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So, if you've read some of my recent posts you will know that I set out to change the head gaskets on my TR8, as they were leaking. I was doing a pretty good job avoiding doing too much "while I'm in there" stuff, but I have been cleaning and painting bits as they were out or exposed. Last weekend I started putting things back together, and was on track to be able to start it up this weekend.
One of the dominate features in the FI TR8 engine compartment is the intake plenum. Triumph chose a really pretty gray color (looks like surplus battleship paint?), and didn't appear to take much care in its application (someone told me they suspect it was applied with a broom). Most I've seen are peeling to some extent, mine included. I was hoping to find some matching paint, mask the bits that are attached, and touch it up a bit. But I couldn't find a reasonable off the shelf match, so I was just going to leave it alone. Then I got the inspiration to see if the paint shop could mix up a match and put it in a spray can. $20 later and I had a fresh can whatever the color is called. They even painted a small test area on my plenum, and it was spot on.
So I started to clean up the plenum, and starting thinking that this or that bit wouldn't be too hard to take off, and make for a better paint job. In no time, the only thing left was the butterfly valve. Then I noticed how dirty the inside was, probably because the leaking head gasket, besides leaking a little exhaust in to the cooling system (the problem that alerted me to all of this), also was leaking a lot to exhaust into the crankcase (under the valley pan gasket). In addition to making a lot to sludge in the engine, I'm sure this mean a lot of crap was going out the crankcase ventilation system and into the intake. So I used a can of spray carb cleaner and started cleaning out the inside. It worked really well, but I also got some on the outside. It immediately softened the old paint. My plan had been to just sand down the top and repaint, but now the old paint was soft, and probably not suitable for painting over. And of course much of the damaged paint was on the sides, where there are lots of nooks and crannies, making it difficult to sand or wire brush off.
So now, an hour or two and half a can of paint stripper later, my plenum is mostly bare metal. Still need to do another pass, but it got dark and didn't want to smell up the garage. If the weather cooperates, and I get enough spare time, I still might make it to starting on the weekend, but it may be close. But I'll have a beautiful stock gray plenum!
One of the dominate features in the FI TR8 engine compartment is the intake plenum. Triumph chose a really pretty gray color (looks like surplus battleship paint?), and didn't appear to take much care in its application (someone told me they suspect it was applied with a broom). Most I've seen are peeling to some extent, mine included. I was hoping to find some matching paint, mask the bits that are attached, and touch it up a bit. But I couldn't find a reasonable off the shelf match, so I was just going to leave it alone. Then I got the inspiration to see if the paint shop could mix up a match and put it in a spray can. $20 later and I had a fresh can whatever the color is called. They even painted a small test area on my plenum, and it was spot on.
So I started to clean up the plenum, and starting thinking that this or that bit wouldn't be too hard to take off, and make for a better paint job. In no time, the only thing left was the butterfly valve. Then I noticed how dirty the inside was, probably because the leaking head gasket, besides leaking a little exhaust in to the cooling system (the problem that alerted me to all of this), also was leaking a lot to exhaust into the crankcase (under the valley pan gasket). In addition to making a lot to sludge in the engine, I'm sure this mean a lot of crap was going out the crankcase ventilation system and into the intake. So I used a can of spray carb cleaner and started cleaning out the inside. It worked really well, but I also got some on the outside. It immediately softened the old paint. My plan had been to just sand down the top and repaint, but now the old paint was soft, and probably not suitable for painting over. And of course much of the damaged paint was on the sides, where there are lots of nooks and crannies, making it difficult to sand or wire brush off.
So now, an hour or two and half a can of paint stripper later, my plenum is mostly bare metal. Still need to do another pass, but it got dark and didn't want to smell up the garage. If the weather cooperates, and I get enough spare time, I still might make it to starting on the weekend, but it may be close. But I'll have a beautiful stock gray plenum!
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