A clear coat for aluminum rims and engine bay components. Any good suggestions?

[zedjr10]

I just finished polishing all my aluminum in engine bay and am thinking about clear coating it. Anyone got any good reviews on a good rattle can clear coat for aluminum? Is there such stuff in brush format also.

[Raf99]

I just finished polishing all my aluminum in engine bay and am thinking about clear coating it. Anyone got any good reviews on a good rattle can clear coat for aluminum? Is there such stuff in brush format also.

Just thinking...
Aluminum doesn't rust.... you would buff to get more ... shine. There's different products for this, some claim to "hold in protection" etc. Maybe I'm reading you wrong though.

[Fleetw00d]

For rattle can, you can get high temp clear for the engine components. Eastwood has a clear coat for wheels that I used long ago. I've had several sets of wheels professionally refinished and powder coated - if you like the finish you have on them, a local powder coater may be able to do them in clear.

[zedjr10]

Just thinking...
Aluminum doesn't rust.... you would buff to get more ... shine. There's different products for this, some claim to "hold in protection" etc. Maybe I'm reading you wrong though.

Aluminum does rust, just not that orange rust like steel and it doesn't flake off like rusting steel. It is called aluminum oxide.

[zedjr10]

For rattle can, you can get high temp clear for the engine components. Eastwood has a clear coat for wheels that I used long ago. I've had several sets of wheels professionally refinished and powder coated - if you like the finish you have on them, a local powder coater may be able to do them in clear.

Will look for that stuff. I want to do it myself as i have lots of free time right now. Did the rims a while ago and just finished my engine components.

[Raf99]

Aluminum does rust, just not that orange rust like steel and it doesn't flake off like rusting steel. It is called aluminum oxide.

ya i know. But the aluminum you speak of already has a clear coat. This isn't like sanding down aluminum rims where it's bare metal and you need to clear coat it (and also to make it shine better). I think at this point polishing with a protective compound is what you're looking for.

[TypeG]

get some adhesion promoter like bulldog and for the clear coat I would say spraymax 2k clear. it has a bladder inside the can with a hardener you can activate. just wear a respirator when using it. I think you might have a hard time making clear stick to bare polished aluminum though. later.

[sonikaccord]

The Gawd has spoken!

And when you clear, sometimes you lose some of the shine of freshly polished aluminum. I would wax it every so often, personally.

[zedjr10]

ya i know. But the aluminum you speak of already has a clear coat. This isn't like sanding down aluminum rims where it's bare metal and you need to clear coat it (and also to make it shine better). I think at this point polishing with a protective compound is what you're looking for.

I removed that clear coat a year ago and sanding to a nice aluminum shine. Some oxidation has set in and have to remove it again. So a protective compound sounds like something i will look into. I also sanded and polished up all my engine bay stuff. I really don't want to spray anything in there so i will do some research on aluminum protective rubbing compounds. I think i seen a video on something called keratin or something. Maybe you know of one cause most i see are polishing stuff like mothers. Maybe spray the rims and use some rubbing stuff on engine bay stuff.

[zedjr10]

For rattle can, you can get high temp clear for the engine components. Eastwood has a clear coat for wheels that I used long ago. I've had several sets of wheels professionally refinished and powder coated - if you like the finish you have on them, a local powder coater may be able to do them in clear.

What about that protectaclear from everbrite. AM wondering which to use? The protectoclear or the reg everbrite and for which. Use the protectaclear for rims and everbrite for engine bay?

[THE_1990_ACCORD]

since 1989 when I discovered that my ....ic had no source for aftermarket rims and I decided to polish this steel rims to a mirror finish. along with polishing all the aluminum components in my engine bay from then on. I have been on a quest to find something that would preserve that polished surface. I've done all kinds of different waxes clear codes zinc oxide's I had a witch doctor bless some aluminum components. To this day I have not found anything better to protect polished aluminum then the protecting in white diamond metal polish which you can get had auto part stores like o'reilly's auto zone target Walmart Amazon.