So this weekend undertook a nice project, three really.

PROJECT ONE AND TWO
Step 1: Selection

I found this in my dad's attic:


Its a FMIC out of a Saab. He works at an garage so we get stuff like this pretty frequently. What you can't tell from my crappy camera phone pics is the top of the IC is smashed down to the first bar in one spot. So I have to tap it out with a hammer and wood.
Tip 1: NEVER BEAT ON ALUMINUM WITHOUT A BLOCK OF WOOD. Your hammer is too hard and will destroy the finish.

Step 2: Stripping

I wanted to patch up where the paint had come off the intercooler so I stripped it with gasket remover to be sure the new paint could bond to something. Gasket remover will take the paint, powder coating, or gasket off of anything. It is strong enough to eat through factory paint, so be careful where you spray.

This is the result of gasket remover and a power washer.

Tip 2: Don't turn the power washer all the way up, and be sure to be hitting the IC at a perfect 90 degree angle.

Step 3: Repairs

The IC is damaged, thats why it was free. So, its time to unbend fins. Now I know this isn't gonna really increase the efficiency of the IC too much, but this job is an all aesthetic job.

This is easy to do, you need a tiny flat head and a pair of skinny needle nose. Oh, and about 2 hours.

Tip 3 Sit down at a table and do this. I did half the IC on the concrete floor and my back was killing me. This will take a long time to do right.

Step 4: Paint

This is pretty self explanatory. I used red gloss for a base coat. You'll see why in a bit.

Tip 4 Ventilation - I got completely high and nauseous.
Oh, I forgot to mention I was doing two at a time.

Step 5: Masking

The IC's are receiving graphics so my base color of red is going to be the color of the graphic.

Tip 5 Use some sort of sticky paper. I would have loved to use contact paper but we didn't have any. It would have kept the over spray down.

Step 6: Paint Again

Once I had the stencils on the IC's I painted them with a flat black. This will allow the red to be shiny and bright opposite the black.


Tip 6 HANG DRY, HANG DRY, HANG DRY. This keeps dirt from collecting on your nice paint.

Step 7: Enjoy your work

I had a beer after I got done with all this. I don't like the 'M' because I was trying to make everything italics. I should have made a stencil with a pencil, instead of eyeballing everything and making once cut with a knife.

Tip 7 Measure twice, cut once.

(I'll just through in the other IC, it looks really really nice. Its for a 90 Spirit turbo.)


PROJECT 3

So I bought these wheels in Jersey a long long time ago. Whoever owned them spray painted them black and they look hideous. I bought them for drag racing so I wouldn't destroy my street tires.


After seeing how effective the gasket remover was, I decided, what the hell. Low and behold, there is a beautiful powder coating on these things. The picture doesn't do it justice. Unfortionately, the gasket remover eats through anything. So When you repeat the "Gasket Remover/Power Washer" sequence a few times, you get it down to nice shiny aluminum.




FINAL TIP - Learn from my mistakes and successes. Hope you all enjoy this.

Well I guess I have a question now too.

I have been able to get all the paint off the wheels but the powder coating is remaining on in some places. How do people traditionally strip wheels? I would imagine some sort of acid bath, I don't want to sand blast them because I like the shiny crisp color of the alloy.

Do you plan on using it? I wouldn't use a painted intercooler, that much paint will make it pretty usless...

, your joking right, there is practically no paint on it and its spray paint, not some acrylic. Not to mention it comes with paint from the factory.

Maybe useless is the wrong word. Spray paint acts as an insulator that inhibits the cores ability to cool the air. That paint won’t affect it drastically. It's less efficient then it could be.
The paint on it from the factory was probably the same stuff they use on radiators, that paint is thermally conductive.

very nice

just2asian said:

very nice

Click to expand...

thanks!