Aged aluminum

[Jack]

Johnny Mac,

Now that's a well done Cobra!

 

[Johnny Mac!]

Johnny Mac,

Now that's a well done Cobra!

Thanks! Here is a full frontal shot of it, I believe the guy that bought it from me now has it for sale.

 

[Jack]

Really nice, my perfect color too. The 289 FIA is my favorite Cobra ever!
Totally wrapped up in my SL-C build however.

 

[Johnny Mac!]

Really nice, my perfect color too. The 289 FIA is my favorite Cobra ever!
Totally wrapped up in my SL-C build however.

Understood...how is the build progressing???? I am looking for my next project. I had been hell bent on building an RCR GT40 MKI...but the more I look at the SLC...the more I am liking it with an LS7.

I am moving in the very near future and will live about an hour from VIR...so ther is a lot of incentive for me to pick a decent car I can track with. :thumbsup:

 

[Jack]

Johnny Mac,
My build is going a little slow, only because I retired. The build is going very well.
In a word, the SL-C is JEWLERY!
The chassis is what really sold me on the SL-C. If I had to do again, the LS3 with a decent cam would be my choice. 500HP is easy and at 1/2 the cost of the LS7.

 

[Dave]

When I built my 289FIA, I did all the underhood ally in a dull finish.

That looks damn good.

 

[Alex]

oh crap crap crap, you guys were right about these magic self-rusting chassis.

I pulled off the dash a few days ago to find these 2 holes :shocked:

Figured 'okay, okay, don't panic. Still plenty of time to seal it up'. Turn around and yesterday I found this! :shocked::shocked:

Calm....calm........go outside today and find this scene :shocked::shocked::shocked:

They're multiplying exponentially :lipsrsealed:

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:quirk:

 

[Alex]

Oh good, no new holes today .... yet..... :lipsrsealed:

I really should remember to ask Fran how much replacement chassis are just incase 1 too many appears :drunk:

 

[Doug]

Gents, I too have the conundrum of what to do with my chassis. Currently (as purchased/3rd owner) my chassis is in a state of scotch brite scratch (read: ass)! There are several panels front and rear that have not been attacked and lend themselves to being polished. That said, do I paint the remainder of the chassis or attempt a brushed look? 3M does make numerous hook-it discs with different grits, has anyone used that type of thing for a brushed look?

 

[Jack]

Doug, that's a very difficult decision. Personally for a 40, I would paint semi-gloss black. That said, my SL-C is now partly polished and partly semi-gloss black.

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Doug,

I would recommend a treatment similar to Eglitom .....if some areas are unrepairable/polishable.

The chassis on Allen Englishes car...is black in the front footbox, spare wheel well area and is natural aluminum in the engine bay...it looks great and will "show" well...

 

[Alex]

ahhhhh, it's so hard to make a decision.

I'm 99% certain I'm going to leave as raw aluminum and sharkhide it for extra protection/sealing ability, but then I start to wander back to 50/50 (powdercoating silver vein). Then I go 99% certain I want to powdercoat it, then head all the way back to 99% natural/sharkhide. How's a guy to make up his mind :stunned::stunned:

Btw, I've been paying particular attention to natural aluminum surfaces lately that have aged, and I honestly have been unable to find anything that shows the white spotting, or any form of corrosion. For example, fan shroud in my cobra (1 1/2yr old) looks the same as day 1. LCAs (~2 1/2yrs old) the same. Some of my dad's old aluminum angles that he bought in 196x are the same (albiet a darker shade of grey); aluminum ladders are fine (albiet a darker shade of grey), etc... etc...

Obviously it'd be a different story if I were driving through salted roads in the winter, hehe, but it does make me wonder if the worse that would happen left untreated (which I wouldn't do; minimum would be 3 coats of sharkhide) would be to darken in time.

 

[Dave Lindemann]

ahhhhh, it's so hard to make a decision.

I'm 99% certain I'm going to leave as raw aluminum and sharkhide it for extra protection/sealing ability, but then I start to wander back to 50/50 (powdercoating silver vein). Then I go 99% certain I want to powdercoat it, then head all the way back to 99% natural/sharkhide. How's a guy to make up his mind :stunned::stunned:

Btw, I've been paying particular attention to natural aluminum surfaces lately that have aged, and I honestly have been unable to find anything that shows the white spotting, or any form of corrosion. For example, fan shroud in my cobra (1 1/2yr old) looks the same as day 1. LCAs (~2 1/2yrs old) the same. Some of my dad's old aluminum angles that he bought in 196x are the same (albiet a darker shade of grey); aluminum ladders are fine (albiet a darker shade of grey), etc... etc...

