Turbine

[Turboman]

I would like to have opinions about the turbine of my 2 litre engine (914-6).

What to do ............ polish, paint or powder coat ?

Comments deeply appreciated.

Francisco.

[brighton911]

I painted mine with caliper paint and it has stood up very well. First thing after you clean it up is check for cracks, it is a very common issue with the original fans.

[Turboman]

Thanks, bright idea.

[stownsen914]

I've read on the forum that some use Cerakote on the fan

[Turboman]

I need to read about it. Thanks

[911MANN]

I first cleaned mine very well and proceeded to sand down the surface. I probably spent 2.5 hours with 400 grit, on all surfaces. You could easily spend 5 hours sanding, but I didn't think that would do any better than I did, and it would surely remove more metal. That magnesium is quite soft, and it doesn't age uniformly.

I had hoped sanding would yield a more uniform surface, but not really. I then cleaned it again and brushed on 3 coats of KBS Diamond Clear to both sides and interior, which is a very hard coating that retains some flexibility. KBS also makes that product in a spray.

I am happy with the result, although the metal is still very spotty in appearance. Alternatives are to spray a tough paint coating (like Cerakote), or even to buy a new fan. New ones aren't cheap, but they weren't outrageous either. But even with a new one (especially magesium), I would coat it with something to protect it and keep it uniform looking. Here are my pics.

[Turboman]

Great advice, I will try tomorrow to sand it with fine sandpaper.
Appreciate.

[Emo993]

Turboman, I also did the standard clean, sand, checked for cracks....Then all good just painted with an engine heat type paint. Five years now and it looks like new. FYI, I read somewhere that powder coating could be to thick for the tight clearance ? Best, Mark

[Steam Driver]

My advice is don’t powder coat. I tried that with my SC and had to remove it. The thickness caused interference with the shroud. Not worth the expense of both the coating and the time taken to correct it,

[Henry Schmidt]

We remove the center carefully removing the rivets, blast the parts and coat the housing and fan with Cerakote, Colors are nearly infinite.
The center is restored on the lathe to ensure smooth belt contact and then replate or replace the center.
We make a replacement early center for those builders targeting a higher RPM. The center is then reinstalled with custom made rivets. (rivets are not sod separately.)



For those who choose to powder coat their fan, you can easily remove the powder coating from the fan tips.

[PeteKz]

I sandblasted with fine medium, and sprayed it with silver "wheel paint". 30 years later, it looks good and hasn't flaked off.

[Emo993]

Originally Posted by Henry Schmidt

We remove the center carefully removing the rivets, blast the parts and coat the housing and fan with Cerakote, Colors are nearly infinite.
The center is restored on the lathe to ensure smooth belt contact and then replate or replace the center.
We make a replacement early center for those builders targeting a higher RPM. The center is then reinstalled with custom made rivets. (rivets are not sod separately.)



For those who choose to powder coat their fan, you can easily remove the powder coating from the fan tips.

Thanks again for chiming in Henry. Your work, expertise and final finish is just top shelf. Can't imagine where our 914 community would be without you. Best, Mark

[dkirk]

I had my fan and shroud powder coated when doing an alternator overhaul. This was around 5 years ago and coating is holding up well. There is a procedure for powder coating magnesium that involves both media blasting and heating prior to applying the coating...I don't remember the details. There were no issues with the fan blade tips contacting the housing.

[Turboman]

Thanks Henry Schmidt, Dkirk, for the ideas. I will powder coat my turbine.