Paint polished aluminum intake?

[Scooter]

Will be taking the top end off my 360 LA soon to install new Promaxx aluminum heads. Motor is currently equipped with a Weiand Action Plus intake. Prior owner of the car included an Eddy RPM Air Gap with the sale of the car. He had cooling issues and made a bit of a mess around the thermostat housing, see photo below. The issue was his thermostat housing.. not the intake. On the fence as to whether or not I want to try to use this when I put the 360 back together.  The Air Gap is arguably a better intake than the Weiand and the mess under the tsat housing would be mostly hidden behind my AC compressor and mounting bracket. The crap is baked on.. I've tried to remove it nicely and it's going to take a wire wheel or the like to get it off.

What would you do?

1) Prep and paint the Air Gap?

2) Run it as-is.

3) Stick with the Weiand.

[Wayne]

I have done a lot of metal polishing on items but intakes are difficult due to all the nicks and crannies to get too. 

If that was mine I would get it blasted and paint it engine color. 

[MoparLeo]

Bead blast and powder coat it.
You can get it done in any type of finish and it will stay looking good.

[Scooter]

I don't have access to a bead blaster any more... wonder how much I can get it done for?

[Wayne]

I would guess $20-40  for just blasting

[Filthy Filbert]

If you take it to a powder coater, media blasting is part of the prep work, and is built into the price of having it coated.

a powdercoater who doesn't media blast and wash the parts they are coating is like a painter who doesn't scuff the top coat when blending a repair into the next panel

[7212Mopar]

That looks like the Eldelbock factory coated. May be reacted with coolant chemically? Polish compound? The DP air gap manifold port match with the heads work well with my stroker in high rpm.

[anlauto]

In my opinion, that's NOT a polished aluminum intake...That's got some sort of bright aluminum coating on it that didn't like hot coolant, I say get it blasted and paint or coated again...

[Racer57]

This is what a new unpolished manifold that was powder coated clear looks like. Kind of silver/gray.

[Scooter]

^^^ I like the look of the clear... hows it resist staining? The bare aluminum seems to sop op stains like a sponge.

[Scooter]

In my opinion, that's NOT a polished aluminum intake...That's got some sort of bright aluminum coating on it that didn't like hot coolant, I say get it blasted and paint or coated again...

Good eye... looked up the part number from the receipt and this has " Endurashine finish"... whatever the heck that means. Either way I'm looking to get it blasted.

[Racer57]

^^^ I like the look of the clear... hows it resist staining? The bare aluminum seems to sop op stains like a sponge.

Seems to do really good. I had a place where fuel leaked and turned a spot yellow, but I used steel wool and got rid of it without any harm. Picture is after 3 years of use. 

[7212Mopar]

I use disposable wipe like Oxi Clean or Chlorox wipe. The detergent makes cleaning very easy. I wipe off excess with microfiber cloth. My engine bay, engine is kept clean nicely.

[Scooter]

Back from media blasting... tookem 4 hours labor and several trips to the dip tank to get that endurashine coating off. 

[Daveh]

I had my LD40 intake blasted and powder coated.  It turned out great.