To paint brushed aluminum

[ashok]

You can clean an aluminum surface with sodium hydroxide solution. You will need to do it in an open environment as it produces noxious fumes . But to paint it you probably need to use a special aluminum primer which is yellowish green I think. That sticks to aluminum very well . The paint will go over that .
I guess sanding down the primer layer(s) etc might be required to ensure that no scratches are visible. Glossy paint will show up even the smallest flaws.

[KP11520]

Hi Duo,

Powder Coating is worth the wait and effort! It has all the positives (durable, even, right sheen for a faceplate, etc.). If you make a mistake when you apply text like Volume, Off/On, etc., and you need to remove it and do it again, the Powder Coat will be the best and not show any impact. Paint most likely won't fare as well.

I can't think of one negative except for having to wait and also you can't do it yourself unless you are setup for it!

Now Conrad, what about the Triumph? Which one and have you done any restoring? I would love to get my hands on a Sunbeam Tiger but there are a few Triumphs I wouldn't mind having!

Regards//Keith

[Duo]

mmmmm Brit cars. I'm a jaguar boy myself. But those Jensens and Triumphs are sure darn nice.

[KP11520]

Check out the Sunbeam Tiger. It is a small two seater like a TR6 in size with a Ford V8 and Rack and Pinion steering. This thing is an animal (Tiger is just about right).

Regards//Keith

[Duo]

Yes I've read about the Tiger in my reading of the British cars.

The only thing that really bothers me is seeing things like Chevy 350s in XJ6 or such.

[KP11520]

Yes that kind of ruins the allure when it is violated to that extreme. I can understand why sometimes and it is done for muscle, simplicity and reliability. But that is why I like the Tiger. It has the Ford V8 right from the factory with one carb so no tempermental carb tuning issues. The carb setups from those days were not a lot of fun!

Tiger is the best of both sides of the big pond (for its day anyway (64 to 67).

But those XKEs were SEXY... We can say SEXY here, right?

Regards//Keith

[Duo]

Yes, XKE is the sexyiest thing going. I run a 83 XJ6 but I plan to get an E-type soon.

I would never replace the straight six though. Who needs more power than that? And with such refinement.

[planet10]

Originally posted by KP11520
Check out the Sunbeam Tiger.

Is that the one that tends to burn up when crashed?

I drove an XJ6 for 6 months (ie until the front end fell out) -- even as a beater this was a REALLY nice car.

dave

[Duo]

I don't know if XJ6s tend to burn up when crashed, but I know all the fuel injected jags love to have engine fires for those drivers that don't check on the fuel hoses.

And yes, no matter what shape they're in, they're a hell of a nice car. Mine's in really good shape, just I have to rebuild the transmission.

[KP11520]

Dave, I never heard that about them. I hope not! Maybe that's why they are hard to find!

Duo, I agree, but I hope you intend to get the convertible. IN that maroon metalflake paint color with nice authentic spoke rims!

I believe they had three to six carbs for six cylinders. That is hard to keep just right. Maybe they make an adapter that mounts an intake manifold over the area where the 3 to 6 carbs were and lets you use one four barrel carb instead. Not too much modification for a nice smmoth, reliable performance.

You get yours and I will get mine and we can meet at Niagra Falls to compare and find a little drag strip. I'll tell my wife, we are just going to Niagra Falls for a romantic weekend! Who knew I was going to run into this guy with a sports car that wanted to race!

Regards//Keith