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Who's got a polished engine bay?
What started as an alloy heat shield has turned into fabricating my whole engine bay with alloy. I am now starting to think about polishing the alloy.
I know there are a lot of people that have used alloy in their engine bays. So i thought i would ask how you finshed the alloy and how well it is lasting? I would love to polish it, but i am thinking that i just wont be able to keep it that way. |
Tenrocca has lined all of his engine bay and boot, and would be able to give you some tips.
Personally I would not polish unless you love spending ages maintaining it! Cheers, Ben |
Ben, when you have Australia's most original Cobra there would be a steady stream of volunteers willing to clean every bit of Andrews Car. :eek: ;)
Cheers |
If you want a lasting shine then it is stainless, but that is heavier and more expensive.
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Yeah, stainless is heavy, expensive and a bugger to work with. Warps a lot, not as good heat shield, takes forever to polish. That being said it looks great.
Has anyone had any success with finshes on polished alloy. Glisten PC is the only one i have used and im not impressed with the result. I think a nice coat of body colour paint might be the answer with a few shiney bits bolted on. |
This is what i have done so far.
http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d...ngine_bay7.jpg Still have to cover the fire wall and remake the inner guards. |
Only pic in my gallery I could find:
http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d...IMG_6393_4.JPG I went a brushed finish, and it is still hard to look after. It was filthy after a few off track excursions, but I have the engine out at the moment and will take that opportunity to give it a good clean up and going over with the scotchbrite pads again. Maintaining a polished finish would be a nightmare I reckon. BJ - I decided not to run for most original last year to give others a chance. :) |
Thanks Andrew,
I had a look through your gallery pics and found some of when you originally did it. Also saw you boot which looks awesome. I like the look of the alloy in the engine bay, but i imagine it is impossible to clean when the engine is in. Do you plan to keep yours raw? Would you do it again or paint it silver? Cheers, Liam |
The brushed finish is more sympatheic to dirt and minor scratches. I would do the same again I reckon. I like the look - it is looking pretty second hand at the moment though. Taking this opportunity to tidy things up a bit under the hood.
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Andrew, did you do the curved front panels in the CR engine bay?
Part of the tidy up on mine is lining engine bay in alloy, just wondering how you did it. |
Yes Dave - used 2 pieces. The rear most piece has a thin wedge cut into it to make around the bend with the crease as well. It was tricky - made up a lot of cardboard templates that ended up in the bin.
http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d...G_0263_4_1.JPG |
What thickness did you use? I am using 2mm
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1.2 I think - 2mm to hard to bend, but used that thick for my radiator support. I made a brake that did an OK job on 1.2 (plans are in my gallery somewhere)
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Liam
I bought some polished alloy March pulleys last year and they are powdercoated clear. They look fantastic now but I haven't fitted them so I cannot be sure about how they hold up in the engine bay. Anyone with experience with clear powdercoatning? Would this be an option or are my pulleys going to chip and oxidise? Cheers Geof |
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Mine is brushed stainless 0.9mm....its not very heavy but strong.. If you polish the alloy it will reflect everything even the things you dont want to see....
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The best I have ever seen is the one that Nigel Dean did on his Dax, as the featured build in "Cobra" (and I guess the compatriot UK Kit Car mag). Absolutely stunning, and an inspiration for any builder. All in stainless. Worth tracking down (I have the original mag).
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Pics of my aluminum a few years back
1 Attachment(s)
Pic of Aluminum a few years ago.
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