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Making old parts look new again :)
So I had an old dizzy laying around here:
http://i32.tinypic.com/10f8j9j.jpg http://i27.tinypic.com/2evrdbm.jpg And got bored, took a brass wheel to it: http://i28.tinypic.com/28c3ei9.jpg http://i31.tinypic.com/rh4j90.jpg It came out surprisingly well! Too bad I won't be needing the dizzy... So I took off my alternator :biggrin: : http://i28.tinypic.com/123tto2.jpg http://i29.tinypic.com/2ugf5ee.jpg http://i29.tinypic.com/nyv3mp.jpg http://i27.tinypic.com/21oyfpd.jpg http://i30.tinypic.com/i40e2r.jpg So what have you guys made new looking? |
damn they look good! not bad for a brass wheel the high shine lasts for a while and after about a year or so it starts to dull but it takes longer for for it to get back to the way it was.
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The brass wheel looks like the way to go with the SA alts... they're way too bumpy to be worth trying for full-polish. An FD alt with it's smooth-cast case would be a different story.
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looks good. now spray some clear on it.
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If you clear it, make sure it's a good quality new can of clear (unless you're a painter, too and have some nice HLVP guns and the right type of clear). I made the mistake of using some old hi-temp clear on my oil filter pedestal and it made it look worse.
Great job on the parts! I need to pull out my old model car paint brushes, brass-wheel my S5 alt, and paint the center strip to match my dizzy. After I get a full-face shield, safety glasses aren't cutting it when I've been cleaning parts or polishing. I might actually finish polishing my SE 13b front cover after I do my alt... Your parts are inspiring, keep up the great work, Stu... |
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Stu -
hope that ol' dizzy can be swapped into the car ;) Looks gorgeous - but, yeah, clear it or you'll be at it again in a year.... My Make-'em-New efforts: powdercoat is my weapon-of-choice: -various brackets, battery tray, headlit motors detailed -waterpump and engine mount |
Nice Stu, I need to get one of those brass wheels, I'll bet they hold up better than the steel wire ones. Here's my alternator that I did several years ago with the steel wire wheel, I took the video to show the timing check but it shows the alternator nicely:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h.../th_timing.jpg Like Michael says, spray with clear coat to preserve the shine and keep the aluminum from oxidizing again. This one was done that way at least four years ago. I used Krylon crystal clear, not a heat paint but holds up well and unlike some automotive clear coats I've tried it really does produce a durable crystal clear coating. Here's what that alternator and some other things I hit with the wheel looked like when I first did them http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_i...0122_large.jpg And here's the steel wire wheel http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_i...0121_large.jpg Nothing spiffs up an engine bay like a shiny "new" alternator! |
You know what you all are forcing me to have to do, right...?
& I don't even have a bench grinder. |
Originally Posted by DivinDriver
(Post 9492299)
You know what you all are forcing me to have to do, right...?
& I don't even have a bench grinder. Parts are all looking good guys, I was thinking of doing some powercoating as well. |
Originally Posted by 7aull
(Post 9492088)
Stu -
hope that ol' dizzy can be swapped into the car ;) Looks gorgeous - but, yeah, clear it or you'll be at it again in a year.... My Make-'em-New efforts: powdercoat is my weapon-of-choice: -various brackets, battery tray, headlit motors detailed -waterpump and engine mount |
Originally Posted by ray green
(Post 9492231)
Nice Stu, I need to get one of those brass wheels, I'll bet they hold up better than the steel wire ones. Here's my alternator that I did several years ago with the steel wire wheel, I took the video to show the timing check but it shows the alternator nicely:
Like Michael says, spray with clear coat to preserve the shine and keep the aluminum from oxidizing again. This one was done that way at least four years ago. I used Krylon crystal clear, not a heat paint but holds up well and unlike some automotive clear coats I've tried it really does produce a durable crystal clear coating. Here's what that alternator and some other things I hit with the wheel looked like when I first did them And here's the steel wire wheel Nothing spiffs up an engine bay like a shiny "new" alternator! |
Don't start Glen (divindriver)!! I don't think this website has enough bandwidth to hold all of his "making old parts look new again"
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Originally Posted by 80's old school
(Post 9492428)
Don't start Glen (divindriver)!! I don't think this website has enough bandwidth to hold all of his "making old parts look new again"
Before: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...f/IMG_0035.jpg During: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...f/P8230058.jpg After: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...f/P9070014.jpg |
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That clear looks like it should work better than the old hight-temp stuff I used. How did it turn out after it dried? I'll have to pick some up and try it out, it looks great in the pic above!
