I got a used TE style turbo. I want to make it look like new again. I have access to a glass bead blaster and a parts washer. I would like the compressor housing to appear freshly cast, but without painting it if possible. Any recommendations? On the exhaust housing, what can you do to it? I might bead blast it as well. I know I could send it off and have it jet hot coated..... but I'm just wanting to make it work on a budget right now.... I probably won't mess with the center section as I don't want to get any grit in the bearings or risk damaging either wheel..... Thoughts?
I would use por-15 hi temp paint that stuff is good up to 1400 deg, use a good degreaser with a tooth brush on the cast side. I did this and mine came out pretty nice
You can bead blast the compressor housing if you are skilled at blasting and have it look almost as cast. Once you get it clean wire wheel it then glass bead blast it but hold the nozzle 4-5" from the part. The finish will be better. You will need to heavily sand blast the ex housing and grind all the flat surfaces after sand blasting and it will look about 90% of what I was new if it isn't pitted. You will need to throughly clean all blasted parts. Use brushes and soap. Rinse the ex housing with cold water and dry it with compressed air. Spray it with light oil to prevent rusting.
Depending on the condition of the hotside, a steel brush and some wd40 would work if it was lightly rusted, but if it looks like it has been around the block a few times, might be easier to just get a dremel/drill and steel brush wheel and go at it that way. Ideally you would want to coat it with a hi-temp coating such as the jet hot you mentioned. If you do that, go with the 2000degF coating. Another coating that works well is swain coatings, about the same cost as ceramic coating.
For the turbine housing. Knock off the big crud, degrease and soak in a very light solution of Muratic acid and water. Like a cup of acid to 5 gallons of water (always add acid to water). Depending on the solution it should be back to bare metal in a few hours. The exhaust housing will want to rust very quickly after you pull it out of the acid, so hit it with some light oil. Vinegar will do the same thing as the muratic acid, but it's not as strong. You could try the same on the comp housing, but it might take the sheen away from the machined surfaces. Masking the machined surfaces and bead blasing might be a better choice, but it won't look perfectly as cast.
Don't want to lead this thread astray, but I am wanting to do something to the hot side to keep it looking good, T-66 Turbonetics, Ceramic coating ? Turbonetics did not offer any coating options, but I want to do something before I install the turbo, also thinking of a turbo blanket, I have never seen on one on a GN wondering why. Jet-Hot is fairly close by, but what are the options, not looking cheapest, just best life and appearance.
a low budget way of keeping the exhaust housing presentable is to spray it with rustoleum BBQ paint. it will stay flat black and doesnt come off easily
You cold try the new rustoleum spray cans good to 2000 deg. I have only seen at lowes , I used it on dp works great semi gloss black .I will look for other colors thinking about doing mine also.
