Polished Air Intake Manifold

[SWERYD]

I'll be installing a polished intake manifold this spring and I'm looking for advice regarding whether it should have some kind of a protective coating or not. I've looked online but most information is rather old and I have to wonder what the current thinking is. I couldn't resist getting it done since it was part of my neighbor's school project and it was free! It looks great but comes with no recommendations regarding keeping its look. So, I've come to the experts.

Any advice and information on products and brands would be greatly appreciated.

[alan6272]

I polished all the unpainted aluminum on my motorcycle when I restored it 4 years ago and then sprayed them with shaker can clear coat from walmart and they still look like new today.

[Catamax944]

Get it powder coated with hi temp clear .

[9FF]

Leave it bare and just polish with MAG Polish and a microfiber when it needs it. Problem with any clear finish is if it chips or yellows you have to strip everything again.

I did my na a few years ago and it polishes up like new with a quick polish & wipe. I also did a spare cam cover but haven't fitted it yet.

[kdjones2000]

Mine is bare and I polish it as well.

More work, but no worries about chips and such.

[ernie9944]

[QUOTE=9FF;7239431]Leave it bare and just polish with MAG Polish and a microfiber when it needs it. Problem with any clear finish is if it chips or yellows you have to strip everything again.

I did my na a few years ago and it polishes up like new with a quick polish & wipe. I also did a spare cam cover but haven't fitted it yet.

+ 1 clear migth yellows or like you said peel off over time then your stuck redoing it all over again.

[alan6272]

I'm not sure about the chips and yellowing. My motorcycle engine is in the open and never ever has the clear yellowed or chipped. Are the wheels on our cars also clear coated from the factory? As far as heat affecting the clear, I don't think it would as my motorcycle gets just as hot if not hotter than my Porsche motor. I was thinking about polishing my intake and cam tower as well some time this year and I will clear coat them as well. Either way I think it would work out.

[Catamax944]

Those problems might occur with normal clear but with powder coating it is absolutely impossible ,it is also much tougher and will not chip easily plus i see no reason why an intake would get chipped in the first place ,even rims barely do if taken care of.
Me personally i would prefer it to keep its luster without scheduled maintenance plus you would be able to keep only the top polished and clean ,the underside would be subject to corrosion.

[Gawernator]

VHT engine paint would be designed for that

[alan6272]

I did an internet search about this, it seems many many people use clear coat on engine parts as well as other bare metals not on engines. Maybe some use a real good quality clear but nontheless. By the way on my bike all I wash and it shines now rubbing or buffing.

[9FF]

I'm just old fashioned, personal choice I suppose, Bare or coated, up to op's preference. I also prefer solid wood furniture and occasional wax polishing rather than lacquered wood, even though lacquer requires no maintenance.

[Gawernator]

I'm the same way with my Navy shoes. I have both genuine leather and corfam (patent leather) but even though the latter is very low maintenance and has an unbeatable shine, you can't beat a good hand done hard mirror like shine on real leather.

[Gawernator]

Question, why didn't the intake manifold come polished from the factory?

[FransB85]

My teledials are bare alu. Last few weeks there has been a lot of salt on the roads due to the snow. As a result, they looked terrible, but it took all of 10 minutes to clean them up again with a little polish. I think the same would be true for your manifold.

[John_AZ]

Originally Posted by Gawernator

Question, why didn't the intake manifold come polished from the factory?

German engineers prefer superior function and precision over "flash" in mechanical detail.

J_AZ