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Soda Blaster for my Carbs

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Here's a photo I hijacked from the web.
stacksandfilters.jpg


Stub stacks act as small velocity stacks improving the movement of air into the carbs. <-- sound good? I just made it up. I really have no idea but they look cool inside the filters and are supposed to produce more HP.
 
Well, I went out and made one. All I had was a half box of soda to play with.

Anyway, here is a before

P1300003_edited.jpg


And after

P1300005_edited.jpg


Like I said, I did not have much soda to work with, but the results are encouraging. Notice the oxidation is gone, it actually goes fast.

The setup leaves a lot to be desired. There is no control on the soda flow, so you get clumps (might be old soda) but when it comes out, wham, oxidation is gone.

It is also messy, I mean really messy, a cloud of soda wafted over the fence.

Given I am not looking for that polished look, just clean gray aluminum, this has been the least damaging and cheapest so far for me, and it gets into the crevices.

So I plan a trip to CostCo and get a couple of really big boxes of the stuff.
More pics after I move to the wood shed and blast some more.
 
Interesting Ray, very interesting.

Keep the pictures coming.
 
I wonder if you backed off the pressure a bit and if you could construct a cabinet of sorts with a exhaust fan. What else could you blast?
 
An adjustable clamp of sorts on the suction tube would control the soda flow. maybe even a pair of vice grips adjusted to only partially pinch off the hose..
All very interesting. I'm impressed with what I see so far.
 
PeterK said:
Here's a photo I hijacked from the web.
stacksandfilters.jpg


Stub stacks act as small velocity stacks improving the movement of air into the carbs. <-- sound good? I just made it up. I really have no idea but they look cool inside the filters and are supposed to produce more HP.
Click to expand...
Flow = horsepower. the rounded edge should provide less drag than the sharp factory one.
Don't even go into the added weight issues.
Because in theory fog lights can make your can go faster.
 
I( love the S.S. hoses and clamps
 
Well, here is the final product (a bit brighter in the photo then it really is).

I have to admit, the soda did not take all the oxidation stains off the metal, but did a great job at removing the oxidation and fuel stains on the inside. To get rid of the few remaining stains, I hit those spots with a mixture of soda and some of the aluminum oxide dust that remained in my blasting cabinet. I only used soda on the internals, and it did a very fine job. So far the cost to me is $13 (I had an air gun), and the wife has some soda for her wash.

I am pleased with the results and will use this technique on other aluminum and zinc plated parts.

Would I buy a soda blaster? Nope.

P2050003_edited.jpg
 
Brosky said:
Nice job Ray, but why wouldn't you buy one?
Click to expand...

Thanks Paul, I am happy with the way they came out.

On buying a soda blaster, well for me, there is not enough work to warrant the purchase of a system I would need less then 8 hours out of the hundreds of hours I have in this rebuild. And on top of that I would have to find a place to store it.

Also, this is my first, and probably my last restore...

But who knows, the wife really likes the Mini Coopers and I the GT6.
 
Ray, it's never the "last" restore.

I said that with my "last" restore of a 1965 442. Never again and I made money on that one. Then came my "last restore" of my 71 VW Super Beetle with the engine that gave many guys in 70 muscle indigestion for the first 1/8 mile.

At that point I left the dealer network as a life, but I married a girl with a 74 TR6 in the garage..........

And here we are talking 24 years later about what??? Constant state of restore.

Back to the subject. I understand your comment now. I wasn't sure if you were happy with the soda or found a better process.
 
Peter,

I am going to buy some hoses like yours. Please send me the specs (size and length, etc.).

Do you also have them going to the carbs from the fuel pump?

Thanks.

Paul
 
Thanks Peter. I'm ordering the hoses and clamps today.

I'm also going to try to find the correct stub stacks today and order them.

Paul
 
Peter,

Thanks for the part numbers. Do you have the part number for the stub stacks? My engine is the larger one (TCF 486L), but I'm not sure if the carbs differ from the smaller engine.

Thanks again.

Paul
 
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