Plenum paint

[Prospeeder]

I was going to start workin on the TGP, starting with free, lol, i was gonna pull the Plenum and OHM the injectors, but i was also gonna polish the parts that stick up and the 3.1 MPFI TURBO INTERCOOLED part along with the square around it, then either pant it or powdercoat it black but i need to mask it all, what would be the best way, especially for the 3.1 MPFI INTERCOOLED TURBO writing?? If there liquid Masking i can get or somthing?

[Invasion1]

i just used painters masking tape (green stuff and low glue content) and use a exacto knife and trimmed it around the letters and raised parts i wanted.

tedious but worth the time and effort....otherwise you could just paint the while thing and then use a dremel tool with a small wire wheel and then remove the paint on the parts you wanted polished or bare aluminum....

ether or

[z284pwr]

Our method was just standing the raised part, then masked off the just the raised square then used "Insignia" paint and painted the writing.  It was a bit tricky but worked....

[Prospeeder]

ohhh i really like that, so you brushed it on? Like thats how you did the lettering?

[z284pwr]

ohhh i really like that, so you brushed it on? Like thats how you did the lettering?

I just sanding everything that was raised, letters, and everything....

Then, I masked off the raised "things" then masked JUST the raised square around the letters and painted the thing, I used like a whole can of paint on it.  Then just took the take off, lacquer thinnered any leaked paint, then just painted the letters with Red Insignia paint. I got it from the home paint department at Wal-Mart... just took patients and time on it, and did like 2 coats on the lettering, the biggest challenges is getting the red to not string off.  Mine has a little bit but not much....

[Prospeeder]

so would paint over the 3.1 MPFI and then sanding off the paint work too? lol I want them to be polished now painted now that i think about it

[GangstGP]

no shit, why paint an aluminum plenum designed for heat dissipation? you want the thing to be polished if anything. is there a way to deoxidize it?

[Invasion1]

Now were going to debate the metallurgical properties and dissipation between Painted and naked aluminum??  :laugh:

come now.......

[z284pwr]

Now were going to debate the metallurgical properties and dissipation between Painted and naked aluminum??  :laugh:

come now.......

Hey now, come on :icon_razz:
I'm sure a painted plenum that isn't disipating enough heat it going to rob so much power that the skinny mini turbo is producing what are you talking about :laugh:
I could cook burgers on the plenum before and after it was hot, not much difference, I'll leave my black painted plenum I think ;)

[GangstGP]

so how do you remove oxidation? orange paint stripper, then sand it with wet/dry 400 grit?

[z284pwr]

so how do you remove oxidation? orange paint stripper, then sand it with wet/dry 400 grit?

What kind of oxidation? Where?  Like body?  Engine parts?

[Invasion1]

Aluminum Oxidization?

i had all my parts beadblasted and then cleaned at the Machine Shop before i painted anything and still i cleaned all the parts with thinners before painting them.

[GangstGP]

I want it bare metal just want it less gray and more white. rubbing compound? Im gonna try rubbing compound and a buffer. I got a porter cable buffer I could hit it with.

[idbeast]

I was going to start workin on the TGP, starting with free, lol, i was gonna pull the Plenum and OHM the injectors, but i was also gonna polish the parts that stick up and the 3.1 MPFI TURBO INTERCOOLED part along with the square around it, then either pant it or powdercoat it black but i need to mask it all, what would be the best way, especially for the 3.1 MPFI INTERCOOLED TURBO writing?? If there liquid Masking i can get or somthing?

An old painter trick is to very carefully apply about 1/16" of white lithium grease on the part you don't want to paint, after the paint has dried well you just wipe off where the white lithium grease was applied and the paint just comes off.

[GutlessSupreme]

i just used painters masking tape (green stuff and low glue content) and use a exacto knife and trimmed it around the letters and raised parts i wanted.

tedious but worth the time and effort...

x2 except x10 more tedious without an exacto knife.

Originally I had planned on just masking off the surround area and painting the whole thing, lettering and all, then just running the die grinder over the tops of the letters later, but the discs flex around the letters and dull the paint in the background.