QUATTROVALVOLE INTAKE PLENUM RESTORATION | FerrariChat

QUATTROVALVOLE INTAKE PLENUM RESTORATION

Discussion in '308/328' started by cfensty, Oct 8, 2010.

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  1. cfensty

    cfensty Formula Junior
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    Jan 1, 2008
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    #1 cfensty, Oct 8, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Okay everyone, I owe FChat one since I gained so much technical knowledge from fellow FChatters on numerous jobs for my 308 so I decided to do a write up on restoring the QV intake plenum to a factory finish.

    The first step is to take several photos of what everything looks like before disassembly for reference. Next, I began by removing the plenum and throttle body together carefully sperating and labelling each hose, valve, etc. Don't forget to recover all gaskets including the four rubber ones on the bottom. Inspect everything as this time and order any gaskets, hoses, etc. you may need so you have them once you are done with the restoration.

    You will also need to disconnect the throttle cable and remove the throttle springs and hardware if you are going to restore the throttle body as well. I recommend the plenum and throttle body be done together to assure a good match. Keep all of the hardware in ziplock baggies or the like to make sure nothing gets lost. (I had a sticky throttle so I ordered new springs and cleaned everything really good with parts cleaner before greasing with fresh high temp grease and reinstalling.)

    Once the plenum is off, cover all intrusions/holes thouroughly and blast off the loose old paint the best you can. I used a handheld blasting gun from Craftsman and some glass bead blasting media. This stuff is cheap, hooks to any compressor, and did a fine job. I didn't remove all of the old paint completely but make sure the surface is smooth and consistent. Then clean everything up with some parts cleaner or solvent and a lint free rag. You can also use compressed air to make sure the surface is free of dust, hair, etc.

    At this point you want to get yourself a good roll of 3M painters tape and go to work taping everything off. This is the most tedious part of the whole job but also one of the most important if you want a factory look. Red overspray on the bolts and other hardware looks pretty sloppy.

    The paint is factory red crinkle finish paint I ordered from Italian Car Parts. It's a VHT high heat product so you may be able to find it elsewhere but make sure it is "crinkle finish". I did not use any primer. I hung the plenum from a string and sprayed it with 3 or 4 light coats. This is important to prevent the paint from running. Being patient is worth it if you made it this far!

    I let the everything dry for about an hour and then removed the tape. Removing it before its completely dry seemed to help prevent any of the paint from pulling off with the tape.

    After letting it dry completely for 48 hours, I went to work on the detail. I got a handheld sanding block and some fine sandpaper (I belive it was 500 or 1000 grit) and gently sanded across the lines and lettering on top. I mainly went on 45 degree angles to the lines but as long as you are sanding lightly with fine grit paper and the paint is dry you should be okay in any direction. Once the finish was to my satisfaction I hit it with some light compressed air to clean it up and then stared in amazement that it actually came out that good!

    Reinstall everything the way it was (I used a little Wurth DP 300 gasket sealant on some of the gaskets to be safe) and enjoy! Below should be some helpfull photos. Cheers!
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  2. AHudson

    AHudson F1 Rookie
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    GREAT job! I love posts like this. Fairly straightforward, well described, good before and after pics. Nice. The Motovanti looks even better!

    Remember to cure your paint. Heat it up, cool it down for maybe 3 ever-lengtheneing drive cylces and it'll be fine. Good work!
     
  3. gil308

    gil308 Formula 3

    Jun 22, 2004
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    That looks great! But instead of doing it myself, since you live so close, you could come up and paint mine :)
     
  4. stevel48

    stevel48 Formula 3

    Jan 4, 2005
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    I would add this to the
    Interesting 3x8 Technical/DIY Threads
     
  5. GrayTA

    GrayTA F1 World Champ
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    Very nicely done!!! Looks great!!!



    PDG
     
  6. shmark

    shmark F1 Rookie

    Oct 31, 2003
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    Looks great, makes me want to do mine. Nice job. Just a cautionary note on using the glass bead media though, make very sure you get ALL the media out of the plenum before reinstall. I know a guy on another car forum who blasted and refinished his plenum (you should see this car, clean doesn't begin to describe it) but apparently some of the media got stuck in a corner of the plenum. He reinstalled it, started the engine and drove about 100' before destroying the engine. To his credit, he shrugged it off and built a new engine even cleaner than before!

    Personally pecan/walnut shells might be a better choice of media. Less chance of damage if you miss anything.
     
