This "how to" is for anyone wanting to do a basic at-home DIY resurface restore refinish a Ford Lincoln Mercury carbureted or CFI aluminum air cleaner lid !
This simple easy fairly inexpensive method can be used on aluminum air cleaner lids on all Ford Lincoln Mercury Fox Body Mustang Capri Zephyr Fairmont Cougar Thunderbird LSC VII Truck F150 F250 etc + many more makes/models
Disclaimer - please use whatever appropriate safety gear legally required (goggles glasses gloves dustmasks ETC) and by you doing this I'm not legally responsible for any injuries damages consequences ETC that could happen
Note: I'm not trying to get you to "overkill" - just trying to be helpful and cover all (or most of anyway) the bases - to outline most of the proceedure for refinishing a fairly worn scratched stained lid. You can either omit or supplement some steps/stages as needed or required, depending on the condition and/or severity of your lid.
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
(all materials and left-overs can easily be reused for other automotive/household purposes projects etc too)
whatever safety gear is required - you decide
vise (or sturdy clamps to attach the drill to a table or sawhorse etc)
high speed drill
die grinder arbor bit - 1/4" (verify size diameter of your particular carb/air cleaner mounting stud and buy same size arbor!)
terrycloth rags
80 and 100 and 400 grit sandpaper sheets
3M Sanding Sponges (or good quality equivalent) - get a multi-pack with several different grade grits
3M Scotch-Brite Scouring Pads (or good quality equivalent) - get a multi-pack with several different color-grade grits
(optional) decal/tape/adhesive remover (if you have stubborn remnants of the old air cleaner label still adhered)
(optional) rubbing compound (and possibly polishing compound too - if desired)
non-residue cleaning solvent (denatured alcohol or alternatively starting fluid etc)
small empty spray bottle (for wetsanding with water first - then later for acid if you're going to use it)
(optional) aluminum acid brightener (example: I use WAB Aluminum Trailer Cleaner Restorer to brighten my aluminum)
(a few elaborations on the above first)
For this you will use a high-speed drill. A reversible drill is optionally preferred but not required. It's just that you might want to try this using the drill in both forward & reverse directions to more quickly remove stubborn deeper scratches.
Buy a 1/4" die-grinder "arbor" bit tool. Before buying just double-check the size of the hole in your air cleaner lid, it will of course be the same size as the stud for the wingnut.
Buy a muti-grit pack of 3M sanding sponges and maybe a sheet of 80 & 100 & 400 grit sandpaper. The 80 & 100 are for the bulk of the scratches and nicks etc - the 400 grit is for later fine wet-sanding. Most foam sanding sponges are rectangular - and some (handily) come with one or both sides/edges beveled on a angle (for getting into grooves nicely). Use whatever shape sponges that you prefer
PROCEEDURE:
DRILL
Wrap the grip of a drill in a rag for cushioning (so you don't break the drill housing) and put the drill upright facing straight up FIRMLY in a vise. Just don't crack your drill!
Put the arbor bit in the drill and tighten the check VERY WELL. Then remove the arbor's top washer-scew and mount your air cleaner lid (centered) onto the arbor shaft then tighten-down the arbor screw to the lid. If you bought the right size arbor it should be a good fit and pretty much self-center with the hole in the lid (you don't want it uncentered - it will make the lid rotate and wobble off-center)
Run the drill at a safe (but decent speed!) and your lid should revolve nicely just like a record on a record-player
SANDING - SANDPAPER
Begin applying the heavier grit sandpaper first and it should score & sand your lid down where the scratches eventually begin disappearing. You can use a rag in your other hand and gently hold the rag on the underside of the lid as it's spinning - this helps stabilize the lid and allows you to press the sandpaper(s) etc more firmly into the aluminum top. Just don't press the underside rag so hard that it significantly slows down the drill (it's real easy and it'll only take you a few seconds to figure out the proper amount of pressure to apply to the rag and sandpapers simultaneously)
** IF YOU WANT to experiment then alterately run the drill in reverse also - it can help speed up the sanding process and remove the some of the deeper scratches better/faster. Just make sure the drill chuck doesn't loosen is all.
