As most of us are aware, any polished aluminum we have on our cars will start to dull within a short period of time. I use Mothers aluminum polish and get great results, but they are short-lived. Ive been looking for an effective means of sealing or coating the polished metals that wont yellow or dull the finish, that wont peal or chip, that has durability and longevity, and is cost effective.

I have seen a little info on Zoop seal which states that it should do what I want for preserving the look of my polished metal components. Question is, does it work. The Zoop kits sell for around $100 or so, and I am a bit hesitant to spend $100 for a product that I cant find any testimonials for.

Has anyone had any experience with this product that would care to share any feedback they may have? Here are a few questions I have on the product. Any info would be great? Was it easy to apply? How long did it last? Was it durable? Was it used on any components under the hood? How much coverage did you get out of a kit? What was required to clean and maintain it? Would you buy it again?

thanks
Chuck

 

I remember seeing the guys on "Shadetree Mechanics," or "Two Guys Garage," or "Crank and Chrome," whichever it was (same guys, different names for their show), talking about zoop seal once. I thought it was awesome, and looked into it. But I just can't bring myself to pay $100-$150 for what is basically a clearcoat.

 

Im going to bump this question. Cant believe that there isnt someone on the forum that has tried this stuff.

 

I bought some, but haven't tried it-- sorry

 

im sure if you wrote them on behalf of, well everyone, they might send you a free sample

 

PM "RTS3GEN":

http://mahjik.homestead.com/files/FD...0040911_03.jpg

That picture was taken at one of our road racing events. He drags, road and any kind of other racing there is with that car and it always looks like that. Ask him what he uses.

 

a local fd owner out here in tennessee used it and he said its JUNK. evidently, it looked good for about a week, then turned yellow or green or some other color on the spectrum. im no fruitcake so that doesnt so much appeal to me. hahahaha. id say its good ONLY for a trailor queen.

paul

 

pm RX-heven... he uses the Zoop sealant.

-GNX7

 

It works.
This is the engine in my vert just before completion:






As you can see, a little bit of polishing went into it.
I used mothers because it gives the best shine...period.
However, I got tired of polishing everything because it takes so long so I forked out for the zoop seal kit.
The shop where I have all my initial polishing done recomended the stuff and they swear by it. Just wish they would have told me about it in the first place.

HINT: You do not need the entire kit. All you need is the cleaner, two-part seal and the final sealer. Mothers polish works way better than the Zoop supplied polish. Plus the kit includes car wash, tire/trim care and some other crap I'm sure we all have lying around already. I think you could probably even use Acetone or some other bare metal cleaner such as what they use for prepping for paint in place of the Zoop supplied cleaner.

The sealer does work very well. Since I have applied it, I've basted my entire engine with hot engine oil at the track due to not having enough crankcase ventilation (blowing out my dipstick tube and oil ALL over the place). After cleaning up all the oil, the fresh polished look is still there that would have not survived without the seal imho. Not to mention I live next to the ocean which speeds up the oxidation process significantly.

It was quite a bit of work to apply it though; equivilant to mildly polishing your engine three times.

Well worth it so far.

 

maybe he applied it incorrectly then. . . hmmm. . . that looks killer!!!

paul

 

Hey Dave,
Thanks for the info. Your engine looks great! How long have you had it on your parts. As far as you can tell, has the engine heat had any adverse affects. How many coats are required and how is it put on?
Mothers polish is the best by far of any polish Ive used as well. There is a polish called Flitz that works well but it is extremely expensive for what you get.
Also, I appreciate the tip on buying the kit versus just the sealer.
thanks again,
Chuck

 

Its sooo clean looking.. I am in the middle of a polishing frienzy and hope it looks just as good

 

RX-Heven's car looks like a monster!

 

IMO, the only way to go with polished aluminum pieces is to get them anodized. Preferrably - BLACK!

Anodizing changes the material properties of the surface (AL-hydrate). It is much harder, won't rub or peel off, and will not oxidize, which is what causes the raw AL to dull. Better yet is that anodizing changes the thermal properties. Polished aluminum has an emissivity of 0.03, which means that it does not radiate heat. Anyone who has ever welded aluminium will testify to the fact that hot aluminum will bite you without warning. If you put your hand next to a piece of hot steel, you'll know it's hot; but not aluminum - you'll grab it and get burned. Ever see red hot aluminum? No, because it doesn't radiate.

Anodized aluminum has an emissivity of from 0.56 (chromic) to 0.88 (darker colors), which makes it a very good radiator. Every calorie of heat it emits is one calorie of heat that doesn't go back into your motor.

 

I did *not* know that. Thanks.

 

good info and valid points, I have had some of my parts anodized that are subjected to wear. the molds our company uses are all anodized and the surfaces of the aluminum are very tough and resistant to scratches, abrasion, and chemicals used in the production process. the stuff is almost impossible to sand off. bottom line - I like the look of polished aluminum, just need to keep it looking that way.
chuck

 

Some chemicals will ruin anodizing.
I went through a car wash and had them 'treat the wheels' which was supposed to give the tire a shiny look like Armor All. Damn crap etched my anodized rims with the overspray.

You can have polished aluminum powdercoated clear also. Not much more durable than that. That is what i would have done from the beginning if I knew any better or if I have the engine apart again.

Been about six months so far and looks great still. Before it wouldn't last half that long. Engine heat does not affect it.
One coat for each of the 3-step process is all I did as was recommended.
Rub it on and rub it off. Real easy.

 

Powdercoat polished aluminum?

Why bother polishing? Might as well bring it to the point of a fine grain to aid the powdercoating - but polishing would seem pointless.

 

yes you can clear powdercoat the polished finish and it will stay like that forever

 

Sort of... the "clear" is not exactly clear, and it tends to dull the finish slightly. It won't look quite as polished as it did before you had it coated, but you're right, it'll stay protected forever.

 

I priced powder coating a couple of components and it was damn expensive unless they were running the color that you specd. Was looking at one of these DIY powder coat systems from Eastwood. Anyone have an idea of how well those systems work and what kind of cost the powder is relative to square footage coverage.

chuck

 

Where did you get price quotes from? Some of the "big-name" places ARE quite expensive. However, powder/ceramic coating is getting increasingly more popular, and a lot more local places are doing it. I found a place that was just a short drive from my house (www.afipowder.com). They powder coated my entire long-block, and about 10 other smaller pieces (PS/AC bracket, strut bar ends, etc), for just a few hundred bucks (IIRC, just under 300). And that even included 2 different colors, as well as a clear coat. They did a DAMN good job too.

I also had them ceramic coat my manifolds and DP. The DP and exhaust manifold were done in the 2000deg black coating, and the two intake manifolds were done with the 1300deg "chrome" coating. That ran me another 300 bucks.

If you're looking into the DIY method, PM 93BlackFD. Pretty sure he used to do that in his spare time.

-Rob

 

Clear coat powder coat=point of no oxidation, low maintenance The only problem is the local shop won't do it because they claim there's nothing for it to adhere to (afraid it will chip or peal off) so they won't do it.