Aluminum Panel Treatments

[Mike.Bray]

While waiting months and months for my kit to arrive, down to only two remaining, like others I've had a lot f time to think, plan, research, be bored, and think some more. Now I'm thinking about what treatment is best for the aluminum panels, mainly the exposed ones in the engine compartment and wheel wells.

I'm interested in thoughts and experience from fellow builders. What you did, pros & cons, and would you do the same again. The way I see it my options are:

Leave them as is, no treatment or coating at all.

Powder coat.

Apply bedliner coating or similar.

Paint (with the appropriate chemical prep & etching primer)

Clear anodize

Color anodize

Color anodize with bright dip. I understand the material is 6061-T6 so it will respond to bright dip well.

Hard anodize although it's kind of an ugly beige.

Hard anodize with a black dye.

Have I missed any options?

Thanks fellow builders.

[CaptB]

I powdercoated mine.

163804

[edwardb]

Like everything, just depends on what you want. Some want the raw look of the aluminum. It will oxidize a bit, but otherwise stay pretty much as is. I don't have any experience with it. But many use Sharkhide https://sharkhidestore.com/products/sharkhide-metal-and-aluminum-protectant to preserve the raw aluminum look. Painting is OK. I haven't done it. But many report (1) it's way more work than they expected, and (2) not very durable. Of course depends on what paint you use. But in general most paints won't hold up as well as powder coat, anodize, etc. I'm not a fan of bedliner for this purpose. I use it where I want maximum protection and some sound deadening. Like the splash guards. But in general for the aluminum? Not my thing. Hard to make it look good in the first place and keep it looking decent in the long run. Some feel compelled to use it on the bottom of the chassis. Not understanding that either to be honest. These are basically fair weather cars and there's really nothing to be gained by doing that. I've driven four different builds thousands of miles over 10+ years with only power coat on the underside. Zero damage and still looks like new. I hear anodize mentioned but don't recall seeing any builds with it. Not sure what advantage or disadvantage that would be. That leaves powder coat, which has been my choice for every build. It's durable, looks good, and has nearly infinite color choices. The main downside, assuming that's the look you want, is the cost. I've tried several sources, and doing everything (I don't discriminate on what is "seen" versus "not seen") is in the $700 - $800 range if you keep it to one or two batches. Some guys have posted lower (and higher...) numbers. But that's what I've experienced. I consider it a good value for what it provides and the amount of work and time it would take me to duplicate anything close with paint. It's a relatively low percentage of the total cost of the build and really adds a lot in my opinion.

[Papa]

I used Rust-Oleum spray on bedliner. DON'T do this! Any spray paint is going to get nicked/scratched as you work on the car. If I were able to do it over, I'd either leave the aluminum raw and do some sort of sanded finish with Sharkhide to keep it from getting that gray patina/film from oxidation or I'd powder coat them. Whatever you do, choose a smooth finish that can be easily cleaned.

[Blitzboy54]

I powder coated mine as well.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=149186&d=1623089733

[BEAR-AvHistory]

I sprayed truck bed liner, black, on all the surfaces exposed to weather. The rest were left natural. Not much alloy to see with a Coyote. Occasional spot respray on the underside & thats all.

On the flip side anything exposed to heat has been covered in ThermoTec. The interior was lined with Reflectix before the carpet was installed.

Car has been on the road since 3/2015 with no issues.

[FLPBFoot]

I used Sharkhide as edwardb highlighted. Very happy with the result and it cleans up very well. 4,000 miles and 3 years and wipe with a damp cloth and it looks new again. No regrets.

[nucjd19]

I went with Sharkhide after brushing the aluminum
https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=144159&d=1615502031

[steno]

Don’t anodize

[Mike.Bray]

Don’t anodize

Can you elaborate? I'm very familiar with anodizing aluminum as I deal with it in my job. My experience with it in industrial applications is it's extremely durable, especially hard anodize which convert a thin surface layer of the aluminum into aluminum oxide.

[Jeff Kleiner]

The easy button is to either leave them alone or powder coat. Although a few have been powder coated most of the cars I've built for customers have been left raw.They seem to gray up a bit and lose some sheen after about a year but after that they don't seem to change appearance or oxidize further. I did neither on my own car...I was going to use powder but couldn't get my local guy to commit to either time or ballpark price so I just grabbed the bull by the horns and did this one Saturday:

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/render/00-8oN1zlmfOzJcTbIlWiPRDjmumY5_19NMaTTnFb4znNClnL4N3N JPUVXXUoYfc77M?cn=THISLIFE&res=medium&ts=1345057715

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/render/00-8oN1zlmfOzJcTbIlWiPRDjmumY5_19NMaTTnFb4znNBC2EtD_K u0Mmq9WtjQi8cG?cn=THISLIFE&res=medium&ts=1345057715

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/render/00-8oN1zlmfOzJcTbIlWiPRDjmumY5_19NMaTTnFb4znND0tjMYiu Srhc8zqaMgM8x6?cn=THISLIFE&res=medium&ts=1345057716

