Bead blasting? Yes/No/Maybe
 

Looking for info on bead blasting engine parts.Talking about things like cam towers,chain boxes,cylinders,basically all the aluminum castings.Can this be done safely.I know not to do inside cylinder surface or bearing surfaces.But the rough castings would clean up very nice this way.Have done this on cycle engines before with no issues.

Any thoughts or watch outs with regard to Porsche engines.

Chris

You can as long as you thoroughly wash the parts. The problem with bead blasting is it makes the surface very susceptible to grease and oil.

A good chemical cleaner designed for aluminum will give the parts a like new look w/o altering the finish texture

never on engine cases and cam towers. never! too many nooks and crannys for it to hide and quickly ruin your engine. for the cylinders, mask off the cylinder bores and just do the outside if you really have to. chain housings and valve covers ok, but scrub and rinse thoroughly when done.

I agree with the above two comments....after bead blasting even a thumb print shows up like a stop sign. I also heard about a guy that bead blasted a Mercedes engine he rebuilt for a guy....10 miles after startup the whole thing siezed.. I think you will find that citrus cleaner will do a pretty good job. There are good mechanics around that have the newer citrus based large ultrasonic heated cleaners...these work. Very nice for the cam towers unless you like spending a number of times cleaning them that's what I did but next time I'll go borrow my mechanics citrus cleaner. Call ahead because they take time to warm up/etc. If you want to buff up some spots you can try the plastic buffing wheels that 3M makes...of course clean well after using. There is probalby some risk with these also.

I only say this: Castrol Super Clean. It beats everything else I have used so far for cleaning engine parts.

What about plastic media? I would think even if media got embedded, it would have no adverse effects.

I have seen mentioned to use walnut or rice hull media....if a few small specs get in somewhere not a big deal unless it is blocking oil passages/etc. ....you may want to consider what AL surfaces will be showing after all is button up.....for an 89 911 ....fan, housing, 3 ac brackets, valve covers...I think everything else is pretty much hidden.

I had my fan/housing and ac brackets bead blasted and clear coated...I think they look good but will wait for other opinions....people are coming over tomorrow to lift engine in...
the look is sort of cleaned up industrial type of look, which is what I like compared to neon yellow or red fan....those also look good almost anything looks better than the blotchy finish you get from Porsche after being used of 15 years.
-henry

Forget bead blasting altogather, you will never regret it. The NUMBER ONE cause of engine failure in reman engines is BEAD BLASTING. You cannot remove all the beads, ever. This is according to one of the leading Reman newsletters.

I would suggest any cleaning method that does not use a media that can clog an oil squirter. Clog one and you may sieze a piston. That pretty much leaves chemical methods and hand brushing.

Just the way it is.

I yhink Snowman says it best,,keep all types of media/particles away from rebuild activities.
-h