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Originally Posted by DivinDriver
(Post 9492440)
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looking good rxforspeed. stu, clamp that drill in a vise, but not too tight or u'll crack the housing. works great. did this for yrs before i had an old bench grinder follow me home one day from a place i worked at yrs ago.
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You can get a good bench grinder for $30 at homedepot, I don't know how you guys live without one.
Check out this trick. You know how your old stock Clarion sound system starts to get a few too many fingerprints on it? Knobs turning green, clear coat peeling, I think I'm gonna' paint that sucker condition? http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...een/before.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...n/DSCF1016.jpg Well I discovered that if you get yourself some 95% ethanol and a soft cloth you can rub all the crud off and get back to that beautiful off-gold metallic finish: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...DSCF1020-1.jpg You can clear coat it if you like but next time I'm going with the Krylon crystal clear instead of automotive clear coat, it's much cleaner http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...een/blight.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...tsandradio.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...DSCF1167-1.jpg |
Originally Posted by rxforspeed
(Post 9492632)
OMG-it looks like you've cleaned, coated, and dressed everything in that entire engine bay! How long that that take to complete? What tools were you using; did you have access to an acid bath for your parts? I couldn't imagine cleaning everything in the engine compartment by hand with a drill and grinder...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...f/P6280006.jpg Pretty much all the same parts, except for the alt. Drill, dremel, hand-sanding, lots of brake cleaner, Aircraft stripper... lots of rubbing.. and lots of rattlecan practice. No acid bath, no sandblasting... I probably used up about a hundred of those little spongy buffer wheels for the dremel, though. Actual time involved is probably about 2 1/2 years of occasional nights and weekends, spread across the last 8 years. |
this thread makes me wanna go outside and re-do my whole engine bay, good job guys, parts look great!
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i'm almost done washing, buffing, clay bricking, washing and waxing, Mr peepers and then it rained...
still looks WAY WAY better |
I love how a simple wire wheelin' can make an old part look so much nicer!
Here's my rebuild thread so far and its got pictures of all the parts I cleaned up and made nice lookin' again. Hopefully I will be posting an update on the progress soon! https://www.rx7club.com/build-threads-293/rising-ashes-pics-warned-812400/ |
Man, this "peer pressure" stuff is a biatch... look what you people made me do!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...f/P9180070.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...f/P9190071.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...f/P9190074.jpg |
Originally Posted by DivinDriver
(Post 9507145)
Man, this "peer pressure" stuff is a biatch... look what you people made me do!
[/IMG] http://i34.tinypic.com/fk1p9x.jpg And my next part: http://i34.tinypic.com/wwgj0g.jpg I am going to yoink off the carb to get the housings real good. Might do the back inspection plate as well! |
Ok, so after numerous battles with mosquitoes, I only got the inspection plate done before the swarm came in.
The plate is a little bent up at one end. Oh well, when I get the engine out I will get a better inspection plate. This took me all of 10 minutes to do. http://i37.tinypic.com/117say1.jpg http://i34.tinypic.com/2wmjuyp.jpg It looks better in person. The dark spot was a bend in the metal. I tried moving the plate around so I could get a better picture of it, but the rotor gods are against me today http://i35.tinypic.com/25qwy8z.jpg Got a few scratches on it pulling it back out :lol:. Oh well, buffed it a little again. Got one bolt cleaned up, and went to clean up another bolt when the brush snagged it and flung it across the garage! I have no clue where it went, and I searched for quite a bit! http://i34.tinypic.com/24ffate.jpg Looks good though. |
For shining parts with a wire wheel, I've found that an angle grinder works great. Like a bench grinder that you can hold in two hands.
