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While on an all out assault on my suspension (in a good way), I had my control arms and trailing arms media blasted. They are now as raw as they can be.
Should I paint them? Dull aluminum? Clear? Someone suggested that if I clear them to use paint with activator.
Just doesn't seem right to assemble everything with them so unprotected. Not to mention that they will get very dirty very quickly.
Suggestions?
I coated my raw aluminium parts with "Protecta Clear" metal sealant (https://www.everbritecoatings.com/). There are several others I heard being used too. This doesn't get you the glossy look, but the parts stay clean looking for a long time. I have coated front control arms and rear trailing arms as well as aluminium intake and magnesium bits. I haven't noticed any yellowing due to high temperatures on the intake yet. The product absorbs well in to the metal. You can layer it if you want. On 3rd coat you can barely start seeing the satin finish. It helped especially on magnesium parts, they look significantly better now. I tried it on discolored rubber and plastic parts as well and was also happy with the results. I used it on suspension components 3 years and intake bits last year. Happy on all fronts so far.
I blasted my valve covers and compressor bracket 5 years ago and coated them with a product called Sharkhide. The aluminum still looks natural and has shown no signs of corrosion.
Sharkhide is applied with a paintbrush, so unless you decide to drink it, it's pretty safe.
Last edited by Metal Guru; 08-12-2020 at 11:49 AM.
I ended up going to my local paint supply place called finishmaster. They sold me two cans of this clear with activator that worked perfect for what I wanted. That stuff covers great and should last a long time.
Coated the trailing arms, front control arms, rs uprights, 993tt rotor hats and tarret spring plates. They look natural but protected.
Once you media blast them you will have removed the protective oxide coating that naturally forms on cast aluminum. I would use some form of coating. I found the 2k products in clear or the por15 aluminum paint to do a decent job.
I have access to a large ultrasonic cleaner so I just clean parts whenever I can to preserve the oxide layer. Unless corrosion has started to attack the aluminum leaving the oxide layer alone is always best. If you are just trying to remove the cosmoline I find xylene to do the best job without attacking anything but your immune system. So be careful and wear proper protective eq.
I don't have any good photos but here is my transaxle which was badly corroded and had no interest in dismantling to have refinished so I painted it with POR 15 high heat vs the engine case and trailing arms which were vapor degreased and ultrasonically cleaned retaining its original oxide layer. https://www.por15.com/POR-15-High-Temp
You guys are brave to play with 2k paints, especially now that respirators are impossible to find.
Respirators aren't an issue at all they are abundant by me now and I have access to a body shop and all that comes with it. The biggest issues by me is the hospitals finding enough refrigerated containers to house the bodies. Really quite sad. Too late for me I messed with far too many toxic chemicals back in the 80's & 90's 😟 Between the acid and Sodium Dichromate baths, the X-ray scatter from the X-ray machine and 10's of thousands of parts I x-ray'd and inspected using fluorescent dye penetrant and so many other wonderful products I worked with. My DNA is permanently damaged and will be living with the lack of proper labeling and MSDS forms from those years for the rest of my years. In comparison 2K paints are not that bad if you just take the right precautions. Heck as Joe Jackson sings "Everything gives you cancer, therese no cure there's no answer". I believe this as some people I know bathed in stuff that was so toxic and died in their 90's and never had any known health issues vs others that I know who lived the ultra healthy life style and died from cancer. Heck don't use brake cleaner if you are worried about 2k paint it is just as bad.
08-06-2020, 11:31 AM
Raw Control and Trailing Arms - Paint?
