Can anyone recommend some products that make old, dirty cast aluminum look new again? I once tried cleaning my serpentine brackets to make them look brand new again but the stains were too deep. I even considered painting the brackets, but decided not too.

Anyone know of some good products to bring that "fresh from the factory" look back?

 

easy off oven cleaner will make them shine better than new

 

Zep 50.


Also concerning your post for cruise nights, the McDonalds on Rt 132 and IS 94 (Gurnee) (NorWest corner) has a good cruise night on Fridays. Little far north for you, but I'm sure your car can make it.

This is mostly grayed-out duffers with street rods. So your concerns of ty-stick smoking punks can be allayed.

For quite a while, they would not let any post 80 cars in. I think they saw me as that ty-stick smoking punk and I'm 35!

S-D

 

Muriatic acid works very well. Sucks to work with though. I made a pair of used LS1 front brake calipers look like brand new after using it.

 

 

Zep has a product for cleaning raw aluminum called ZEP-A-LUME works awsome. You have to sign a waiver to get it. I used it on a pair of pbr callipers and it made them look like new. Also ate the rust off of the e-brake bracket.

 

You have to sign a disclaimer? Damn, it must be an acid of some sort.

 

where can i get some of that and how much of it do you get for what price?? I am currenty cleaning the inside of my engine compartment, but I am too afraid to powerwash it b/c all the vacuum lines are old.

 

I have read that etching type wheel cleaner works well to clean bare aluminum.

 

Its 3 acids mixed together(can't remember which ones), and you have to find a zep dealer to get it. I bought a gallon of it for $25.

 

Wasn't sure if you were only looking for chemical solutions, but you could always bead-blast your nasty aluminum parts and they'll look brand new again.

 

I'm basically looking for stuff that I can do in my garage without getting any special equipment.

I guess bead blasting needs some special equipment eh? And I don't have access to anything that can do it. Not willing to pay someone to do it either.

 

I've always found that bead blasting dulls the finish compared to the new cast surface. Probably the easiest thing to do would be to clean and degrease the brackets and then prime and paint them with aluminum engine paint.

 

You know, I was almost going to do that.

But I didn't. I didn't feel like masking off the belt tensioner setup. And then I'd have to clear it, and clearing it makes the paint look dull and fake.

My plenum is painted with 1200* ceramic enigine paint. Looks exactly like bare aluminum. Matches the AS&M runners exactly. But I didn't clear it for the same reason. Its a pita to keep clean.

The valve covers, and plenum are painted with the aluminum paint. The AS&M SS runners are bare aluminum. Its almost impossible to tell that I painted those parts.


This is what they looked like before I cleaned and painted them.

 

I tried the easy off today on my heads and my water pump. Holy Cow!! Easy, cheap and worked great. They look like new. I just sprayed on some easy off used a small brass brush to scrub a little and wiped and rinsed. Took only about an hour to do the heads and pump.

 

The new mothers "ball" is great for upkeep.