Powder coated my AirGap
Was it brand new or used?
As long as it's properly outgassed and no nasty grunge leaches out of it afterwards (see pic of a brand new aluminum M/T), a new one should hold up with just clear.
The problem though is if nothing comes out of the metal after it cooks at high temp for a few hours (VERY RARE since oils are typically used to mill them), there is little incentive to blast it ... so it's essentially a substandard prep attempt that won't last very long.
But blasting that brand new intake is going to take that New Aluminum Sparkle out of it while providing the best "tooth" for prime adhesion (unless it's really soft media which doesn't do much on a microscopic scale anyway). Who wants to preserve a dull blasted look for years or decades?
Both sides of the fence have to make concessions. It can be done right from the outset, or repeated again and again when it fails. The cost at the outset is higher but the downtime, intake gasket sets and effort add up too.
Choose wisely fellow gearheads.
Was it brand new or used?
As long as it's properly outgassed and no nasty grunge leaches out of it afterwards (see pic of a brand new aluminum M/T), a new one should hold up with just clear.
The problem though is if nothing comes out of the metal after it cooks at high temp for a few hours (VERY RARE since oils are typically used to mill them), there is little incentive to blast it ... so it's essentially a substandard prep attempt that won't last very long.
But blasting that brand new intake is going to take that New Aluminum Sparkle out of it while providing the best "tooth" for prime adhesion (unless it's really soft media which doesn't do much on a microscopic scale anyway). Who wants to preserve a dull blasted look for years or decades?
Both sides of the fence have to make concessions. It can be done right from the outset, or repeated again and again when it fails. The cost at the outset is higher but the downtime, intake gasket sets and effort add up too.
Choose wisely fellow gearheads.