Melo928

Hi, did search but not found good instructions.

My 928 engine is under repair and I'm trying to get it look like new, at least as much as budget gives a chance.

Those alloy cam tower are looking bit "used" -how to treat them to make them look like new?

Thanks in advance,

-mikko

123quattro

I had mine powder coated. The only problem is you can't see them once the engine is assembled.

Podguy

Mikko,

You did not say what year car you are working on. If it is an early 4.5 with the rubber plugs I would consider up an upgrade to the metal plugs.

I am at the same point and have decided on paint. The question is what kind of paint. Powder coating to come out nice needs some metal prep. It is almost the same amount as to polish the covers. A prepped polish sanded to be dull is a nice look too.

I am leaving the letters polished - but as John said it does not matter that much because they get covered with hoses and all. As far as dress up I am polishing or chrome powder coating the front pieces that show. The top of the fan support, the water cross over and the oil filler all get done either polished or chrome powder coated.

Tass 928

I used brake caliper paint on two of mine so far. I cleaned them with a good degreaser and then a paint prep type cleaner. I sprayed the entire cover and then cleaned off the paint from the lettering and ribs. Give the paint a few days to harden before hitting the raised parts to expose the aluminum. I use a small air grinder with course roll loc discs to do this. It only takes a few minutes.

This one is the boat engine so it will be exposed. The set I have in a car can barely be seen through all the engine bay plumbing.

LT Texan

Melo928

Thanks answers so far.

I'm trying to avoid painting them. Has anyone got them to look decent by using special deterent and elbow-grease?

123quattro

For that sort of work, I use simple green and a tooth brush.

Dave, we appear to have very similar taste in cam towers. You are just much better at engine detailing. That thing is beautiful.

BigAl1

I've been working on mine with a stiff bristle nylon brush and Simple Green Max to clean the surface, then using a wire brush by hand on all the surfaces. The hand operation keeps from generating a pattern on the surface like a wire wheel could do. Then sanding the top surface of the letters with a vibrating palm sander to make them stand out a little more.

michael j wright

I used a combination of simple green and carb clean with a small tooth brush sized wire brush. I then painted the raised letters with red touch up paint. They still cant be seen very well under all the junk on top of the engine, and still tend to get dirty and hard to keep clean due to location. It's still better to start off clean, but I don't think I would waste my time painting them next time.
Mike

Podguy

Dave,

What did you use to paint the entire engine?

Simple Green is not all that robust. The Zep cleaner works well on the aluminum to suck the grease out of the pores of the metal

http://milo.com/zep-128-oz-industria...er-concentrate

I use this with stiff paint brush and a spray bottle. Spray it on, rub it into the grease with the brush and then use a spray bottle of water to wash it and the grease off. It is one of the only things i have found that will soak the grease out of the pores of the aluminum. Final cleaning is with a sprayed on coat of the cleaner and a stainless steel wire brush. It will bubble on the alumium and leave behind a shiny finish. Just do not soak aluminum parts in a bucket too long.

You can dip plastic pieces like the brake fluid resivior in the bucket and let it soak and have the plastic come out looking like new.

I have tried a lot of things include POR 15 Marine Cleaner, Easy Off, Simple Green, Murcuric Acid, Gunk, Brake Clean and several other water based cleaners. Brake clean will do the job as well - but do not breathe it. Murcuric Acid is great for disolving rust. Again do not breathe it either and use it outside. Easy Off in the Yellow Can is great for disolving cosmoline - the waxy stuff on the suspension parts.

FRporscheman

mikko, I have tried cleaners and scrubbing, and I could never restore the aluminum to original looks. So I just cleaned, primed, and painted with aluminum colored paint - it looks great!

rcrone928

I used castrol superclean on my 88 924s cam tower and that stuff really works. you can't get any cleaner that that without a hot tank. After that is used dish soap and hot water to rinse. let the cam dry for an hour then wipe down with paint pre wash. Next i used color cast silver base coat and in the end it looked just like fresh sparklin aluminum. The color cast base coat still looks clean and bright after four years.