  7. Owens84QV

    Owens84QV F1 Rookie

    Oct 2, 2001
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    I know a guy on this forum who redid his plenum, installed it, started the car, and seized the engine.
     
  8. ramosel

    ramosel Formula 3

    Sep 11, 2004
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    And..... what's the connection?


    Rick
     
  9. miketuason

    miketuason F1 World Champ
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    #9 miketuason, Oct 9, 2010
    Last edited: Oct 9, 2010
    Can you cure the paint by putting it in the kitchen oven let say 150 deg F then let it cool down before installing it back together?
     
  10. magnum

    magnum Formula Junior

    Feb 21, 2008
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    Antonio
    Great job and great DIY Craig. Congratulations.
     
  11. Harry-SZ

    Harry-SZ F1 Rookie

    #11 Harry-SZ, Jan 6, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Inspired by this great thread, I started this job last week.
    Here are some pictures and information.

    I used a modern paint stripper. Bring it on in a 1 mm layer, let dry for 6 hours and then brush off the dry stuff with a hard brush.
    After that some extra cleaning and some extra paint stripper was needed, but then it was back to bare metal. Also very pretty without the paint, but I want it original of course.

    So after that a lot of cleaning and degreasing and then the job of taping off everything. That was a lot of work, but it was my first time, so others will do this quicker. I used good tape and a very sharp knife.

    I put on 4 layers of VHT wrinkle paint. I let it dry a couple of minutes between layers.
    After that drying for 24 hours and I put it in the oven on 100 degrees for 20 minutes.

    After that sanding the paint off the stripes and letters.
    After the sanding an extra session in the oven.

    Here are some pictures. It is not perfect, but I am still very happy with the result.
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  12. Rod

    Rod Formula Junior

    Jan 18, 2004
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    Cracking job....


     
  13. rdefabri

    rdefabri Three Time F1 World Champ

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    You guys are good...well done!
     
  14. miketuason

    miketuason F1 World Champ
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    #14 miketuason, Jan 6, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Rosey likes this.
  15. mcfarlin

    mcfarlin Karting

    Jun 9, 2008
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    Thats what I did, my wife came home and was not particularly happy but she got over it.
     
  16. shmark

    shmark F1 Rookie

    Oct 31, 2003
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    Nice job, looks great! When we restored mine, my brother used a heat gun to activate the paint. Works just as well and doesn't make the wife mad!
     
  17. Gordo308

    Gordo308 Karting

    Sep 2, 2013
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    Gordon Laing
    Don't try it. The smell is bad.
     
  18. Harry-SZ

    Harry-SZ F1 Rookie

    The chromelook is indeed not original but it is certainly not bad. I can imagine you would keep it this way.
    And the finish of the red wrinkle paint looks spot on, so they did a very nice job!

    Why do many people have the aluminium/stainless intake tube instead of the standard rubber?
    Is it better or is the original one not available anymore?
     
  19. Glassman

    Glassman F1 World Champ
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    This is how I ended up with my own oven in the garage.........and a new one in the house.
     
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  20. yelcab

    yelcab F1 World Champ
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    Nov 29, 2001
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    Ha ha ha.
    This is why I bought a $25 oven off craigslist for the outside bench.
     
  21. Todd308TR

    Todd308TR F1 World Champ

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    Everyone's looks damn good.
     
  22. miketuason

    miketuason F1 World Champ
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    Harry, the reasons why some people use the aluminum in my case the carbon fiber intake tube is 1) for looks, 2) the air suppose to flow smoother as it doesn't have the ribbed or the accordion like rubber tube, and 3) yes, when people loose or damage them, they can be hard to find.
     
  23. klatu

    klatu Formula Junior

    Apr 13, 2009
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    Rob Mckinney
    I changed mine for the looks, and for the smoother airflow.

    The old one is in a plastic bag at my hangar. Anybody need one?

    Klatu

    81 GTSi Red/Tan

    #36357
     
  24. VIZSLA

    VIZSLA Four Time F1 World Champ
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    My wife thanks you.
    ;)
     
  25. chris_columbia

    chris_columbia Formula Junior
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    I would be worried about painting aluminum without removing the aluminum oxide. Paint will not last on aluminum oxide, and I suspend that is what the factory did. Sheet aluminum can be anodized. Not sure what to do with cast aluminum but there is a correct process. On shhet, you can also sand and paint immediately before oxide forms, but the pits of castings make this difficult.

    Also, as has been mentioned elsewhere, unless you want the unpainted "fins" and the "quattrovalvole" text to turn dull from oxidation, you need to spray them with clear coat.
     

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