Dupli Color aluminum paint. Closest match to bare aluminum I've seen!
07-10-2004, 02:41 PM
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Car: 1989 TransAm GTA
Engine: One sweet modified 355 TPI.
Transmission: The kind that shifts....
Dupli Color aluminum paint. Closest match to bare aluminum I've seen!
This is just a nice blurb for those of you who have tried to clean your TPI but it just won't come clean. You can sand, but then you lose the texture and it doens't look right.
If you don't want to paint, then polish, or chrome it as thats the only way it'll look good again. I tried to clean up my plenum, and it just wouldn't come clean enough. It was stained forever. I suppose if you media blast it then you might be able to get most of the dirt out, but not everyone has access to the hardware for that.
Picked up some Dupli-color Ceramic engine paint in Aluminum color. The color # is D1606. DO NOT CLEAR COAT IT. Just let it cure and it'll match aluminum EXACTLY.
The plenum as been painted 3 coats of the Dupli-Color paint while the AS&M SS runners are bare aluminum. I tested the clear coat on my old runners first and all it did was to dull the finish, making it look plastic rather than aluminum.
Before:
After:
If you don't want to paint, then polish, or chrome it as thats the only way it'll look good again. I tried to clean up my plenum, and it just wouldn't come clean enough. It was stained forever. I suppose if you media blast it then you might be able to get most of the dirt out, but not everyone has access to the hardware for that.
Picked up some Dupli-color Ceramic engine paint in Aluminum color. The color # is D1606. DO NOT CLEAR COAT IT. Just let it cure and it'll match aluminum EXACTLY.
The plenum as been painted 3 coats of the Dupli-Color paint while the AS&M SS runners are bare aluminum. I tested the clear coat on my old runners first and all it did was to dull the finish, making it look plastic rather than aluminum.
Before:
After:
07-11-2004, 05:55 AM
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Car: 87gta
Engine: dont know yet
Transmission: 700-r4 race prep
That looks awesome! I just painted my block with Dupli color engine enamel ceramic high temp paint. I dont have any pics but will soon. Yeah my block looks like its a billit aluminum peice. I recommend Dupli color-engine enamel ceramic high temp paint. Part #DE1615. For that "fresh Billet" look.
07-11-2004, 08:53 AM
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Car: 1989 TransAm GTA
Engine: One sweet modified 355 TPI.
Transmission: The kind that shifts....
I had #1606, I wonder what the color difference is between them. All I know is that clearing it did not do what I thought it would! The clear dulled the finish so that instead of looking aluminum, it became a dull grey.
07-15-2004, 02:01 PM
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I'm wondering if an etching-type aluminum wheel cleaner would get those plenums to look new?
I recall sometime last year (?) Hot Rod or one of those other rags did a restore on an old Edelbrock SY-1 manifold. They used wheel cleaner to get all of the grease and grime off of it.
I recall sometime last year (?) Hot Rod or one of those other rags did a restore on an old Edelbrock SY-1 manifold. They used wheel cleaner to get all of the grease and grime off of it.
07-15-2004, 03:03 PM
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Car: 91 Camaro Vert
Engine: 02 LS1, HX40
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umm, sorry to be the one to tell ya this, but the dupli color alum will fade over time. 
honestly, it looks like the paint oxidizes.
the best CAST alum look ive gotten is with VHTs CAST alum paint.
its not shiny, but it exactly matches the dull cast alum look... like the surp brackets look when new.
honestly, it looks like the paint oxidizes.
the best CAST alum look ive gotten is with VHTs CAST alum paint.
its not shiny, but it exactly matches the dull cast alum look... like the surp brackets look when new.
07-16-2004, 10:35 AM
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Car: 1989 TransAm GTA
Engine: One sweet modified 355 TPI.
Transmission: The kind that shifts....
Originally posted by MrDude_1
umm, sorry to be the one to tell ya this, but the dupli color alum will fade over time.
honestly, it looks like the paint oxidizes.
the best CAST alum look ive gotten is with VHTs CAST alum paint.
its not shiny, but it exactly matches the dull cast alum look... like the surp brackets look when new.
umm, sorry to be the one to tell ya this, but the dupli color alum will fade over time.
honestly, it looks like the paint oxidizes.
the best CAST alum look ive gotten is with VHTs CAST alum paint.
its not shiny, but it exactly matches the dull cast alum look... like the surp brackets look when new.
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