Hey Fellas.....
I'm looking for advice from my fellow E30 enthusiasts who have experience in restoration techniques, specifically for refinishing the M20 motor's aluminum parts.
I'm a stickler for originality, so I'd like to restore the aluminum valve cover and the other associated aluminum parts, to as close to the original cast aluminum finish as possible. I realize that this might be impossible, as a brand new valve cover's bright finish is the result of the original aluminum casting and they were never originally painted or anodized plated.
In the past, a simple option was to first bead blast the stained aluminum parts and clear coat them in order to seal the porous aluminum after the blasting process. Unfortunately, after clear coating the bead blasted aluminum surface, the finish turns a drab grayish color under the clear coat. This technique provides a metallic finish, but it definitely looks different than the OE silver finish. Over time, heat from the engine bay will eventually yellow and crack the clear coat.
If anyone has an alternative process that looks close to the original aluminum finish, I'd really appreciate it if you could please share this information. I'd rather not powder coat as that finish is too thick. I would be open to a durable matte paint that appears like metal. I've also heard of a matte silver coating in a aerosol can, which has aluminum particles in the formula, so hopefully that would produce a visually more metallic aluminum finish. Anyone know of this product?
All suggestions are welcome and you can also PM me if you prefer! Thank You!
I'm looking for advice from my fellow E30 enthusiasts who have experience in restoration techniques, specifically for refinishing the M20 motor's aluminum parts.
I'm a stickler for originality, so I'd like to restore the aluminum valve cover and the other associated aluminum parts, to as close to the original cast aluminum finish as possible. I realize that this might be impossible, as a brand new valve cover's bright finish is the result of the original aluminum casting and they were never originally painted or anodized plated.
In the past, a simple option was to first bead blast the stained aluminum parts and clear coat them in order to seal the porous aluminum after the blasting process. Unfortunately, after clear coating the bead blasted aluminum surface, the finish turns a drab grayish color under the clear coat. This technique provides a metallic finish, but it definitely looks different than the OE silver finish. Over time, heat from the engine bay will eventually yellow and crack the clear coat.
If anyone has an alternative process that looks close to the original aluminum finish, I'd really appreciate it if you could please share this information. I'd rather not powder coat as that finish is too thick. I would be open to a durable matte paint that appears like metal. I've also heard of a matte silver coating in a aerosol can, which has aluminum particles in the formula, so hopefully that would produce a visually more metallic aluminum finish. Anyone know of this product?
All suggestions are welcome and you can also PM me if you prefer! Thank You!
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