anybody running a chrome upper intake???

[Dan95-5.0]

i got a Professional Products upper and lower intake for dirt cheap locally but dont like the finish. its current satin.

i have a stock, fox polished upper intake on my car right now and it looks sick so i dont want to downgrade the engine bay and leave it satin or paint it.

i hate the up-keep on polished aluminum like water spots because of my ram air hood no matter which way i wash it so i'm thinking of getting it chromed. i've seen a few people who have done this and it look awesome.

i will use a 1inch or .500 intake spacer to keep the heat down.

any opinions? or even pics?

 

[ninety1gt]

just leave it satin, if u bought it used go wash it at car wash with engine degreaser, i have same intake and my engine bay looks clean, just my opinion

 

[Paul Perreca]

just sand it and polish it, what are you talking about, waterspots?? Just keep it up and it'll look fine

 

[Dan95-5.0]

when i wash my car, water droplets goes through the air vent on my ram air hood and land on my polished parts such as my intake. after i drive the car the water droplets dry up from the heat and stains the intake with a white residue. i cant rub it off. i have to buff them off and its hard to get in those tight visible places and its just to much work to keep polishing it.

 

[RacEoHolic330]

Personally, I like the look of polished aluminum over chrome. However, you can have the intake chromed, but it will cost you a pretty penny to get it done. Also, it is not good from a performance aspect either. Chrome takes a very long time to cool down, so your intake is gonna stay very hot which can't hurt your track times and numbers. But if you have the money and don't care about track times, then go for it.

 

[04sleeper]

My friend got tired of polishing his upper so he got it chromed. Here is a picture of it.

 

[Paul Perreca]

thats beautiful!!

 

[Lyncher]

thats beautiful!!

 

[04sleeper]

thats beautiful!!

Why thank you.

I built the engine myself.

 

[Lyncher]

Why thank you.

I built the engine myself.

...in that case...great job. If you dont mind me asking...how much did it cost to get all of those components chromed? Or did he buy some of them already chromed? THanks

 

[Dan95-5.0]

the expense of gettting it chromed is not a problem. i'm family friends with a owner of a chrome shop so i'm sure i can get a discount. LOL

if i polish it and apply a clear coat over it, will that hold up? i'm afraid that the clear will turn yellow over time because of the heat.

 

[Ozz]

I have had nothing but bad luck with clearing my polished stuff. I'm thinking of chroming my intake.

For an upper intake, I've heard quotes around here from $250 to $450. The low-ball guy does some local car guys' work and is kinda 'in' with us (or we're in with him, you could say!), so we get decent prices!

 

[04sleeper]

...in that case...great job. If you dont mind me asking...how much did it cost to get all of those components chromed? Or did he buy some of them already chromed? THanks

For the intake, blower tubes, blower brackets, misc nuts and bolts, belt tensioner..... it was like $700.

Not too bad for all that was done.

 

[Dan95-5.0]

thats a good price.

i'm going to sand down the upper nice and smooth like i'm going to polish it and then take it down to the chromer to see how much it would cost

 

[Ozz]

I talked to one guy a few years ago, he said he'd charge the same no matter how smooth it was. Naturally I never thought of that guy again until today, lol.

 

[Michael Yount]

Check with your local powder coaters - they have some amazing new coatings that look almost like chrome; much easier 'chemically' on the intake.

Personally - I'd rough up that satin finish with some 220 grit and paint it flat black.