Guest bastaad525 Posted September 6, 2004 Share Posted September 6, 2004 Guess I shoulda done this already... was just in a rush and didn't want to futz with it, just get it in and GO. Anyways... I mentioned on here a while ago that when I dropped off my intercooler to be hot tanked at the local radiator place, the shop guy took it upon himself to decide to spray paint the thing as well. I was very pissed, but long story short, I decided just to let it be and get outta there. He painted it with a silver/metallic spray paint intended for painting wheels... anyways, I've no doubt this thing is killing the I/C's heat transfer efficiency a bit, and now that the rush of the newfound power from adding the I/C and several psi of boost has worn off a bit and I'm back to driving my beater for the most part, I figure I might as well take the time to remove this paint. So what do you guys think I should use? Should I just pay the guy $20 to hot tank it again? Would that even get it off? Is there something I can buy that I can easily strip it myself? Mind you I don't have my own garage or hose or anything, so I'd need to do it at the local self-car wash or something like that. What are the best paint strippers? Should I hit Auto Zone or Home Depot or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest importwerks.com Posted September 6, 2004 Share Posted September 6, 2004 If its only 20$ to hot tank it do that. TonyD recommended Alka Brite to clean my intercooler. He said it is EXTREMELY strong. I dont know if it will strip paint tho. It cost me 28 dollars so it would probably be a better idea to take it back to the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RacnJsn95 Posted September 6, 2004 Share Posted September 6, 2004 Take it back and make him do it for FREE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Take it back and make him do it for FREE! that's not gonna happen, I did get pretty mad with the guy and it got me nowhere. It's allright, I got no loyalties to him and there's only about 1,000 radiator shops around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage-TechZ Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Bastaad, Just go to your local auto supply store,preferably one that supplies painters,and buy a couple of aerosol "Aircraft Stripper" cans. Set the IC out in the sun on a hot radiant day,and let it get as hot as it can,then spray the IC liberally everywhere it's needed,then quickly cover it inside a plastic bag large enough to fully enclose it. Leave it in the sun for about 2-4 hours(depending on wether your stripping Enamel or eurothane). Then go to the local Carwash and spray it clean and thorough ! And there you have it. .................Goodluck, Vince Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruxGNZ Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 There was a thread a while back about spray paint on an intercooler. From what I remember, the color BLACK transfered heat better than leaving it bare. Not by much, but it was proven that it did. Try digging up that thread and check it out. If it was me, I would leave it black. This way it's more stealthy. People actually think it's just a radiator. 8) !M! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 If he'd painted it black, I might have done just that. The Buick GN i/c I was originally gonna install was black and I was gonna leave it that way. Problem is he didn't paint it black, he painted it silver. And I really have no idea if that is helping or hindering heat transfer, but, if the companies that produce them don't see fit to paint them, I don't think it should be on there. And about that aircraft stripper no way uh-uh forget it... that is some volatile stuff, and burns like crazy if you get any on you. Yeah it works great but I wont mess with the stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank280zx Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 just dont get it on you ... where rubber gloves a long sleeve and goggles.. and theer is no problem, other than that you are dependen on hot tanking it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 2slo4u Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Just strip the paint and leave it unpainted. I've never heard of any paint transferring heat better than the actual metal itself. If you really couldn't stand the color of the metal, maybe you could find somewhere that would anodize it. That way there would be no paint barrier in between the air and the intercooler, and you would have a choice of a few colors. Brian 81zxturbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 yeah I think I'll just get it re-hot tanked. Life will suck briefly as in an effort to cut down on costs when installing the I/C, refraining from buying yet more silicone pieces, I ended up going with one-size-too-small elbows on the I/C. As the I/C openings were 2.5", but all my piping was 2.25"... it was a reeeeeeeeeal PITA getting those elbows on there.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 How about he re-hot tanks it for FREE since it shouldn't have been painted in the first place? He screwed up, it's not like it will cost him anything to strip it off again... Aircraftstripper would work, but if he hot-tanks it, take it over someplace and have it hard-black annodized (milspec coating)---that will increase the heat transfer abilities of the aluminum almost 1.5X! Emissivity is greatly helped with black hard annodizing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruxGNZ Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 He painted it with a silver/metallic spray paint Doh! Read right past that !M! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bastaad525 Posted September 9, 2004 Share Posted September 9, 2004 How about he re-hot tanks it for FREE since it shouldn't have been painted in the first place? He screwed up' date=' it's not like it will cost him anything to strip it off again... Aircraftstripper would work, but if he hot-tanks it, take it over someplace and have it hard-black annodized (milspec coating)---that will increase the heat transfer abilities of the aluminum almost 1.5X! Emissivity is greatly helped with black hard annodizing.[/quote'] For real???? you've tested this yourself? How much will the anodizing cost? why does no one else do this?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest steves280 Posted September 10, 2004 Share Posted September 10, 2004 take it over someplace and have it hard-black annodized (milspec coating)---that will increase the heat transfer abilities of the aluminum almost 1.5X! Emissivity is greatly helped with black hard annodizing. For real???? you've tested this yourself? why does no one else do this?? Because it'a a secret, it shouldn't have even been posted here..... Of course it doesn't improve the performance 150%. If it did, don't you think someone like spearco that makes -racing- intercoolers would black anodize all their intercoolers? This coating might help them from coroding (which can hurt performance) and why lots of stock ones are painted (and why this guy probably painted this one). I seriously doubt you'll find a measurable difference what ever you do with this paint issue unless this coating of paint is -really- thick. Unless of course you are running "thick, non gasoline style fuel" using an adjustable phase shifter with counterflow injectors, then all bets are off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 2slo4u Posted September 11, 2004 Share Posted September 11, 2004 PPfffffttttghghghg! Brian 81zxturbosuperslow14.8 95slobaru Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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