Metal Finishing

I just lined my engine compartment with aluminium and built an aluminium fuel tank to cradle the spare tyre. This stuff sounds like it would add the finishing touch if performs as advertised, and I am getting tired of polishing my bikes.

What did you think?

Rich, at risk of sounding dumb, not a lot of guys here do fabrication work in sheet metal on their cars' engine compartments.
Some might occasionally make a piece or two when they have to, but you're pioneering the finish idea.
I use a red shop rag and WD-40 to keep my tins clean. Works like a champ. For stuff the WD won't get, I use gasoline.
If I was looking to get a satin finish, I'd scuff up every piece with ScotchBrite pads until it was a nice, hazy gray, then hit it with some soapy water and a towel. Attach it to the car, and once amweek or so, hit it with an oily rag. Chase the rag with a cotton towel and you're done.
That's the Drake method.

I made my own engine tins about five years ago out of polished aluminum stock. The "polish" has held up very well, and makes it a breeze to clean. Car show observers frequently comment on the look, and even more important, I happen to like it!

I am too lazy to polish and am hoping that this Sharkhide is the dogs bollocks.

Any report?

Shark hide report #1:
the stuff went on real easy over my brushed aluminum. I put two coats. Application was a Brawny paper towel, they hardly ever shed any lint unless you over scrub them.
The finish seems to have halted any finger prints etc. Durability will need further time.
Easy to apply, rather costly but seems to work as advertised.

That's cool! I'd be interested in the wear report.

I am having a glitch within my server making posting/adding photos impossible as of yesterday. One thing that I failed to mention here was that after several minutes of hand sanding of the aluminum panels, I brought out my 3" x 21" Porter-Cable belt sander with a medium grit (80/100) belt and went at them. It worked great. I was afraid I might get some nasty grooves but with some care I got a nice even finish. The direction with which you use your sander determines the "grain", so try to sand in only one direction across the whole piece. I noticed a difference on one surface where I had flipped it around for easy clamping and sanding purposes. After that was complete, I "polished" them with some Scotch Pads to take off the roughness. This worked fine for these nice large pieces that had no forming, for more intricate fabbed pieces, I suppose "brush" first, form second if you could follow that order but things might get a little scuffed up in that process.

Here's a shot of the finished skirts with Sharkhide applied, a little hard to tell. Engine should be installed this week so a report on the durability of the product (Sharkhide) will be forthcoming. Hopefully later today I will be able to supply more photos of engine in place.

I hope it holds up as well as it looks!
Nice job!

Hey Corey, wait until you see today's pix, I just got back from the shop and THE ENGINE IS IN!!! Finally. And the aluminum sets off the engine very nicely. Weatherstripping also fit very, so as you stated earlier this week, it will only live down below. Pix will get posted later tonight.

Cory...sorry.

WOW! Nice work Rich. What are you using for a cooling shroud? Not a DTM it looks like. And if not...what cylinder tins are those?

Mike

Mike, this is the result of following Joe Cali's method of a down-the-middle type cooling system. http://www.nextgen-usa.com/...Joe sells a manual for about $30 which describes the basic idea and procedures to complete this, plenty of mechanical drawings etc. I would classify it as the poor man's version, especially if you could do all the work yourself (which I can't). I have a thread within ShopTalkForums.com, Type4rum, "Type 4 into a Beck Speedster" (http://www.shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=128871) where I have been photo documenting most of the steps. The cooling tins are two sets of Type 4's mated and welded together and utilizing an upright shroud. I'll be posting a few more photos here tonight of the engine now installed, but most of the other details I have been posting on ShopTalkForums.com for sake of simplicity and not duplicating my efforts here. There is also plenty of discussion within Type 4 Secrets Revealed: http://www.tunacan.net/t4/owners/index.shtml which is a most excellent site for Type 4 stuff if you haven't come across it. BTW, this engine started as a 1.7 Porsche 914, Type 4 and it has been opened up to 1.9 displacement. Joe Cali can be e-mailed at: nextgenusa@optonline.net

Can I please hear the applause, the engine is finally installed and some of the details are starting to show. Since this thread started out about metal finishing (aluminum), these photos show the result of what I did. Belt sanded (3" x 21", medium grit) the pieces and then Scotch Padded the roughness down. Then I used a product called Shark Hide (which I see tonight is on sale on the Eastwood.com site). It certainly when on easy with a Brawny towel as an applicator, waited 24 hours and put a second coat. It stops finger print tarnishing etc. but will have to see over time what heat and fluids might do to it. Mike, FYI, I've opened up the exposure on a few of these so you can see some of the fabrication details where the shroud meets the cooling tins.

Since I'm overly joyed to see the engine in place, here's a few more shots. You might be able to notice some of the weather stripping (orange under aluminum skirt) we used to seal up the engine bay. A "D" shaped piece of I think 3/4" HxW, glued to the tins and slit on the curve to fit into the fiberglass lip of the bay. It seems to be working out as planned.

And it is also nice to see the problematic (read about this within my ShopTalkForum thread) Tangerine header system in place. Since Chris Foley's tubing all runs towards the front of the engine and under the transaxle support, there was considerable gnashing of teeth (and cutting and welding of metal) to make it fit. But fit it does and I'm really happy I kept this rather than switching to an A-1 system which seems to have more bottom clearance issues than this system does. And on top of it all, Chris' work is first class. Currently it is not in its final position, the muffler will be parallel to the apron. We will need to notch a slight semi circle out of the rear apron to keep the single outlet tailpipe from hitting there. I look at this as my first approach to heading in the "Outlaw" direction, bumpers go next, I'm sure.

Nice work on the aluminum. I really like the satin finish. It looks unfussy, which is kind of ironic given the amount of fuss you put in.

Beautiful, Rich. That aluminum really spruces up the engine compartment, and I REALLY like that exhaust system.

Damn it, Rich! Now I don't have the prettiest engine compartment in Speedsterdom anymore!
Very, VERY nice work!

Thanks for the compliments guys. I am pleased with the engine bay. It really wasn't all that much work on my end. I created the templates and rough cut most of it. My mechanic did the final scribing to the engine tins. He's through-bolting most of the panels based on body bolts via Special Editions existing mounting spots, others are smaller strategically placed bolts and screws. I trust these are all going to be rattle free. Since this is all 1/8" sheet, it certainly should not be flexing. Added probably 20 lbs. or so (I should have weighed this stuff!). I was surprised that he had notched out the holes for engine lid holder and may down the line redo that angle piece which would make for a more elegant look. Possibly just another anglr over that area. Cory, I'll trade you a little of my prettiness (the car's, not mine obviously) for some of your horsepower and attitude. I am anxious to hear the sound from the header/muffler system, hopefully it has the nice throaty roar similar to A-1's. Maybe I should consider a quick change stinger longer than Bruce's that I could mount just for Carlisle appearances.

Rich, if the sound is important and the one you're installing doesn't do it for you, I'm using a Suzuki 650 ATV muffler (stainless) with a three-bolt flange and three-inch inlet welded onto the engine side.
It's a pretty good combination of resonance and rumble out the end. It sounds a bit like a small-block V8 with headers. I don't particularly care about authenticity, so it doesn't hurt my feelings to have that giant pipe hogging out the back.

I had an aluminum frame bicycle with a brushed finish and a clear anodization over it.

Worked great, held up well.

angela