On 15 Jul 2004 at 15:45, CraigFaubel@aol.com wrote:
> I polished up my windscreen frame and had it powder coated clear and I asled
> about a similar finish for my heads and was advised not to do it because the
> high temp to melt the powder could affect the strength characteristics of
> the aluminum and the powder coating would retain too much heat. I didnt
> research to see if that was true or not, tho.
The powder coat melts at about 400 degrees F. so it won't stay on the heads
near the
exhaust outlets, nor on any part of the block where the exhaust manifolds are
within
about 2 inches of, as in the case of just about any header I can think of. IMHO
that's the
only reason that powder coat on heads and block may not be a good idea.
I doubt if the 400 degrees F. baking temp for the powder is hot enough to
affect the
metallurgy of the block and heads, so I don't buy the strength characteristics
theory. It
should be easy enough to find out, because heads from overhead-cam engines are
straightened by bolting them to a straight mandrel and heating them in an oven,
but to a
temperature much higher than 400 F. A call to any shop equiped to do this would
get
you the temperature. Perhaps the guys at Terry's Jaguar could tell you, since
it's
common for Jag heads to need straightening.
Only a very small percentage of heat is radiated from the sides of the engine,
so the
powder coat would contribute only a miniscule amount to overheating of the
engine
while in operation, and in fact if a dark color were used, it may contribute to
heat
radiation.
Marvin
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