The raw aluminum looks cool, BUT once it gets used and exposed to "road dirt, and engine stuff" they'll get a bit grungy, kinda like a tannish color from the dirt getting into the rough casting. Painting will make cleaning easier BTW, engine looks awesome!
Hey Mark, thanks! I totally agree with you, the Performer intake on my last engine was bare aluminum and it was tarnished when I bought the car. I did clean it but it still never looked like new cast aluminum. No matter what the colour choice I go with the heads were going to get painted either cast aluminum like all the other aluminum parts or the black cherry. The only parts staying natural are the polished billet aluminum accessories. I don't want to scrub raw aluminum anymore lol.
Lol! Now if you were to grind, and sand smooth, then polish your heads then I’d say leave ‘em raw, it closes the pores and makes a hard flat shiny surface, easily polished for clean up
After looking at the pics a few times and at the actual engine in the garage I came to the conclusion that the power steering pump cap looks a little blah and cheap. Well I got a fix for that! I ordered one of these today, should be here next week. Fingers crossed it's of good quailty, if not I'll send it back and see if Rob from Percision Billet will make me one.
Well hot digity dog my Comp Cams pro magnum roller rockers that my wife and kids got me for Christmas finally arrived, along with my billet aluminum pwr str reservoir cap annnnnd my unobtainium NOS LH RH motor mounts, today was a great day.
Thanks Sean, it's getting soo close to final assembly and dyno time. I need to get some .027 Cometic head gaskets from TA and Isky adjustable guide plates for the heads so I can assemble and measure for pushrods. I'm hoping to take the heads next week to be flow tested also.
I think if you did the heads and intake the same as the cover and brackets, then do the air cleaner to match the valve covers you would get a nice color offset,
I was thinking that too Ben, but I still think that would be alot of aluminum showing. I know once the engine goes in the car you won't see 90% of the block color.
Thanks! Yes stock PS bracket, I think 68-70 Rivs used that style. Briz has a 68 maybe he can confirm his and member 70Rivme has a 70 so I can ask him what he has on his?
R 44TS is the stock AC Delco plug, https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...0l+430cid+v8,1021431,ignition,spark+plug,7212 https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinf...YCrTlCpjfYBPKqF8Dcz781esRzfWhZphcw8FWMGB3YIWN I like the NGK plug, the UR-4, https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinf...YCrTlCpjfYBPKqF8Dcz781esRzfWhZphcw8FWMGB3YIWN
Well I haven't updated this thread in awhile and that's due to selling my house, moving, buying a property to build on, getting plans, surveys, permits etc in order and work being so busy I've had no time to work on the engine at all and lastly like the rest of the car hobbyists, waiting on parts to arrive. I got a nice little batch of parts the last week and my adjustable guide plates should be arriving on Thursday. That means I gotta make some time to get the heads flowed, paint them the cast aluminum colour (yes I decided to go the route Ben suggested a few posts above^^) and start the final top end assembly process to measure for pushrods. Hopefully I can get all this done the next couple weeks and book my dyno session for early May. I still need to prep the car itself for the new engine to go in. The good old "while it's out" list engine bay refresh paint, body/suspension bushings, clean up the wiring and new tranny lines.