Jeff Fayne wrote:
>
> Thanks to all who responded to my heat shield/hydraulic line "finishing"
> questions.
>
> The general consensus on the heat shield was to bead blast then clear
> coat it, sounds reasonable.
I don't think you can get a clear coat that can stand the heat without
fogging. There is an outfit called Seymour that makes a line of paints
called "Alumi Blast" and "Cast Blast" -- and they may have others. As
the name implies, the paint is supposed to be the color of freshly cast
aluminum for the former and freshly cast iron for the latter. And it is.
It also applies well and lasts like, well, iron.
I bought it at a high-quality machine shop for full retail in aersol
cans. The label says:
Seymour of Sycamore, Inc.
"The inventor of aersol spray paint"
917 Crosby Ave
Sycamore, Illonis 60178 U.S.A.
(815) 895-9101 (inside illinois)
800-435-4482
FAX 815-895-8475
I sprayed the Midget heat shield with "Cast Blast." I only bothered to
dig the cans out of the dustballs in the garage and type all this in
because I was that impressed with the paint. You might call them about a
local distributor.
> Regarding the hydraulic lines, I've decided to do "the right thing" and
> replace them all. In the back of my mind I figured that was the right
> way to do it, I just dreaded having to do all those bends, having no
> experience bending hydraulic lines. However, I have a friend in the auto
> repair business who offered the use of a bender and his experience, so
> that's what I'll do. For others contemplating the same, the general
> consensus is that given the lines are 20+ years old and probably getting
> weaker, bead blasting them may contribute to further reduction in wall
> strength. Sounds reasonable to me, just hadn't considered it.
On the same, poor Midget I bent new lines just for the differential. I
bought the pipe from Vicki British as it already has the correct ends.
The ends are something special -- not the type sold in most auto part
stores. I also bought a couple of bending tools. I made a real mess out
of the first few attempts. There is some amount of, ah, inebriants, that
helps shut down the logic brain and turn on the artsy-craftsy brain that
makes this job fun, after a fashion. The VB stuff was always a couple
inches too long or too short. It's a challenge to waste just the right
amount of length to get everything to fit.
Good Luck,
Bob Allen, Kansas City
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