Cleaning aluminum donor parts

[Hindsight]

I did some research on this. Ideally I'd like my donor cast aluminum pieces to look like shiny new aluminum. There is some oxidation and staining on them currently. These are rough cast aluminum parts like the intake manifold, parts of the power steering rack, control arms, etc.

I did some searching and it seems like the best option is to blast them with glass bead media but I don't have a blasting setup. I read some people use Eagle One etching mag wheel cleaner, and some people use a product called Alumabrite, both with various levels of success. A number of people caution about different cleaners on aluminum (simple green, or anything very acid or base I guess) because it may attack too much of the aluminum.

So curious to see what you folks have good experience using?

[xxguitarist]

Hard to beat media blasting.

We blasted ours with aluminum oxide since that was the media I had available at work.. Gets them clean, but leaves some dark areas. We then painted with VHT engine enamel, "cast aluminum" color.

[Samiam1017]

napa makes a great aluminum cleaner. then clear coat it

[RM1SepEx]

I clean mine with acetone and coat with sharkhide

[ssssly]

I'd look for someplace in the local area that does media blasting. For small parts like that, will probably end up paying less to media blast them than you would on cleaning solution.

I second the acetone.

[Scargo]

I think the less you cut it and the more you pound it the better. I am referring to the type of media you blast it with. It will be dull or duller if the media cuts and is abrasive. There are lots of degreasers to use but Acetone is the best "final" wipe before clearcoating. All this happening fast is better so the aluminum is exposed to oxygen the shortest time and oxidizes (dulls) less.
Tamra and Andrew's paint work on their parts looks great! A fine alternative. Clear, after all, is just another paint coating. If you paint it aluminum color you can first prime it (with a zinc chromate or similar primer for aluminum) and then the paint will bond better.

[Samiam1017]

I painted my front arms with aluminum color rustoleum and cleared I can send out a pic if somebody wants to post it

[Scargo]

Where is Nepa? Obviously not Nepal. Did you beautify the arms first? If so I'd like to see the bling. Did you brush it on?

[Hindsight]

Thx for the replies. I tried some of that Eagle One Etching Mag cleaner and it definitely works but will require washing with soap and water afterward to ensure ALL the acid gets removed.

[Samiam1017]

Where is Nepa? Obviously not Nepal. Did you beautify the arms first? If so I'd like to see the bling. Did you brush it on?

northeastern PA I media blasted them with fine black beauty then wiped them down with denatured alcohol and sprayed them with a few coats thru a cheap HF gun and they used rattle can clear.

[Jacob McCrea]

Regarding a clear coat, I am having good results with the POR-15 "AP-120" adhesion promoter and their Glisten PC clear coat, both of which are made for clearing over bare aluminum. The latter has that "I'm surprised this is sold to the public" smell to it and has a decent shine. That said, if you want the stuff to stick you need to be meticulous about surface preparation. I abrade the surface, clean with xylene or acetone, followed by the AP-120, followed by the clear coat. The clear can be brushed on successfully at around 60 degrees with a fine-bristle brush. At that temperature it doesn't set up too quickly and the brush marks will "flow out." Above that temperature brushing seems to be problematic.

I have no idea whether the Glisten PC clear handles the heat of an intake manifold well.

[Harley818]

I have access to a sandblaster at work so I blasted the parts with aluminum oxide.
It creates a nice surface texture for the paint to adhere to. I just used some rattle can engine paint for the intake manifold. Used some "stainless steel" colour for the alternator brackets.
check my thread for pictures.