Then do the all of the above the same sanding steps with the next lighter-grade grit sandpaper(s) switching to lighter-grit papers as you progress. Also try to sand it down deep enough to completely remove any old staining that might've originally stained the aluminum.
It'll have taken away most or all of your scratches by then and your lid WILL indeed look like a vinyl record with nice concentric scratches/rings. It'll look almost like it's been lightly machined
SANDING SPONGES
Then the foam sanding sponges will come in handy - they conform well to take the various angles & shapes & rim of the lid nicely
Just apply the foam blocks starting with the heaviest grits first & repeat using the same methods with lighter & lighter grit sanding sponges. Depending on results you can easily follow this up with various grades of Scotch-Brite scuffing pads if you want.
WETSANDING
Then use really fine sandpaper(s) like 400 grit, spray the lid with water and "wetsand" the lid using all the same methods above. Sure you'll get a little splatter so wear an old shirt and keep lightly spraying the lid with water as you're wetsanding to keep it wet and lubricated. I think the wetsanding step is pretty important. Just don't spray water directly into your drill is all. Doubtful but if you get water into your drill check just blow it out with compressed air then spray it with WD-40 (it's water displacing and lubricating!)
By then - you'll have a completely resurfaced lid with perhaps ultra-fine nicely even perfectly concentric scratches. Some owners will like the looks of this quite a bit and leave it that way.
RUBBING COMPOUND & POLISHING COMPOUND
If you want to go the "extra mile" - then continue to use the drill and use the same method again using a terrycloth rag with metal "rubbing compound"
If you want it really really smooth or even polished - go one step further again and use the same method above using "polishing compound"
** A FEW MORE TIPS OPTIONS SUGGESTIONS ETC **
STAINS / SPOTS
At this point all of the sanding & scuffing should've removed a good layer of the aluminum down to a new surface thereby removing any stains that the original lid surface might've had seeped into the aluminum. If you have some remaining stubborn stain spot remnants - you can try applying a heavy-duty cleaner or solvent like "Easy-Off" oven cleaner or Acetone or Denatured Alcohol and scrub the stains with a old toothbrush etc. Let whatever you're using soak in but do not let it dry and scrub the stains while it's still wet with the cleaner. You might need to use more than one chemical but only use ONE AT A TIME don't mix them. Whatever you end up using, afterwards just be sure to fully re-wash the lid again with dishsoap followed by denatured alcohol to fully remove any residue!
ACID APPLICATION (optional)
There's a good chance you don't have to do this IF you heavily sanded your lid and 100% completely removed an entire layer or two of metal from your lid and it looks good enough.
But - if you bought it and want to use the aluminum acid brightener, pay attention to the following. Yes aluminum acid brightener works excellent on aluminum valve covers + intake manifolds + water pumps etc too. (Note: if your parts are not aluminum but instead are "pot metal" you may not get good or consistent results). But it works great on aluminum. Use some rubber wet-proof gloves (the acid's not real bad but still it can redden the skin etc). I used to use this type of product all the time when I cleaned industrial heavy equipment + tanker-trucks + fuel tanks etc
Dilute the acid some (the instructions tend to be a bit conservative in their dilution ratios, just mix it a tad on the strong side but nothing crazy). You can do this over a tub or sink etc. If you do it outside on your driveway or garage floor - wherever you do this - make sure you wet the floor or surface beneath where you're working first with water - wet the surface wherever the acid drips etc will land (to prevent staining streaking or killed grass etc). KEEP YOUR KIDS & PETS AWAY so you can do this quickly and safely and uninterrupted.
Fill your spray bottle with the acid. Completely wet the lid with water first and NEVER apply the acid to dry aluminum - it WILL almost always streak the surface! Then spray the acid over 100% of the air cleaner lid. You'll see it perhaps begin to foam and respray with acid again. Do not let it dry and rinse it off with water. Repeat if needed. Some people will lightly scrub the aluminum with a soft-bristle brush when the acid is still on it for a little better effect. Your lid will be significantly brighter and the acid will likely have also removed any residual oxidation discolorations stains etc that previously might've been stained/trapped into the grain of the aluminum. Rinse with water then rinse with dish soap then rinse with water again then towel-dry.
