Well maybe that's because I'm using VHT. I actually think respray every 5 is easier than cleaning off the gunk that stains the red OEM paint. VHT always has flaws and oil discoloration and any manner of gunk. The engine compartment environment is much worse than the hood of your Ferrari. If you could spray a coating that could be easily cleaned and look as good after 5 years as new spray today of VHT...I would pay for that.
Yesterday when I saw my friend Jay to compare our panels to his OEM 360, they looked excellent with the exception of a little dirt which wiped off almost 100% with a cloth and some soap. If we had a tooth brush handy (because of the wrinkle texture), we could have cleaned them to as new finish in minutes.
I was at my powdercoater friday and i saw this Looks pretty good, and being baked on, maybe wont have to re-do it every few years. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Agree with the powder coat. I had a powder-coated black wrinkle finish done to the cam cover of my Alfa Spider race car when the engine was built almost 10 years ago. This engine sees a lot of heat, and the cam cover gets used as a tool rest from when I'm in a rush working on something. Wrinkle finish is perfect, it's not chipped, scratched, nor lifted off anywhere yet.
Here are 2 more examples from the web: Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The heat with wrinkle finish paints is not an issue - you need heat to get them to wrinkle anyway. Most coatings just don't adhere to aluminum without a proper primer or chemical conversion. Powder coat finishes are very durable but they also require high heat to cure so it would be wise to compare the cure heat to what a part sees in our engine bays. I'm All for powder coat where it makes sense. I'll be powder coating several of my 95 project car parts.
I don't think there is any issue with engine bay parts. It is wheels that get powder coated that can be an issue because the strength of aluminum varies greatly once exposed to heat.
Patrick - as a business we work very hard to develop our processes and we put tremendous work into the research of materials and products we use which often includes the purchase and testing of various materials. That being said, some things we don't give away. You might take notice to the many documents, videos, threads and engine craddle drawings I have personally contributed to the community without charge as a thank you and a way to pay it forward. The people that know me well wouldn't challenge my generosity or community support.
Prismatic "desert red" https://www.prismaticpowders.com/colors/PWS-2762/DESERT-RED-WRINKLE/ Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Kenny - if you are interested in originality, keep in mind that the non-painted areas of the plug covers are to be a more mat finish - they are not supposed to be that polished. You can easily correct this with some 400 grit sand paper and a block.
Biggest issue with engine parts is properly de gassing the parts to get all the oil residue and impurity out before refinishing. Try painting alum bpdy cars then come back in a few years and see what happens. Prep prep prep then prep again
How would one keep the bare aluminum from tarnishing? Seems like they all get corroded a short time later
A clear coat could possibly be applied. But, I plan to leave mine bare and just re-tune them as needed
Neverdull in the cotton swab tin works great. Its the best product I found to keep dull and polished alum looking new at the beach with all the salt water. Trust me I did dozens of shoots at the beach with alum bikes. It protects and wont polish if you dont elbow grease it
Thanks, I'll give it a try. I pulled the covers today, they actually look great. The paint is Much darker than the vht, so I wonder if they are original? I probably will just leave them, and polish them like socal1 suggested Image Unavailable, Please Login
