Intake Refinishing Alternative to Powdercoat
#47
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
I used paint stripper on my covers/intake. I filled the pock marks with a spot putty filler, then an etching primer, followed by a lacquer color coat and finished with Eastwood's 2 part clear epoxy paint for durability.
Now, I was the 2nd owner in '95 thru '97 of this car...and now the 5th owner in 2013 after rediscovering the car when we relocated to Virginia from NY. When I sold the car in '97, the silver finish on the intake and cam covers had heat-turned to a light gold'ish hue, and when I refinished the pieces in 2013, I sought to return it to how I remember it 16 years earlier rather than a straight silver finish.
Now, I was the 2nd owner in '95 thru '97 of this car...and now the 5th owner in 2013 after rediscovering the car when we relocated to Virginia from NY. When I sold the car in '97, the silver finish on the intake and cam covers had heat-turned to a light gold'ish hue, and when I refinished the pieces in 2013, I sought to return it to how I remember it 16 years earlier rather than a straight silver finish.
Here is how mine looks today 5 years later.
The following users liked this post:
JBGold07 (01-11-2020)
#49
Drifting
Crap it won't let me edit, so....
olmann that color on the intake/cam covers looks fantastic. Wow.
gcthree, that entire car is a stunner! Engine bay is nicely done, and the exterior shot looks phenomenal. Don't blame you for owning it twice.
olmann that color on the intake/cam covers looks fantastic. Wow.
gcthree, that entire car is a stunner! Engine bay is nicely done, and the exterior shot looks phenomenal. Don't blame you for owning it twice.
#50
#51
Drifting
olmann - You did an incredible and well researched job on this. There is something about the look of your painted parts that I like better than powder coat. I even like the slightly golden hue of the aged clear coat (at least in your photos). Please share details on the application method (rattle cans, HVLP setup, etc.). I'd like to try this in the next year or so on my 88.
#52
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
olmann - You did an incredible and well researched job on this. There is something about the look of your painted parts that I like better than powder coat. I even like the slightly golden hue of the aged clear coat (at least in your photos). Please share details on the application method (rattle cans, HVLP setup, etc.). I'd like to try this in the next year or so on my 88.
Thanks for your comments!
#53
Drifting
Found out very quickly that without the conversion coating, nothing wants to stick to the top of the cam covers. Tried to contact Sanchem to buy their conversion coating, and they gave me the runaround. Got tired of waiting for them to get back with me and started doing further research. Found Alodine 5700 Wipes at Caswell plating for about $6.00 each, that are supposed to work with magnesium. We'll see. I re-stripped and cleaned the cam covers. Applied the 5700 per the instructions. Will try and paint tomorrow afternoon if the weather is as predicted here. Fingers crossed that it sticks this time.
#54
I've been working on mixing a color formula using Cerakote and am 95% there.
Last night I very quickly stripped half of an intake side cover and painted it.
Two quick shots outside in the sun. I should have taken some in the shade too. I think the first one is with my iphone, second with my camera.
I’m inclined to stop here. If anything, I’ll add a little more softening color to tone down the final but I think it will look great as is. It’s clearly not exact but I have to think factory new would be this bright. Intake isn’t clean either. Note the right side of the intake is “washed away” from a little from acetone.
One problem is you lose the orange peel. I know you can add and subtract orange peel with normal paint, I don’t think you can with Cerakote.
What do you think?
Last night I very quickly stripped half of an intake side cover and painted it.
Two quick shots outside in the sun. I should have taken some in the shade too. I think the first one is with my iphone, second with my camera.
I’m inclined to stop here. If anything, I’ll add a little more softening color to tone down the final but I think it will look great as is. It’s clearly not exact but I have to think factory new would be this bright. Intake isn’t clean either. Note the right side of the intake is “washed away” from a little from acetone.
One problem is you lose the orange peel. I know you can add and subtract orange peel with normal paint, I don’t think you can with Cerakote.
What do you think?
#57
Drifting
Fingers crossed, it appears that the Alodine 5700 wipes worked. The paint appears to have bonded to my cam covers. Not the best pic, but you get the point. Silver with blue inlay on the letters. Obviously I didn't worry about trying to cut letters on the laser. Couldn't get the Porsche font loaded onto the computer that drives the laser. Company restrictions and all. (Thanks Jetson/Kevin).
#58
Rennlist Member
Looking through this old post and was wondering from OP how the refinish has held up. Considering using your process to get a color match to OEM. Zermatt silver? I see this Henkel Bonderite M-NT 5700 would be similar to SafeGard CC-3400 RTU?
#59
Rennlist Member
Henkel Bonderite 5700 is the same as Alodine 5700, i.e. what Chris Lockhart used. It is a nasty chemical but effective. SanChem 3400 is non-toxic and also effective. Both Alodine and SanChem are approved for conversion coating of magnesium aviation parts by the US Air Force.
I used the SanChem and the finish is still firmly adhering after 3 years.
My finish coat was Cerakote High Temp Glacier Titanium. No primer needed. Covered with one coat, very thin, hard as a rock, has a higher temp rating than just about anything (2300F) and cures at room temperature in air. It still looks like it does when I took the photo in my avatar.
It also comes in a reasonably Zermatt Silver-ish color.
I used the SanChem and the finish is still firmly adhering after 3 years.
My finish coat was Cerakote High Temp Glacier Titanium. No primer needed. Covered with one coat, very thin, hard as a rock, has a higher temp rating than just about anything (2300F) and cures at room temperature in air. It still looks like it does when I took the photo in my avatar.
It also comes in a reasonably Zermatt Silver-ish color.
Last edited by chart928s4; 01-08-2020 at 07:05 PM.
#60
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
The paint/primer adhesion has held up well! I used a high grade urethane sealer for both sides of the cam covers but only painted the outside. I recently refinished them because of the yellowing clear coat. It only required a light scuff sand to refinish since it was holding so well. The inside of the cam cover with just the primer sealer exposed to the oil has held up perfectly. This is the only way I go now when it comes to refinishing cam covers and intakes.
I also did this process on my old GTS and it turned out great. What I did change up is I went to a single stage paint instead of a base clear. I didn’t want to have any yellowing again. I had Zermatt silver mixed as a single stage urethane. I also controlled the shine to an extent so that maybe it looked a little more factory and a little less blingy. Still pretty shiny in the pics.
The following users liked this post:
JBGold07 (01-09-2020)