PAINT PREPARATION
IF you plan on clear-coating your lid with clear paint :
I'm not sure if Ford ever clear-coated the lids or not and it's fully up to you if that's something you want to do. Some will clear-coat the lid and apply a new air cleaner ID label - some will also clear-coat over the label too to seal it to protect it - and some will leave the aluminum bare and perhaps apply (and buff-out) silicone grease as a protectant (AFTER the label has been applied & dried!).
Depending on how far you went above - by now if the lid is "too smooth" and highly/overly polished, then for paint adhesion reasons you might want to either stop at a earlier sastisfactory stage above (where it looks good but is still lightly scuffed enough for paint to adhere) - or you can proceed to use the drill one final time and lightly apply a appropriate-grit Scotch-Brite pad to give the lid a light paint-adhering scuff-texture. Just use whatever grit/color scuff-pad will give you the scuff level you desire.
You should wash the air cleaner lid off in nice warm soapy water (nothing super-harsh that might streak/stain) like dish soap. Rinse really well so no soap residue remains whatsoever.
Prior to painting - use a lint-free rag (or tack-cloth) and denatured alcohol or similar non-residual solvent to wipe any oily residue from your grubby hands!
** Make sure that the clear paint that you use is a oil/gas/solvent-proof type of engine paint. This is recommended due to gasoline or starting fluid or carb cleaner or brake fluid type accidental splatter later (you know how things can go!) as it will ruin regular paint ** Many clear engine paints will say to spray a VERY light tack-coat on first, wait 10-minutes or so - then spray 1 2 or 3 successive heavier medium coats giving enough time between coats. Basically just follow the directions on the can and don't rush and try to do it all at once!
NEW AIR CLEANER LABEL
Don't forget to order your new air cleaner label to make everything look like factory-new! For Mustang and Capri (and similar vehicles!) don't forget that these various air cleaner labels often look similar but **can vary slightly by year and aspiration type**. So make sure you verify that you order the correct label for your particular engine aspiration (Cabureted -or- EFI) and for the correct style for your year!
AIR CLEANER WINGNUT "FIX"
For your air cleaner top wingnut - often the rubber underside of the wingnut is dried or worn-out or missing. This leads to more scratches and not tightening snugly and doesn't seal from water getting in!
In the plumbing section of your local hardware store - for about $2 you can buy (usually come in a pack of 4) virtually identical to OEM high-quality heavy-duty rubber washers just like the original on the underside of your wingnut. It's a large diameter rubber washer with small center hole. They're called "toilet tank rubber washers" that are almost a absolute match in size & thickness to the original (a tiny bit thicker I'd say but will flatten or wear a little over time) and are a absolute perfect fit.
Just bring the wingnut in with you to match the size to be sure. Remove what's left of the old rubber from your wingnut and glue the new washer on with a very good strong glue/adhesive. I'd let it dry & cure a day or two at least. Most of these toilet washers are nicely fiber-reinforced (for extra-strength) so you may see a little bit of white fiber (around the edge) that can easily be blacked-out with a black permanent-ink marker. These are very durable and can take tightening & loosening & retightening over and over again. Note: I didn't use the Home Depot versions because the edges are way too fibrous & ragged). Anyway I did this and it's virtually identical to the original factory one in every way and works perfectly - it grips the lid nicely, doesn't ever come loose, doesn't ever scratch the lid, and seals out water - perfect!!!
(search online for "Plumb Works Toilet Tank Rubber Washers" to see a photo example)
Personally - I also wirewheeled my wingnut then dipped it in a metal preservation chemical called "Rustex" by Krud Kutter (I use this . It's a rust-converter product that forms a clear primer seal). Came out looking factory gray/silver.
IN THE END
If you do go ahead and do it - the supplies won't cost much at all and are all commonly available - and TA-DA! - you'll be astonished how easy it was and how good the results are! I know my instructions were a bit long but it really is fast & easy and you'll learn really quickly what's need and works best for you. In the end you'll be much more pleased every time you open the hood. Feel free to tailor things a little to your individual needs but this is the basic way to make an old air cleaner lid look fabulous
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