doesnt kill any of your rubber seals. i'll see if i can get the name of it for you.

 

[rdublt1]

Lots & lots of elbow grease, many different scrub brushes, putty knives, & mineral spirits did the trick on mine. I'll post a before pic as soon as I can find where I saved it!

 

[71FJ40]

Used a nylon long bristle brush (like those that are in solvent tanks) and commercial paint thinner...
Many hours later, pressure washed it and it looks like new

 

[3doghouse]

Several companies make "aluminum brightener," which is an acid wash.

Here's one: Caswell Inc. - Aluminum Brightener

They work without abrasive blasting, or scrubbing with abrasives, so the surface finish doesn't look polished. It just looks like new, clean aluminum.