Obviously it'd be a different story if I were driving through salted roads in the winter, hehe, but it does make me wonder if the worse that would happen left untreated (which I wouldn't do; minimum would be 3 coats of sharkhide) would be to darken in time.

Alex - Be sure to consider the grade/compound of aluminum in your decision. Not all aluminum reacts the same to environmental conditions. I'll be painting/coating the entire chassis on my SLC (but that's just me).
Dave L

 

[Alex]

Alex - Be sure to consider the grade/compound of aluminum in your decision. Not all aluminum reacts the same to environmental conditions. I'll be painting/coating the entire chassis on my SLC (but that's just me).
Dave L

Thanks ... last night I was 'okay, sharkhide/natural it is'; after reading that now I'm like 'hmmm, or maybe powdercoat...'

Btw, I'm pretty sure it's all 6061 (atleast that's what's stamped on the beams and whatnot that I can see)

 

[Dimi Terleckyj]

Hi Alex

The one big consideration with powdercoating is that it looks OK while new but if the coating is chipped or scratched, as it will be during use, any corrosion will travel under the coating which will then lift off in sheets.

If you need to add or weld after it has been powdercoated you can not refinish the coating around the weld or repair to look the same.

Dimi

 

[Alex]

Hi Alex

The one big consideration with powdercoating is that it looks OK while new but if the coating is chipped or scratched, as it will be during use, any corrosion will travel under the coating which will then lift off in sheets.

If you need to add or weld after it has been powdercoated you can not refinish the coating around the weld or repair to look the same.

Dimi

No welding here :laugh:

This is basically my thought process

natural aluminum/sharkhided

- easy to maintain and apply (wipe-on solvent that should last 15+yrs if not exposed to salt water or harsh environment)

- coating dissolves if exposed to aceton or gas spills on it (in which case you can clean the area with water and re-apply)

- you see all the scratches on the aluminum (albiet most places like the dash you'll never see them because it will be covered, and the places that are exposed (e.g., rear beams) have a natural brushed apperance to them, so that conceals a lot)

- it has more of a race-car type feel to it


powdercoat (silver vein)

- looks nicer, but you loose the race car feel

- hides scratches

- add weight

- not really repairable (short of slapping on some POR 15 to cover up bo-bos)



Leaning towards sharkhide/natural at the moment; sure that'll change in 3hrs or so

 

[Jim Rosenthal]

We may try SharkHide on the Kirkham this year. (after we finish some updates to the wheels, carb and alternator mounting). It took three of us five weeks to sand and polish it to a mirror finish and it looked GREAT for about a week. That was a while ago. I'm trying to find a detailing company that is energetic enough and stupid enough to give me a quote for repolishing it that is not time and materials. No one seems dumb enough to do that.

 

[Randy]

I have a little experence with aluminum cars, I like and use Mother Spray wax. They make a new version that has alot of wax in it. The wax is the sealer !
I have bolth high polish aluminum and fine brush on my cars. I use the spray wax after cleaning or polishing! Its easy to apply, stops all finger prints and rerists staining. Its the Blastolene way!
Randy

 

[Alex]

We may try SharkHide on the Kirkham this year. (after we finish some updates to the wheels, carb and alternator mounting). It took three of us five weeks to sand and polish it to a mirror finish and it looked GREAT for about a week. That was a while ago. I'm trying to find a detailing company that is energetic enough and stupid enough to give me a quote for repolishing it that is not time and materials. No one seems dumb enough to do that.

No surprise there - I do a lot of detailing in my spare time (for myself and $$$ for others). I'd do your kirkham to a mirror finish (no visible micrmarring or RIDs in direct sunlight), but I'd want several thousand to do it because of the amout of time and effort it'd take. hehe

 

[Lynn Erickson]

We may try SharkHide on the Kirkham this year. (after we finish some updates to the wheels, carb and alternator mounting). It took three of us five weeks to sand and polish it to a mirror finish and it looked GREAT for about a week. That was a while ago. I'm trying to find a detailing company that is energetic enough and stupid enough to give me a quote for repolishing it that is not time and materials. No one seems dumb enough to do that.

check around at the local airports and you will find people that specialize in polishing aluminum and have the right equipment to do it right.