My clean engine fan and shroud

[Hendog]

Every time I opened up the engine compartment I would be presented with this.



It’s one of those things that bugs you and eats away at you, little by little, until the day you finally do something about it. So I finally got the fan bead blasted and polished and now have this:



I can open the engine compartment now without shame.

[rw7810]

It is magnesium, so it will be give to oxidize and turn darker relatively quickly. get some Gibbs Brands oil (search on forum) t opreserve and allow it to mellow uniformly.

[rw7810]

Like this:

[Talewinds]

Can you just clearcoat it with rattle can?

[rw7810]

Yes you can. For how long it would last would be the next question. i'm sure allot of folks have tried that.

[esotoracing]

Heat resistant clearcoat wont turn yellow or change any color. protects it well and easy to clean

[Talewinds]

Good point. I ask because my fan looks like the first picture in the thread, yuck. But I like the after pic, and the pic of yours RW after a nice even natural patina.
I could paint it, but I'm more interested in leaving it raw.
Looks great!

[Hendog]

Bob, I like the look of your fan. I was a little skeptical when you suggested Gibbs oil in another post. My feeling is that oil will attract dirt. Have you tried it without anything on it versus the oiled method?

[rw7810]

I know, I thought the same thing. The Gibbs soaks into the magnesium and protects. Google on the web and see some pics there of what it can do. I also used on my tranny.



That's the Gibbs on the rolling stool.

[Hendog]

Originally Posted by Talewinds

Can you just clearcoat it with rattle can?

This is what another Pelican, whom I respect, told me: "Clear coating will not prevent oxidation. The fan willl turn milky-white under the clear-coat and you won't be able to polish it again in the future. If you like the natural look, then you'll have to polish it every year."

And looking at the high temp clear coats in my local auto parts store, the instructions all indicated a grey primer was required on bare metal. Of course I didn't want to prime the metal, just clear coat it, but the instructions were not supportive of that.

[rw7810]

Yup, to all of that. The Gibbs Brand will prevent the oxidation and actually helps keep it clean... My fan was treated three or so years ago. I like the mellowed look of the natural magnesium.

[Talewinds]

Originally Posted by Hendog

This is what another Pelican, whom I respect, told me: "Clear coating will not prevent oxidation. The fan willl turn milky-white under the clear-coat and you won't be able to polish it again in the future. If you like the natural look, then you'll have to polish it every year."

And looking at the high temp clear coats in my local auto parts store, the instructions all indicated a grey primer was required on bare metal. Of course I didn't want to prime the metal, just clear coat it, but the instructions were not supportive of that.

Interesting.... Suddenly the Gibbs oil is sounding more attractive.

[F4 PLT]

Fan and housing looks great. I get mine back from being tumble cleaned tomorrow. I will also look up Gibbs polish. I remember on my 72T I hand polished it and what a task.

[rw7810]

Zoomie - it's not a polish, it is a penetrating oil.

[Hendog]

Originally Posted by rw7810

Yup, to all of that. The Gibbs Brand will prevent the oxidation and actually helps keep it clean... My fan was treated three or so years ago. I like the mellowed look of the natural magnesium.

I just ordered a can today

[Garp]

Would the same result as with the Gibbs product be obtained with simple WD40 or the equivalent from Wurth?

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by Garp

WD40

People keep saying it's "water based" so I would not try it.

Wish I knew about Gibbs a few years ago. I hand polished mine while changing the alternator, the first time at at quarter car wash ruined the fan finish. Something in the water around here.

[moneymanager]

Something called Corrosion Block (google it) is said to work as well as Gibbs. Pelican had a very long thread on this not long ago.

[ClickClickBoom]

Hello,
Without "pickling" any coating will have corrosion underneath. Here is a read:
http://www.magnesium.com/w3/data-bank/index.php?mgw=182
Hola
eric

[rw7810]

Not sure what Gibbs is made of. I've read that WD40 is made of fish oil. My fan with Gibbs on it hasn't shown any coorsion for two years... still looks very uniform, etc. with now white corrosion build up. I have used Corrosion Block too, it is like cosmoline. Good for Tranny, etc. I would put is on the fan though as it doesn't penetrate or really harden.