The recipe; after drilling/fitting clean the panels with acetone to take off the surface oxidation and ink marking. Use a medium grit (green or gray) Scotchbrite pad, and make long straight strokes to get a consistent "brushed" grain. Next clean them again with acetone and when you aren't getting any more black on your rag follow up with lacquer thinner and blow dry. Go with 2-4 coats of rattle can crystal clear from Rustoleum. Finally bake it on. For pieces small enough put them in the oven at 250 for 20 minutes or so (did I mention my wife was out of town when I did this?) For larger panels I focused a double 500 watt halogen light stand on them. After 14 years on the road they still wipe clean (about once a year ;) and look the same. The outer panels like footbox sides, etc. were done in black rubberized undercoating.

Just another option!

Jeff

[Alan_C]

The finish you produced looks very similar to Sharkhide after the same metal prep.
I used Sharkhide when I built my car 10 years ago. I don't think you can go wrong with either method. The best part about doing the panels this way is that you are in control, you don't have to wait for or pay a powder coater to do the work.

[facultyofmusic]

If I could turn back time I'd sit down and focus solely on what I want it to LOOK LIKE. No matter the look, there's a way to achieve it with good protection. What helped me the most were the hours spent at staring at pictures of engine bays. You start to think about pairing your engine-bay aluminum's look with the car's paint and accents. Powder coats and shark-hides are just a few day's work. The look is priceless.

[facultyofmusic]

The easy button is to either leave them alone or powder coat. Although a few have been powder coated most of the cars I've built for customers have been left raw.They seem to gray up a bit and lose some sheen after about a year but after that they don't seem to change appearance or oxidize further. I did neither on my own car...I was going to use powder but couldn't get my local guy to commit to either time or ballpark price so I just grabbed the bull by the horns and did this one Saturday:

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/render/00-8oN1zlmfOzJcTbIlWiPRDjmumY5_19NMaTTnFb4znNClnL4N3N JPUVXXUoYfc77M?cn=THISLIFE&res=medium&ts=1345057715

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/render/00-8oN1zlmfOzJcTbIlWiPRDjmumY5_19NMaTTnFb4znNBC2EtD_K u0Mmq9WtjQi8cG?cn=THISLIFE&res=medium&ts=1345057715

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/render/00-8oN1zlmfOzJcTbIlWiPRDjmumY5_19NMaTTnFb4znND0tjMYiu Srhc8zqaMgM8x6?cn=THISLIFE&res=medium&ts=1345057716

The recipe; after drilling/fitting clean the panels with acetone to take off the surface oxidation and ink marking. Use a medium grit (green or gray) Scotchbrite pad, and make long straight strokes to get a consistent "brushed" grain. Next clean them again with acetone and when you aren't getting any more black on your rag follow up with lacquer thinner and blow dry. Go with 2-4 coats of rattle can crystal clear from Rustoleum. Finally bake it on. For pieces small enough put them in the oven at 250 for 20 minutes or so (did I mention my wife was out of town when I did this?) For larger panels I focused a double 500 watt halogen light stand on them. After 14 years on the road they still wipe clean (about once a year ;) and look the same. The outer panels like footbox sides, etc. were done in black rubberized undercoating.

Just another option!

Jeff

Damn that looks CLEAN!

[egchewy79]

163814
The easy button is to either leave them alone or powder coat. Although a few have been powder coated most of the cars I've built for customers have been left raw.They seem to gray up a bit and lose some sheen after about a year but after that they don't seem to change appearance or oxidize further. I did neither on my own car...I was going to use powder but couldn't get my local guy to commit to either time or ballpark price so I just grabbed the bull by the horns and did this one Saturday:

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/render/00-8oN1zlmfOzJcTbIlWiPRDjmumY5_19NMaTTnFb4znNClnL4N3N JPUVXXUoYfc77M?cn=THISLIFE&res=medium&ts=1345057715

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/render/00-8oN1zlmfOzJcTbIlWiPRDjmumY5_19NMaTTnFb4znNBC2EtD_K u0Mmq9WtjQi8cG?cn=THISLIFE&res=medium&ts=1345057715

https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/render/00-8oN1zlmfOzJcTbIlWiPRDjmumY5_19NMaTTnFb4znND0tjMYiu Srhc8zqaMgM8x6?cn=THISLIFE&res=medium&ts=1345057716

The recipe; after drilling/fitting clean the panels with acetone to take off the surface oxidation and ink marking. Use a medium grit (green or gray) Scotchbrite pad, and make long straight strokes to get a consistent "brushed" grain. Next clean them again with acetone and when you aren't getting any more black on your rag follow up with lacquer thinner and blow dry. Go with 2-4 coats of rattle can crystal clear from Rustoleum. Finally bake it on. For pieces small enough put them in the oven at 250 for 20 minutes or so (did I mention my wife was out of town when I did this?) For larger panels I focused a double 500 watt halogen light stand on them. After 14 years on the road they still wipe clean (about once a year ;) and look the same. The outer panels like footbox sides, etc. were done in black rubberized undercoating.

