Anyone done this? I figure Chris will chime in hopefully.

I have an old TPI setup I've had in storage for like 3 years now and I was finally getting around to cleaning it up. I'm hoping to install TPI injection on my Chevelle this summer.

When sandblasting, should I try to mask the gasket surfaces somehow? What should I use? Duct tape?

Is there any part of it I shouldn't sandblast? Fuel rail perhaps?

I haven't made up my mind yet if I'm going to powdercoat or not. I have a gun, but I don't as of yet have an oven big enough and I haven't used the setup yet to know if I'm any good at it or not.

Same question... Should I somehow mask the gasket surfaces and inside while powdercoating, or is it easier to sand the PC off after it's been coated?

Any help on the entire process would be great.

Mathius

 

Don't know about the blasting part.

I did powder coat my TPI even the base intake. It looks better than new. All I did was clean all the grit and grime off. Then sprayed everything with brake cleaner masked anything I did not want coated and put in oven to out gas it for 20 minutes. Took the parts out then hit it with the color powder back in oven. Then I used clear powder on top to keep it all looking new.

Get your oven off Craigs List for free. Just make sure it works and is not a gas oven.

 

What'd you mask with? That hi temp tape that places like Caswell sells? I heard something about it had to be removed before the part cools or something?

Mathius

 

Silicon calk and aluminum foil and thin cardboard will do the trick. Just make sure the calk has a temp rating of 400deg. put it on and stick foil and cardboard to it the you are good to go. No need to let the calk setup. Don't use a lot of calk it is just used to make the foil and cardboard stick. It will dry in the oven and you will need to scrape it off once done.

 

you talkin about using just an old hose hold oven to bake it in

 

If you sandblast it you should mask off gasket surfaces, but I wouldn't sandblast aluminum, it's too abrasive.
If you beadblast it you shouldn't need to cover the gasket surfaces, I've beadblasted aluminum gasket surfaces before without any damage occuring.

 

Yes any house hold oven will work. You can even use a toaster oven for small parts. It just needs to be able to get to around 425deg.

Most powder will flow out at around 375deg. or less. The part will need to reach the temp of flow out. It takes around 20 to 30 minutes per part once coated and in the oven. The powder I buy gives the temp and time to use.

You can't use the oven for cooking after it has been used to powder coat. It also must be done in a well ventilated area.

 

I will be beadblasting, not sandblasting, sorry for the terminology mixup. I don't as of yet have a full size oven. They're not very common around here on craiglist. I was looking for a while, but didn't see a point in grabbing one before I got the PC gun. Now that I have it of course they're not there. My buddy has one I can have, but it needs fixed. I have a toaster oven that I was going to dedicate for PC, but there's hardly anything I'm interested in coating that's small enough to fit.

Mathius

 

As far as the oven look at yard sales and also scratch and dent items in the home repair stores. It does not matter if it is beat-up just that the oven portion works. Think about it you can find one if you look for one hard enough. Do you not have any store around you that sells returned scratch and dent appliances. They wont be free but they should be cheap. I took me a month to find mine. Look for someone who is going to upgrade the kitchen.

 

I get what you're saying, but it's not like I'm not looking, it's just how these things work out. When you don't need something you can find it.. when you do you can't.

I probably passed up 5 of them in the last year until I got my PC gun and I've only found one since and only the range works on it.

The plan was to get it home and diagnose it, but it's at my buddies and I tend to only see him on the weekend which means I'm leaving at like 11:00pm minimum. Not exactly the time of day I can get help unloading an oven.

Mathius

 

try used appliance stores. thrift stores.

 

I have a Kiln for doing anything engine block size and smaller for powder coating. It packs more of a bang than a oven but you want a convection oven for balanced heating, If it is baked uneven the coat can vary.

 

PM on the way. with some info.

 

when i beadblast i make sure to duct tape off anything i dont want to be blasted, such as the gasket face and anything like water jackets, or oil passages.

if your careful about it you can just not duct tape them off and just make sure you dont shoot at the gasket faces