bead blasting and cleaning question..
 

If I have all my engine parts bead blasted (fan, valve covers, and whatever else can be bead blasted per Wayne's book)... do I need to paint them or powder coat them immediately afterwards?

Wayne's book tends to make it sound that if you get any parts bead blasted, then you will be exposing bare metal to the elements and they will start to rust immediately.

:confused:

Soda blast, don't bead blast if you can. That crap will get in your motor....

If you blast anything steel, you will need to powdercoat or plate it.

Valve covers are aluminum, fan is magenesium. Neither rust, though they will oxidize. Some folks have powder coated or clear coated. Pretty unnecessary.

The machinist will blast the heads and machine...

Safest thing is just cleaning the case chemically.

It's easy to go nuts... you could also replace all the screws, brackets, bolts... slippery slope and all...

Amen to that, I went so far as to build a small paint booth with heat lamps out of wardrobe boxes connected together. It worked really good since all I was doing was engine parts and engine tin pieces. You will become familiar with the Eastwood catalog very fast.

The fan and fan housing I left the natural magnesium gray after I had blasted them clean. That was a year and a half ago, so far so good.

Hi boys..if i can give an advice i would use this king of cleaning procedure.It is tumbling.
Find somebody near who has this king of machines.Or have a look here.

https://www.candmtopline.com/finishing-tanks/
http://img.pccreation.net/photos/201709302028309888.JPG

The part just comes out like new.My friend in Al has the 300HD and parts look like this
http://img.pccreation.net/photos/201709302029094681.JPG

Personally I would not abrasive blast any of the aluminum or mag parts on these motors. (the pros can bead blast the heads, as long as it is done properly, it is OK)

What type of finish are you looking for?

You can clean and degrease the valve covers and fan housing. Coat with Gibbs or similar and they will look like new.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1506804963.jpg

If you are going to spend the time and coin to soda blast the cases and covers then spend a little extra and coat them with this and they will look good forever. Blasted aluminum will stain like crazy unless it's coated.

https://www.clearcoating.com/products/MC-161/