Just another option!

Jeff

Just make sure everything’s clean and odor free before the wife gets home

[RJD]

For the raw aluminum look, I used a light spray of WD40 and a scotchbrite pad to remove the deeper scratches. Then a light polish with Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish to get a near mirror finish. Doesn't take much elbow grease to keep it looking that way - just an occasional polish with Mothers.

163815

[Namrups]

I've never used Sharkhide. Can it be sprayed over a painted surface?

[Papa]

I've never used Sharkhide. Can it be sprayed over a painted surface?

It's a bare metal sealer/protectant. It is available in an aerosol can.

[Derald Rice]

I left mine bare, and like others, WD-40 with a worn green scotch brite pad to clean them as necessary.

No coatings of any kind......The originals never had any anodizing, powder coating or shark hide or whatever.

After 20 years, it still looks the same as it did in 2002.

A couple of years ago I retrofitted a dropped trunk and it is impossible to tell the new aluminum from the original aluminum.

[Its Bruce]

My foot boxes are Xylan (PTFE) black and the rest is Carboline polyurethane. The Xylan is the same as a nonstick pan bottom and the Carboline looks exactly like black powder coating.

[Vspeeds]

I used the scotch bright pad for the brushed look and then used shark hide.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=96902&d=1541393169

[Springsyeti]

Things I never thought of as the build is getting ready to start..

[CraigS]

Rustoleum Selfetching primer and Hammered paint in silver works well if you want to do your own. The hammered look needs about 4 coats w/ each being heavier than the previous. It is best to lay the panels flat so less chance of a run. Better than most any rattle can paint, the hammered is fairly easy to fix if needed.

[Mike.Bray]

I think I like the bare look to be more like the originals. It's also a nice contrast to the Blue color I'm going to paint the car. I'm liking the Sharkhide idea, I'll probably try that. It looks to be good stuff.

[rich grsc]

I left mine bare, and like others, WD-40 with a worn green scotch brite pad to clean them as necessary.

No coatings of any kind......The originals never had any anodizing, powder coating or shark hide or whatever.

After 20 years, it still looks the same as it did in 2002.

A couple of years ago I retrofitted a dropped trunk and it is impossible to tell the new aluminum from the original aluminum.

Well that's just fine and dandy, if all we want to do is 'drive' our cars:D, and not have show queens. :rolleyes:
Right there with you Derald

[lance corsi]

I’ve made the mistake of polishing some aluminum on my Supra. Once started, it becomes a regular maintenance item. I might try the sharkhide this time tho.

[Mike.Bray]

I’ve made the mistake of polishing some aluminum on my Supra. Once started, it becomes a regular maintenance item. I might try the sharkhide this time tho.

If the panels are really 6061-T6 aluminum like FFR says you could clear anodize and bright dip them which will give the look of polished. Because it's anodized it will pretty muck be maintenance free.

[edwardb]

If the panels are really 6061-T6 aluminum like FFR says...

You don't have to take FFR's word for it you don't want to. But the 6061-T6 ink marking from the mfg all over the panels is probably trustworthy. :)

[Mike.Bray]

You don't have to take FFR's word for it you don't want to. But the 6061-T6 ink marking from the mfg all over the panels is probably trustworthy. :)

Thanks for that. When my kit arrives I'm sure I'll see that:)

[ddmm_cobra]

I used the scotch bright pad for the brushed look and then used shark hide.

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=96902&d=1541393169

Incredible looking panels! I plan to do something similar.

[Mike.Bray]

Thanks for that. When my kit arrives I'm sure I'll see that:)

My panels didn't have a mark on them.

Update, I ended up clear anodizing the panels.

[Avalanche325]

Here is what I did:

1. Polish all the engine bay panels to a near mirror finish. It only takes hours and hours of mind-numbing labor.
2. Coat with Sharkhide.
3. Install the panels carefully so you do not scratch them.
4. Install the engine and body. Again being careful not to scratch anything.
5. Realize that you can hardly see the panels after it is all together.

The Sharkhide seems to hold up well though.
If you want a color, powder coat. If not, I would go bare.

[Kennyr]

Is clear powder coat a thing? Would it yield results similar to Sharkhide?

[edwardb]

Is clear powder coat a thing? Would it yield results similar to Sharkhide?

Yes, there is such a thing as clear powder coat. It's a permanent coating just like all powder coat materials. Very common for certain colors and types of powder coat to have a second layer of clear applied. Or the clear can be applied by itself and the underlying color to show through.

Sharkhide needs to be re-coated over time depending on use. Their website says "On things like Motorcycles, Street Rods, Aircraft and other things that see limited fair weather use, it's not uncommon to get 6 or more years of protection between coats."

[JMA0517]

Another option to provide protection for whatever is underneath:
Evershielld from Stewart Systems.
HTH