Paint removal-efi 3.3 manifold

[FCCOOL]

I am using a vk efi manifold for my 179 and want to polish it, I tried to removed the paint with a cup brush and a wire wheel but the paint was to tuff, I have also tried paint stripper wich barely softened the top of the paint.
Ive seen a few of the polished and now wonder how the removed all the paint.

[VT-565]

it is probably some kind of powder coat. most probable method of removal would sand or bead blasting or an acid bath....

[vkberlina]

The manifolds are very rough cast on the exterior and are powder coated quite thick to hide poor casting finish. Heres a pic of my 202 inlet manifold that I polished.

I hand filed the entire manifold with a body file then I sanded it with 800wet then 1200 wet before polishing it. Mine owes me 50 hours of labour, I also did my throttle body at the same time.
Acid dipping isnt a good idea for alloy you wont get alot back.


cheers
Scott

[synoptica]

**** that's one good looking manifold, I admire your dedication

I'm just gonna paint mine. Hell of a lot easier :P

[Demons1964]

I hand filed the entire manifold with a body file then I sanded it with 800wet then 1200 wet before polishing it. Mine owes me 50 hours of labour

The evidence in the photo says otherwise. I think you tried the Mythbusters routine of pouring Coke over it !

50 Hours !! Did you have any fingerprints left or were they polished as smooth as that manifold?

But seriously, what's the wall thickness in the manifold? As per EcotecManiac's suggestion surely it'd be a good candidate for sand blasting?

[Sammy]

i've had two manifolds cleaned up, first one i tried the paint stripper etc, eventually a mate sand blasted it, wasn't perfect but got most of the powder coating off it, he said it took ages though ....

second one i took to my engine reconditioner mate and he gave it an acid bath in the same stuff they acid wash alloy heads in, he said he had to leave it in there for a lot longer than a head would have been, however there wasn't a spec of red on it afterwards .... i highly recommend the alloy acid bath ...

i then painted over mine rather than polishing it

[vkberlina]

Coke i wish it was that simple, Yeah the fingers were pretty worn

Sammy that really surprises my that the acid is ok on the alloy i always thought it would disolve it, I suppose it would depend on the type & strength of the acid.

Some of the wall thickness is pretty thin from original I used a ocuple of magnets to work out the thinnest sections before I started filing it up.

cheers
Scott

[FCCOOL]

Yeah it seams like thick powder coating, I need a quick way to do it as at the moment I have a bare rusty body and a whole lot of parts to complete a car that will be going to a major show in easter.
I have just got the engine back from the shop, its been bored, tunnel bored, decked, O'ringed, a 3.3 counterbalance crank was machined for the 179 block, everything was balanced, black motor rods were shot peened closed and honed with ARP bolts fitted, ACL race series dish top pistons machined to drop cr, ACL race series copperhead head gasket, stainless pep pro valves, porting, new double valve springs, yella terra yt series rockers and guide plates, custom camtech cam, crower straight cut adjustable gears, ARP main stud kit, arp screw in head studs, chambers were cc'd etc
ignition is crane hi 6 trc with adjustable timming control, supercharger is toyota sc14, inlet manifold vk efi, engine run up water / methanol injection, carbs- 2x2"su.
Any were time can be saved it will have to be saved, I have a por 15 alloy resto kit to go over all the polished stuff with so it never dulls of.

[Sammy]

vkberlina, yeah he said to me he had to do it in the alloy head acid otherwise it would disappear overnight

FCCOOL, you wouldn't happen to live in the newcastle area and have a light blue fc with the FCCOOL plates on it would you ?
the motor sounds like its had some good money spent on it, should be a good finished product!