I tried regular old paint stripper and it didn't work. The plenum sat there and laughed at me as I sprayed copious amounts of paint stripper on it. On a positive note, the plenum is nice and clean now

So... what sort of nasty chemicals are nedded to remove this stubborn red paint? Or is it even paint? Powder coating?

I do believe it is powder coated... have you tried "aircraft remover" ?

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'88 Formula 2.8L V6 5 speed Getrag
(Runs smooth, shifts crisp, red and shiny all over!)
(Red '86 Fiero SS show car coming soon !)

I took one to a machine shop and had it "hot tanked" It is powdercoated and chemical stripers just dulled the finish but woundt remove it.

im with redhot, use aircraft stripper....use gloves though

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Rebuilt 2.8, Zr-1 Cowl
Induction Hood, 1/4 Window scoops,
removed spoiler, awaiting blue paint...

Use aircraft stripper. I took mine to the carwash at 3:00AM sprayed it and other parts with the air-craft stripper. Read a book for about 45 minutes. Then I used the high-pressure water to remove the bubbled up coating.

I think it turned out just fine. Before it was chipped and flaking in places like the valve covers. I used universal red no. 209. Hope it is close, because I can't tell colors well.

[This message has been edited by mindscape (edited 02-15-2002).]

Ive used aircraft stripper with mixed results. If the manifold is chipped it seems to work fairly well I think the stripper gets under the coating on the manifold. If the manifold is not chipped and you are stripping it to change colors or whatever, it doesnt seem to penetrate into the finish. (thats why i hot tanked it)

just my 2 cents

Hmmm... unfortunately the red stuff on the plenum and valve covers is in excellent condition, no chips/scratches/etc. I'm taking my engine block to the machine shop next week, anyway. I'll just have the parts hot tanked.

All the aluminum parts on my 2.8 are going to be anodized.

what is hot tanked?

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black 87GT auto TTop

try sand blasting it
would probably work well

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blue 87gt, loaded, mr mikes interior, no cat K&N, hight compression rebuild, new cam and trw forged pistons, OZ f1 plus rims,[img]http://zorbaz.homestead.com/grandbeachpics.car8[img]

Just remember, they are aluminum parts. Cold tank - as hot tank will dissolve them completely. You don't want a case of the missing parts.

in my shop i use aircraft stripper, then scratch it up real good with stiff wire brush, then put on another coat. The stripper gets into the scratches and goes on under the paint. Best way though is media blasting, pretty cheap, had a plenum done for $10. not nearly as messy.

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While the media blasting sounds like a very effective way to strip the powder coating, I'm a little nervous of having glass beads caught in the nooks and crannies of the aluminum parts. It would require a VERY thorough washing.

I'll just have the parts tanked when I go to the machine shop. Thanks for everyone's help.

I found this stuff at Home Depot that worked real good. It's called Klean Strip Premium Stripper. It even came with a spray dispenser. Its sprayable. It works on paint, epoxy, and polyurethane. Do not let any of it get on any part of your body because it is caustic and burns like heck, even the paint flecks that are stripped off burn. All it took was a couple of applications to get all the paint off my manifold. Here's what it looked like after repainting. P.S. Use in a well ventilated area, it stinks.

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[This message has been edited by avengador1 (edited 02-15-2002).]