I agree with "do not paint". I recently tried that Alumi-blast paint, and it ends up flaking off the casting. Really clean raw aluminum looks just as good, and will last.
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1981 VW Jetta 1.6TD
1969 BMW 2002 x2

I painted mine and then clearcoated them also. I've had no issues. The key is to have the aluminum "clean" before paint.

John
_________________
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
John Weese
'72tii "Hugo"
'73tii "Atlantik"
'74 '02 "Inka"
'76 '02 "Malaga"
'72tii engine VIN 2760081 - waiting on a rebuild
"Keep your revs up and watch your mirrors!"

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(nt)
_________________
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
John Weese
'72tii "Hugo"
'73tii "Atlantik"
'74 '02 "Inka"
'76 '02 "Malaga"
'72tii engine VIN 2760081 - waiting on a rebuild
"Keep your revs up and watch your mirrors!"

(nt)
_________________
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
John Weese
'72tii "Hugo"
'73tii "Atlantik"
'74 '02 "Inka"
'76 '02 "Malaga"
'72tii engine VIN 2760081 - waiting on a rebuild
"Keep your revs up and watch your mirrors!"

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Excessive polishing is another possible option. So easy to maintain...
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Paul Huber
1972 2000 Touring tii in Verona

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c.d, which Simple Green...see link!

http://www.simplegreen.com/products_family.php

k

painted mine with the help of CJ. Here an old shot but it has'nt changed in 2 years or so. Still looks great.
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73 Tii. My Daily driver
Volvo V70 Turbo,Wagon

Ad Deum Per Fidem Mores Culturam

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. . . . the simple Simple Green one
buy it in gallon bottle at homedepot


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1976 BMW 2002 #2743711(sorry I sold it 12/25/06)
1986 BMW R65 650cc twin 19k miles
1964 BMW R27 250cc single 15K miles
2002 BMW 325xiTouring 29k miles
1984 MERCEDES-BENZ W123 300D Turbodiesel-188k miles fein-DIESEL

72touring wrote:

Excessive polishing is another possible option. So easy to maintain...

Can you define the steps for 'Excessive Polishing'? That looks GREAT! I painted mine which I thought looked nice and clean and I get a lot of compliments on it, but yours looks so sweet. Kudos!

Doug
'73tii Atlantik - now has intake manifold envy

My intake plenum and runners were beyond simple cleanup. All the Simple Green in the world didn't leave them with a nice finish, so if I had wanted to leave them bare I would have needed to get them blasted.

After thorough cleanup with Simple Green, I put on a good primer and then coated with an aluminum paint (probably rustoleum or the like). In my opinion, it turned out a little too bright. Probably the Krylon Dull Aluminum paint the people recommend for refinishing wheels would look a little better. But the paint has held up well for at least 3 years now and I don't do anything to take care of it; in fact I frequently put tools there when I'm working on the car (and what better place to lose things from than the very center of the engine compartment?).
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Matthew Cervi
'73 tii

In terms of excessive polishing, can't take full credit for all the work involved (10% at best). I actually stumbled across the intake set on eBay years ago, and stashed it away until recently (when I did a freshen up/final polish on it). According to the eBay seller, he had sat in front of a TV set one long cold winter with the intake on his lap and various polishing devices at hand.

I would assume that he followed the polishing basics of rough to smooth steps, here outlined on a NC polisher's site.

http://www.hhpolishinginc.com/services.html

Good luck if you take it on.
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Paul Huber
1972 2000 Touring tii in Verona

I used "off the shelf" Krylon "dull aluminum" followed by a compatible clearcoat of the same brand. Media blasted first, ckleaned with solvent (brakleen) then painted. Unless you use harsh cleaning agents to maintain the motor - the paint will last for years. It's a little bit glossier than the unfinished blasted aluminum - which makes wiping of oil easier. Also used on misc. linkage pcs. Satin black used on booster, block, etc.

Here's photos of the car I'm assembling from last year. detail color on the top of the K'Fischer pump was "cast iron gray" - engine enamel (Duplicolor?)

HTH!

Paul Wegweiser

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Thanks for everyone's advice. Still unsure what to do. I see Eastwood's now has a HT "Diamond Clear" finish available. Wonder how that would perform after bead blasting the parts?
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Jim Gerock
BMWCCA # 381868
73tii "Celeste" # 2764081
71 VW Bug

My anodizer put mine in the cleaning solution and they came out like new. I agree, don't paint.
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Craig74tii
'72tii resto project

Dupont makes a 2 step aluminum prep for painting. Step A mixed with water and soak the parts in. Take a look at what you get (nice and clean) and then decide if you want to paint it. I decided not to and while I do not have a super beautiful show car it still looks good. I'm not a big fan of painted aluminum for the same reason that I never put a plastic emblem on the hood when that was all that available.