Hey all. Does anyone have any experience painting the intercooler. I pulled mine out to do the spring cleaning, in the middle of winter, and while i was cleaning off the massive amounts of crud oil that was on it, which i am going to find and stop from happening, I noticed that alot of paint was chipping and peeling off. the interior is clean as a whistle now, after numerous cans of carb cleaner. The outside is spotless as well, minus the terrible looking peeling paint. I know most of the thing is not viewable, but i dont believe is doing a job 1/2 way, so I would like to make it look good. I would also like to make the schroud look a little better as well, its in good shape, just trying to figure out what kind of paint for plastic that wont chip first time it shifts, and what kind of paint for the exterior of the intercooler without taking away from the cooling properties.
Thank you
hi chris
i dont know about the intercooler in peticuliar
but there are good quality paints avalable though eastwood, and they come in rattle can`s
i have used them and they stick well to CLEAN PLASTIC!!!! that is the important thing
now if you mix your own paint (automotive paint)
there are additives avalible tru your paint shop to promote adheasion to plastic (such as bulldog)
they are called bonding agents,or adhesion agents
eastwood`s web site is www.eastwoodcompany.com
well i hope i helped a little
see ya arround
Rob
Chis,
If you have access to a bead blaster, clean the pealing paint off of the outer intercooler surfaces and from the tube and fin area. If you don't have access to a bead blaster, go buy some washable liquid paint remover. I'd use some of the citrus type paint remover that can be bought at Home Depot or Lowes. Coat the intercooler with it let is sit per the directions. Don't let it dryout! Be sure to tape the inlet and outlet closed with some duct tape. Take it to a car wash and pressure wash it with hot soapy water. Be sure your car or truck is no where near when you start pressure washing the intercooler. Be sure to get all the paint remover out of the fin and tube area. You may have to do this more than once. If the citrus stuff doesn't work, move up to some thing stronger, just be sure it can be cleaned up with water. After you've rinsed all the paint remover off, let it sit and dry for a few days.
As for the paint, The Eastwood Company does make a radiator paint that won't hurt heat transfer. On my stock GN intercooler I did not repaint the tube and fin areas after I bead blasting I simplly masked both side of the tube/fin area off with cardboad and masking tape and lighly painted only the inlet/outlet tubes, end tanks and top and bottom plates. I used a regular Krylon brand semigloss paint. It turned out great. I did the same on my CAS V4 stretched stock location intercooler. When I bought it, I requested that it not be painted or powder coated but shipped to me bare since other V4 intercoolers that I had seen had a lot of the powder coating pealing off after a short time.
Good Luck,
James West
Omaha, NE.
Check out www.espperformance.com
In the TECH area they talk about painting intercoolers. Nothing about product usage but they say if you must paint to use a very light coating of paint so you don't screw up the heat transfer.