Aluminum cleaner

[GTP091]

dont pull it to polish it. buy a new one to put in and polish that one. and the lower rad hose housing too. that little three nippled thing there with all the coolant lines comming from it could use some shine too if you ask me. your valve covers look pretty badass though if you ask me

I don't know why I was referring to this as the water pump, my bad. That part you are talking about is the piece i want to shine up and not the water pump. The water pump is kinda hidden from view so it doesn't really matter what it looks like. Looks like it's back to the JY on tuesday and some polishing after.

I had the valve cover powder coated just to see how it turns out. I want to shave the casting marks off my original and get it done as well and then sell the one in the picture on ebay. I also found out I need to cook the part in the oven on 'self clean' to get all the oil out of any microscopic cracks. Some oil came out when getting heated during powder coating and caused a tiny blemish. Sand blasting doesn't help.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

yeah i hear ya... i happen to have an extra set front and back... all you did was sand and coat to get rid of the coating already on them??

[GTP091]

yeah i hear ya... i happen to have an extra set front and back... all you did was sand and coat to get rid of the coating already on them??

Not even that just pressure washed it and gave it to the powder coating company they did the rest. Next time i'll smooth the casting marks out bake it in the oven to burn the oil off and then get it powder coated. Not a big deal now though it looks pretty good as-is.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

im gonna just take an orbital sander to mine i think. i dont care so much about the casting marks in the grooves and around the tb portion. but the rest of it should be ok with just a good sanding.

[60dgrzbelow0]

Pocket-Rocket...

FWIW... I got my hands of the largest Coleman Cooler I could find and filled it with enough "Purple Power" to submerge the UIM and LIM from a VIN "S" 3.4L engine and note here that they were every bit as clogged up inside with thick, greasy carbon and crap as those from your customer's Sonata...and after soaking for just a few hours...they were shiny new...inside and out. The product I got in trouble with during my piston cleaning debacle last year that John warned me in advance of...was the "Piston Kleen". What I liked about the cooler idea was that I could slide it in and out of the garage with parts and pieces in various stages of being cleaned up...and drop the lid to avoid any fumes or leaves and dirt out in the front yard from blowing inside the container. That stuff was awesome! The only thing I had to re-soak was the area of the UIM where the PVC valve/pipe had gotten so completely plugged up with Sh*t that I needed a rifle bore brush to dislodge it all and then finish it with a final soaking. Some garden hosing with the high pressure setting to wash off the stuff with plain water afterward and a decent spray with air inside was all that was needed to make these things look and function like new again.

[robertisaar]

undiluted purple power? or did you mix it according to directions?

[ForcedFirebird]

undiluted purple power? or did you mix it according to directions?

I have NOT had good luck with Purple Power. Formula88, all the way.

It was a good year or two before I even let that info on, but there's something to be said about it. I use about 7 gallons in 6 months to clean parts, then after that, it get's used to clean the work areas and machines!

[robertisaar]

my dad has used it for his parts washer and to clean 10+ year oil stains off of concrete. worked damn well, even diluted. i didn't know you could clean an intake with it that well, surprised me...

[GTP091]

im gonna just take an orbital sander to mine i think. i dont care so much about the casting marks in the grooves and around the tb portion. but the rest of it should be ok with just a good sanding.

If you get it powder coated the texture of the aluminum is completely filled in. If you paint then you would need to sand it smooth. I only paid $35 to get the strut tower caps, valve cover and front dog bone brace done. And they used 3 different colors.

[pocket-rocket]

I thought I was told some time back that Purple Power was corrosive on aluminum which is why I've never used it. Some might think I am a cheap-skate ($3 bag of wool vs a gallon of Purple Power), which is true to an extent, but if it costs me a little more for a much better result I am all for it. I mean, the first batch of cleaning solvent in my parts washer was Simple Green Extreme, lol. My cheap parts washer called for a water based solvent that was non flammable. Now I see the stuff I thought about getting a long while back is what Ben uses in his and he hasn't had a fire yet, lol.

[pocket-rocket]

Yeah, I meant to bring a couple gallons for you guys at the meet, but ended up forgetting

Not to thread jack (so I apologize to the OP in advance, but this could info could help all of us out), but I managed to look around Lowe's today a little. Guess what I found in a black 1 gallon jug on the floor today? Yes! The elusive Formula 88. I think I about gasped when I saw it, lol. I picked up 2 gallons for $4.88 I was there for some electrical tape but decided to wander around for a bit, and I am glad I did Now, quick question. When you soak parts in it, is it strait 1:1, or do you dilute it any? I was thinking of draining my parts washer in favor of this stuff and running at a 1/4 dilution since my parts washer is 20 gallons and 1:1 would be a bit pricey.

[Superdave]

oven cleaner and my sandblaster with glass media makes aluminum purdy.

[ForcedFirebird]

Not to thread jack (so I apologize to the OP in advance, but this could info could help all of us out), but I managed to look around Lowe's today a little. Guess what I found in a black 1 gallon jug on the floor today? Yes! The elusive Formula 88. I think I about gasped when I saw it, lol. I picked up 2 gallons for $4.88 I was there for some electrical tape but decided to wander around for a bit, and I am glad I did Now, quick question. When you soak parts in it, is it strait 1:1, or do you dilute it any? I was thinking of draining my parts washer in favor of this stuff and running at a 1/4 dilution since my parts washer is 20 gallons and 1:1 would be a bit pricey.

Black container, white cap

When I soak, it's 1:1, but I bet with a washer you could get away with a lot less. 4:1 may be weak, but depending on how much you need in your container for the pump to work, you could try a more diluted solution at a lesser volume to test. With a good filter, this stuff will go a long way with the exception of evaporation. It does evaporate rather quickly.

[60dgrzbelow0]

undiluted purple power? or did you mix it according to directions?

(err... Directions?...You mean it COMES with directions....?) LOL...Just kidding...but yes...straight out of a five gallon drum with maybe a douche or two of whatever "hot water" was left in the fifty feet of black yard hose after laying on the driveway in the hot Florida sunshine... but damned near "Pure Purple" for the amount and effect I was hoping for... I left it all smoldering in the Coleman Cooler for a good while...and when I checked on it...that greasy, disgusting carbonized interior was clean as a hound's tooth!... But you are right about making the proper dilution...I was just being impatient...

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

i dont mean to brag but if i buy the powder, i get the coating done for free... so if i buy 20lbs of it, i can coat all the parts i can with 20lbs of whatever colour i find.