Polishing Intake Manifold

[theSOB]

So i got my h23 IM finally. kinda dirty as expected. whats the best way to polish at least the outside and also maybe the inside of it? i just want to to look nice and if possible, perform a little better. thanks everyone.

[JoshM]

Brandoncb7 is in the process of polishing his IM. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to give you some pointers.
http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthre...=144428&page=3

[deevergote]

I polished the inside with fine grit sandpaper on my friend's manifold. Not sure if it was a good idea or not. I've since heard that it's good to have a rough surface to promote airflow (a knowledgeable friend told me this, and I actually ran it by Bisi for confirmation)

[cb7-tcakes]

I took my h22 mani lower half to napa to hot tank it and it looks brand new cost me like 25$ i think, and for the top portion i used some carb cleaner on inside to get any dirt stuck inside.

[theSOB]

I took my h22 mani lower half to napa to hot tank it and it looks brand new cost me like 25$ i think, and for the top portion i used some carb cleaner on inside to get any dirt stuck inside.

what exactly does it mean to hot tank it?

[CB7 Sleeper]

I took my h22 mani lower half to napa to hot tank it and it looks brand new cost me like 25$ i think, and for the top portion i used some carb cleaner on inside to get any dirt stuck inside.

is that like steam cleaning it?

[wherm]

hot tanking is just dipping the part into a hot degreaser solution and letting it soak for a while. The heat helps the solvents do their job better.

[theSOB]

does every napa offer this? and will they do the upper plenum too?

[deevergote]

You might not want to do the upper part.

I believe it's more of an acid bath. I have an H22 block that was tanked. Nice and clean. Well, it was... it's been in my shed, so it's not so nice anymore.

[theSOB]

You might not want to do the upper part.

I believe it's more of an acid bath. I have an H22 block that was tanked. Nice and clean. Well, it was... it's been in my shed, so it's not so nice anymore.

y would i not want to do the upper part?

[kirk90]

I used seafoam on mine. Had an extra bottle and a toothbrush. I poored some on the inside runners and let it sit for a bit while cleaning the outsides of the intake mani. It looks nice and clean!

[Sarthos]

I'm in the process of polishing mine by hand, it takes a bunch of sandpaper, and a TON of patience. Start with 100 or less grit sandpaper, and keep on sanding until the surface is very smooth (get rid of as many of the casting marks as you can) then move up to about 150 grit, and smooth out the little scratches the 100 grit may have caused. follow it with about 250 grit, then about 400 grit. Jump up to something around 600-700 grit, then try 1000 grit, 1500 grit, and 2000 grit. Then get a microfiber towel and some Mother's aluminum polish. It'll look amazing if you do that.

[TypeG]

I'm in the process of polishing mine by hand, it takes a bunch of sandpaper, and a TON of patience. Start with 100 or less grit sandpaper, and keep on sanding until the surface is very smooth (get rid of as many of the casting marks as you can) then move up to about 150 grit, and smooth out the little scratches the 100 grit may have caused. follow it with about 250 grit, then about 400 grit. Jump up to something around 600-700 grit, then try 1000 grit, 1500 grit, and 2000 grit. Then get a microfiber towel and some Mother's aluminum polish. It'll look amazing if you do that.

got pics? later.

[megarock15]

I polished the inside with fine grit sandpaper on my friend's manifold. Not sure if it was a good idea or not. I've since heard that it's good to have a rough surface to promote airflow (a knowledgeable friend told me this, and I actually ran it by Bisi for confirmation)

hey deeves how rough is ok? like directional groove rough or unfinished metal rough?

[kirk90]

I was reading on a site about getting the head done and portmatching ect. and they said not to smooth out the inside of the intake, runners ect because the gas would tend to stick to the surfaces. They were saying its a good way to judge a shop. If you go into a shop to get portmatch ect. and they say there going to smooth the inside down for you. Then they don't know what they are doing and to find another shop!