First off, sorry mods…didn’t know if this belongs in Tech or Gen Auto…so i gave it my best guess
In the coming days, i’ll be removing my upper plenum to get some stuff done and just clean up a bit under the hood.
It’s a filthy, somewhat-rough metal surface. I was planning on painting it with a high gloss black, but have no idea how to clean/prep/prime such a surface to ensure that the paint sticks and doesn’t start chipping away.
I know just about any automotive store carries high gloss, high temp resistant enamels…any recommendations on a name brand?
and what should i use to clean the surface first?
should i bother sanding it since the purpose of sanding (i thought) is usually
to get a rough surface, and this surface is already rough?
what kind of primer should i use, and how many coats?
and how many coats about of the enamel itself should i spray on, and how long should i wait between each coat?
you’d have to blast it to PC it anyway. But if you PC it, you need to tell the PCer to outgass it before applying the powder, as cast aluminum is porous, and surely has a lot of oil and grease in the metal.
Start with a real good soap and water bath. Then go at it with some degreaser. Rough up all surfaces with a red scuff pad. Then wash it. Tack it off and spray it.
