Aluminum Intake Manifold Restoration - Tumble Finishing versus Vapor Blasting
February 22nd, 2021, 06:34 PM
#1
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Aluminum Intake Manifold Restoration - Tumble Finishing versus Vapor Blasting
I want to restore an original 1970 W-31 aluminum intake manifold. I know there are many opinions on different ways to do this; I am leaning toward tumble finishing or vapor blasting. Trying to determine the pros and cons of each. Does anyone have first hand experience with either method? Thank you in advance.
February 22nd, 2021, 06:42 PM
#2
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search VAPOR BLAST on this site. I recently posted pictures of my W30 intake before and after vapor blast. I'm sold on vapor blasting. I'm following up on preserving the finish. There are a few methods.
February 23rd, 2021, 04:50 AM
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Might be wrong but I thought Tumble finishing meant putting in a big drum and turning round and round like in a clothes dryer? Where I worked they actually had a old cement mixer that had sand in it. Small hardware type parts were put in it and it would rotate, after a day or so the parts were clean. Well you sure wouldn't want to do that with a W30 intake!
February 23rd, 2021, 06:23 AM
#6
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Location: Gillespie County Texas
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The as-cast originals were hung from a conveyor line and went through a Wheelabrator. This threw small shot at the intakes to knock off sand and give a smoother finish.
After that, the finish machining was done.
Even if you found a Wheelabrator, you wouldn't want to do that to a finished manifold.
Vapor blast leaves a finish with more luster than Wheelabration, but it's a good compromise for cleaning up tired intake manifolds.
Most dry blasting leaves the surface duller than original. Bead blasting with 100% fresh beads also leaves a good finish.
After that, the finish machining was done.
Even if you found a Wheelabrator, you wouldn't want to do that to a finished manifold.
Vapor blast leaves a finish with more luster than Wheelabration, but it's a good compromise for cleaning up tired intake manifolds.
Most dry blasting leaves the surface duller than original. Bead blasting with 100% fresh beads also leaves a good finish.
February 23rd, 2021, 07:56 AM
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Might be wrong but I thought Tumble finishing meant putting in a big drum and turning round and round like in a clothes dryer? Where I worked they actually had a old cement mixer that had sand in it. Small hardware type parts were put in it and it would rotate, after a day or so the parts were clean. Well you sure wouldn't want to do that with a W30 intake!
February 23rd, 2021, 06:13 PM
#9
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Most tumbling does not use a spinning drum but a vibrating drum. I have seen intakes done with vibratory tumblers and they look brand new. The photos of vapor blasted intakes on the site recently look great too but seem a little shiny. It takes a pretty big & expensive tumbler to fit something like an intake inside though. Also, the outfit needs to know what media (walnut shells, plastic, glass, metal, sand) to use to get the proper finish for the type of metal being refinished. On something like a fact W30 intake I would not trust the job to just anyone and would want to see some examples of their work before hand.
Last edited by Loaded68W34; February 23rd, 2021 at 06:15 PM.
February 24th, 2021, 02:41 PM
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