Looking great guys. :) |
That bench grinder is a great idea, especially for stuff that's already fixed into the engine bay. So you are saying they make little 3-4" wire wheels that fit the angle grinder? I'll check that out next time I'm at homedepot.
Looking good Stu and DD. Stu I can't tell you how many small parts I've had fly off into the abyss never to be seen again while polishing with the bench grinder. If you need some small corks for you nice new shiny dizzy and cap, just let me know, I'll send you some. http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...green/1-19.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...green/ray2.jpg Stu, I've got a question. Why is one of your igniters silver? Is it some kind of special edition igniter with an aluminum case? https://i28.tinypic.com/28c3ei9.jpg |
That silver ignitor has been gutted/stripped/rewired/siliconed/re-guled.
Basically, it is set up for stock looking and MSD capable. I spray painted it silver so I wouldn't get mixed up if I took it off. |
Uh oh
http://i36.tinypic.com/2h7lx5g.jpg Took all the carb stuff off to get a better view of what I will be wheelin. I started a little on the left side in this picture: http://i33.tinypic.com/dxlcsk.jpg Rear iron/housing/mid iron is "done" for the most part: http://i33.tinypic.com/214rwjs.jpg This is as far as I got: http://i36.tinypic.com/4i29sj.jpg I bet no one can find out what part broke off in the middle of doing this. I literally TOUCHED it and it destroyed itself. Tomorrow I will probably end up pulling off the intake manifold and putting freeze plugs in the coolant ports, and continuing on that side. The brass wheel also touched my 80 dizzy, so it looks like I will have to do that too. OH NO :rolleyes: |
There looked to be a sort of paint or sealer on the housings. You can kind of see where I took it off and where I left some in this picture:
http://i33.tinypic.com/e5myp3.jpg The wheel took it off with some pressure, but I am stuck wondering what it was? Was it a clear coat or some factory spray to keep the aluminum from... doing whatever aluminum does after 25 years? Just wondering, I don't want to accidentally leave them "bare" and have something happen to the engine finish a few months down the road. Red bull and Cheddar roast beef melt. Make the world go round! http://i34.tinypic.com/htsj8k.jpg Look at how dirty that corner is :( |
Looking good Stu. You busted that sensor with the yellow wire coming out the back of your water pump housing. Been there, done that.
You can use Rustoleum Metallic Silver to freshen that engine bay, it's a perfect match for the stock silver paint. http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...n/DSCF1136.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...rgreen/1-3.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...rgreen/4-2.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...rgreen/g-5.jpg I can see you are on a mission here, keep posting updates! |
Stu, do you need another water temp sensor? I've got two extra water pump housings from an FB that still have sensors in them...
Your engine is lookin' great! I'm gonna have to haul my DeWalt drill and all the wire brushes I have to my buddy's house (where the car is, my "buddy" is the slow car painter) and start on my engine soon. Ray, you can get wire wheels for almost any kind of grinder; angle, bench, etc. I went up to Harbor Freight and bought a bunch of steel and brass 1"-4" wheels with collets for use in a drill to clean up some parts I have here at the house. I also picked up a few small cylindrical and tapered buffs for polishing the aluminum parts I'd been working on. If you have an Eastwood catalog laying around, check it out. The parts in it are basically the same thing that Harbor Freight has, just different colors and a bigger price tag... |
Originally Posted by ray green
(Post 9507399)
So you are saying they make little 3-4" wire wheels that fit the angle grinder? I'll check that out next time I'm at homedepot.
looking good stu. now mask off and put some paint on it. and it's ok about that sensor, i don't need it anyway. |
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HA! Welcome to Hell Stu -!
