AUTOGON350

iTrader: (8)

I am in the early stages of a custom MPFI setup and I have some questions about anodizing fuel system parts.

-What kind of anodize is on fuel fittings AN fittings and fuel rails?
Is it a hard coat?

-Do throttle bodies get the same kinds of coatings? (I made one out of 6061 and It corroded really bad sitting on a shelf.)

-Should a fuel rail be machined completely and then ano/hard coated inside and out or just outside?

-If anodized inside is there a risk that the coat would flake off during assembly and damage the injectors?

-If aluminum is anodized/ hard coated clear after it is polished will it still have the polished and smooth look and texture? Or can a hard coat not be applied clear?

-Can air intake parts be anodized or is this not a good idea?

How expensive is anodizing?

Thanks for any info.

AM91Camaro_RS

the only thing i have to contribute to this one is...i have put clear powder coat on top of polished aluminum. no more polishing, or anything!

askulte

There are actually a few different kinds of anodized finishes. What is happening is that the anodizing creates a hard oxide coating on the surface of the aluminum. This oxide coating is pretty tough, and can be dyed different colors, or left clear during the anodizing process. A hard-coat anodize will be a bit thicker and more durable for rubbing wear surfaces, like pulleys. For parts that aren't seeing rubbing, it's not really necessary.

When you polish aluminum, you remove the natural aluminum oxide coating that happens on it's own, and are left with a raw, polished surface that oxides very quickly. Most people toss on a coat of carnuba wax, and polish/wax regularly. If you don't care about the polished finish, a clear anodize would be a durable, low maintenance finish. If you're concerned about the aluminum oxides inside your custom made fuel fittings, I'm not sure that it'd be an issue. They'd get an oxide layer almost immediately, which isn't bad. I don't think it would contaminate the fuel injectors. You could anodize it, but I've never heard of anyone having problems with natural aluminum (and their instant oxide layer) in fabbed fuel systems.

AUTOGON350

iTrader: (8)

cool thanks for the info. It sounds like a colored anodize or clear would be good enough for fuel lines and fittings. I had read that holley's fuel rails were anodized clear and thats what got me started thinking about it.

I made a throttle body a few years ago and the machined finishes were really smooth. It then went into the trunk of the car for a few weeks in the heat and humidity. Thats probably why it oxidized and pitted so bad. The raw machined surface+hot humid enviornment. Didnt want that to happen again.