Now you'll have to detail the whole compartment. oh, and keep it that way.... ;) Stu Aull 80GS Alaska |
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...ageID=11603437
thermostat housing off a 2nd gen took out the casting marks and buffed the hell out of it |
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...ageID=11603437 the pict didnt work heres the link
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Originally Posted by ray green
(Post 9507399)
That bench grinder is a great idea, especially for stuff that's already fixed into the engine bay. So you are saying they make little 3-4" wire wheels that fit the angle grinder? I'll check that out next time I'm at homedepot.
Looking good Stu and DD. Stu I can't tell you how many small parts I've had fly off into the abyss never to be seen again while polishing with the bench grinder. If you need some small corks for you nice new shiny dizzy and cap, just let me know, I'll send you some. http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...green/1-19.jpg http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/h...green/ray2.jpg Stu, I've got a question. Why is one of your igniters silver? Is it some kind of special edition igniter with an aluminum case? https://i28.tinypic.com/28c3ei9.jpg |
Originally Posted by rxforspeed
(Post 9508822)
Stu, do you need another water temp sensor? I've got two extra water pump housings from an FB that still have sensors in them...
Originally Posted by ray green
(Post 9507560)
You can use Rustoleum Metallic Silver to freshen that engine bay, it's a perfect match for the stock silver paint.
Originally Posted by 7aull
(Post 9509920)
HA! Welcome to Hell Stu -!
Anyways, cleaning off those housings (and the strange paint that was on them) sent a flurry of silver dust over EVERYTHING in the engine bay. Horrayyyyyyy :( |
I feel like a lazy bum after reading this thread, if only the military didn't make me work long hours. . .
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Originally Posted by 7aull
(Post 9509920)
oh, and keep it that way....
;) |
It's about fun time!
http://i33.tinypic.com/2a8gjtc.jpg Figured I can't go wrong with this and a toothbrush. One can might do 1/3 of the bay I am assuming. I was looking for something more... Industrial? It was only this, but I could choose between this, the gel, or foamy. |
That's the best stuff Stu, or just get the generic autozone brand for a few cents less a can. But use a bigger brush, you'll get more done faster! Follow it with a good washing, brushing and sponging with hot dish detergent, then a good water rinse. Repeat every three or four months - No more grease!
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http://i38.tinypic.com/2n81oo3.jpg
http://i35.tinypic.com/2yl1g9g.jpg I got about an hour into it today. Pushed it out of the garage and gave it a good scrubbing with a big brush, then a toothbrush where the big brush couldn't get. You can see where the silver stops and white begins. :( I will probably run out to get some of that silver paint Ray. The harness on top of the intake manifold I will take out. There is nothing it is plugged into, so why have it there? Also, I was thinking since I don't have a welder, just getting some JB in the holes that are not used anymore, sanding it flat then painting over it. Any suggestions? |
Lookin' good Stu! That ole elbow grease does wonders. I like to stick corks in all the holes I'm not using (like those ones in your dizzy cap) you never know when you might need them again!
You know, a mitsubishi dual alternator pulley would make that alternator really pop. |
Originally Posted by ray green
(Post 9513495)
Lookin' good Stu! That ole elbow grease does wonders. I like to stick corks in all the holes I'm not using (like those ones in your dizzy cap) you never know when you might need them again!
You know, a mitsubishi dual alternator pulley would make that alternator really pop. But the Yoohoo has saved me once before :D |
Would anyone happen to know how to get that charcoal canister bracket off?
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do i need to worry about the paint lifting off if i am going to use that engine bay degreaser? im jealous of all the clean bays and would like to clean up mine!
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Originally Posted by Yellow '79
(Post 9514171)
do i need to worry about the paint lifting off if i am going to use that engine bay degreaser? im jealous of all the clean bays and would like to clean up mine!
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Nice work guys...but I'm several years ahead of you: https://www.rx7club.com/1st-generation-specific-1979-1985-18/i-love-restoring-stuff-549854/
LOL By the way...shame on you guys that cleaned up your alternators but didn't take them apart to paint the center section! Rich |
Since I cleaned up my engine bay a few years ago, I haven't had any trouble keeping it clean.
I just hit the power wash before race time and hose it down, everything runs right off. But when I cleaned mine, I also gave her a good wax job. :) |
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